Spring 2025 Final Exam Review Notes

Unit 6: World War II

  • Double V Campaign:

    • Aimed to achieve victory against both fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home for African Americans.

  • Turning Points of WWII:

    • Stalingrad: The Soviets successfully defended the city against the Nazi offensive, marking a major turning point on the Eastern Front.

    • Midway: The U.S. Navy decisively defeated the Japanese, halting Japan's advance in the Pacific and shifting the balance of power.

  • Opportunities for Women and Ethnic Minorities:

    • Increased employment opportunities in factories and military roles due to labor shortages.

    • Women took on traditionally male jobs, contributing significantly to the war effort.

    • Ethnic minorities, such as African Americans, served in the military, though often in segregated units.

  • Similarities between Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Korematsu v. United States (1944):

    • Both rulings upheld government actions that discriminated against specific groups based on race.

    • Plessy v. Ferguson established the "separate but equal" doctrine, while Korematsu v. United States upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII based on national security concerns.

  • US Military Strategy:

    • European Theater: Focus on defeating Nazi Germany through a combination of air power, naval blockades, and ground offensives.

      • D-Day invasion of Normandy was a crucial operation(Overlord).

    • Pacific Theater: Island-hopping campaign aimed at capturing key islands to get within striking distance of Japan.

  • Allied and Axis Powers:

    • Allied Powers: United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, China, France, etc.

    • Axis Powers: Germany, Japan, Italy

  • Purpose of Extermination Camps:

    • c. To fulfill Hitler’s “Final Solution”/extermination of the Jews

  • Atomic Bombs on Japan:

    • False. Harry S. Truman gave the order to drop the atomic bombs on Japan.

Unit 7: Early Cold War

  • Executive Order 9066:

    • Authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II due to fears of espionage and sabotage.

  • Hitler's Violations of the Treaty of Versailles:

    • Rearmament of Germany, occupation of the Rhineland, annexation of Austria, and aggression towards Czechoslovakia.

    • These actions violated the treaty's restrictions and demonstrated Hitler's expansionist ambitions.

  • Los Alamos, New Mexico:

    • Site of the Manhattan Project, the top-secret effort to develop the atomic bomb during World War II.

  • Truman's Reasoning for Using the Atomic Bomb:

    • To quickly end the war with Japan and avoid a costly invasion of the Japanese mainland.

    • To demonstrate American power to the Soviet Union.

  • Eugenics:

    • A controversial movement that advocated for selective breeding to improve the genetic quality of the human population.

    • Discredited due to its association with Nazi Germany's racial policies and human rights abuses.

  • Purposes of “Victory Gardens” and Rationing:

    • Victory Gardens: To supplement food supplies during wartime and reduce pressure on the public food system.

    • Rationing: To ensure fair distribution of scarce resources and materials during the war effort.

  • Conflicting Ideologies of the Cold War:

    • Communism (Soviet Union) vs. Democracy and Capitalism (United States).

  • Marshall Plan:

    • Economic aid program to help rebuild Western European economies after World War II.

    • Designed to prevent the spread of communism by promoting economic stability and prosperity.

  • Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare:

    • A U.S. Senator who led a campaign against alleged communists in the American government and society during the 1950s.

    • His tactics, known as McCarthyism, involved making accusations without evidence, creating a climate of fear and suspicion.

  • Berlin's Location:

    • Though Berlin was supposed to be shared by the Allies following World War II, the city itself was located deep within Soviet territory.

  • Why the Cold War never lead to open warfare:

    • The threat of nuclear annihilation for both sides created a state of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

  • Stalin's actions and Western Democracies response:

    • In 1948, Joseph Stalin blockaded the city.

    • Western democracies responded with the Berlin Airlift to supply food and supplies to West Berlin.

  • Truman Doctrine:

    • Truman promised to support nations resisting subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures.

  • Baby Boom:

    • D. All of the above

  • Iron Curtain:

    • The “Iron Curtain” was a term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the divide between the communist, Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and the democratic West.

  • Douglas MacArthur’s role in the Korean War:

    • General who led the United Nations forces in the Korean War.

    • Removed from his role by President Truman due to disagreements over strategy, particularly MacArthur's desire to expand the war into China.

  • Significance of the Scopes Trial:

    • Highlighted the conflict between science and religion in American society.

    • Focused on the teaching of evolution in public schools.

  • Event launched new technology and military innovations:

    • The onset of the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union spurred significant technological advancements.

Unit 8: Vietnam & The 1960s

  • Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961):

    • VietnamizatioGoals: To overthrow Fidel Castro's communist government in Cuba.

    • Outcomes: Failed invasion, strengthened Castro's regime, and strained relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

  • Vietnamization:

    • President Nixon's strategy to gradually withdraw U.S. troops from Vietnam and transfer responsibility for the war to the South Vietnamese government.

  • Significant Outcomes of the 1960 Presidential Election:

    • First televised debates played a crucial role in shaping public perception of the candidates.

    • John F. Kennedy's victory marked a generational shift in American politics.

    • Close election highlighted the deep divisions within American society.

  • Credibility Gap in the Vietnam War:

    • Discrepancy between official government reports and the reality of the war as perceived by the public.

    • Caused by factors such as media coverage, military setbacks, and government secrecy.

  • IRelations Between the US & Soviet Union after the Cuban Missile Crisis:

    • improved, leading to a period known as détente.

    • Détente involved increased communication, arms control agreements, and efforts to reduce tensions between the two superpowers.

  • Events that caused public support for the Vietnam War to decrease:

    • The Tet Offensive

    • My Lai Massacre

    • Pentagon Papers

  • Warren Commision:

    • Investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

    • Concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination.

  • Kennedy's Response to Soviet Missiles in Cuba:

    • Imposed a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments.

    • Demanded the removal of the missiles.

  • Pentagon Papers:

    • Revealed a history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, including secret bombings, covert operations, and misrepresentations of the war to the public.

Unit 9: Modern Civil Rights

  • Contributions of Presidents Roosevelt and Truman to Civil Rights:

    • Franklin D. Roosevelt:

      • Established the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC) to combat discrimination in defense industries during World War II.

    • Harry Truman:

      • Desegregated the U.S. military.

      • Supported civil rights legislation, though it faced opposition in Congress.

  • Differences between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.:

    • Malcolm X: Advocated for Black nationalism, self-defense, and separation from white society.

    • Martin Luther King Jr.: Promoted nonviolent resistance, integration, and racial equality through civil disobedience.

  • Purpose of the Freedom Rides of 1961:

    • To challenge segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals in the South.

    • Freedom Riders faced violence and arrest, drawing national attention to the civil rights movement.

  • Emmett Till:

    • A 14-year-old African American boy who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly flirting with a white woman.

    • His death and the subsequent acquittal of his murderers sparked outrage and galvanized the civil rights movement.

  • Southern State Governments' Reaction to Brown v. Board of Education:

    • Resistance to desegregation.

    • Some states passed laws to circumvent the ruling and maintain segregation in schools.

  • Connection Between Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) & Brown v. Board of Education (1954):

    • Brown v. Board of Education overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson.

    • Brown v. Board of Education declared that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and violate the Fourteenth Amendment.

  • George Wallace:

    • Governor of Alabama who strongly opposed desegregation.

    • Symbolized resistance to civil rights and the struggle for racial equality in the South.

  • Examples of Protests by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC):

    • Montgomery Bus Boycott

    • March on Washington

    • Sit-ins

  • Cesar Chavez:

    • Led the United Farm Workers (UFW) in advocating for the rights of farmworkers, particularly Latino workers, through strikes, boycotts, and protests.

  • Hernandez v. Texas:

    • Ruled that Mexican Americans and all other racial groups in the United States had equal protection under the 14th Amendment.

  • Locations of American Indian Movement Protests:

    • Wounded Knee

    • Alcatraz Island

Unit 10: End of the Cold War

  • Gas Shortage in the United States:

    • Caused by factors such as oil embargoes, declining domestic oil production, and government regulations.

  • Foreign Policy Achievements of the Nixon Administration:

    • Opening relations with China and arms control agreements with the Soviet Union (SALT I).

  • Watergate Scandal:

    • Broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel.

    • A cover-up, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice.

    • Nixon resigned from office rather than face impeachment.

  • Supreme Court Ruling in United States v. Nixon:

    • Ruled that Nixon had to release the Watergate tapes.

  • Ford's Handling of Nixon's Scandals:

    • Ford pardoned Nixon to heal the nation.

    • The American public responded negatively to Ford’s decision, resulting in a plummeting approval rate.

  • Failure in Foreign Policy during the Carter Administration:

    • Iran Hostage Crisis

  • Goals/Policies of the Modern Conservative Movement:

    • Limited government, free markets, individual liberty, and a strong national defense.

  • Fall of the Soviet Union:

    • 1991

    • America's defense budget shrunk.

  • Operation: Desert Storm:

    • A military operation to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.

    • President George H.W. Bush.

  • NAFTA:

    • North American Free Trade Agreement, an agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico to eliminate tariffs and trade barriers.

    • Main criticism of the agreement was labor exploitation, loss of American jobs, and environmental damage.

  • Clinton's Brady Bill:

    • An attempt to regulate the sale of firearms.

  • Policies passed under George W. Bush in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks:

    • The Patriot Act

    • The creation of the Department of Homeland Security

    • The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq