Untitled Flashcards Set

Flashcards

• Benito Mussolini
  The Italian dictator and founder of Fascism, who ruled Italy from 1922 until his ousting in 1943.

• Adolf Hitler
  The German leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, responsible for World War II and the Holocaust.

• Neutrality Act of 1935
  A U.S. law that aimed to prevent the country from being drawn into foreign conflicts, enacted in response to the growing tension in Europe.

• Neutrality Act of 1937
  Legislation that extended the policies of the 1935 Neutrality Act and prohibited the sale of arms to warring nations.

• Quarantine Speech of FDR
  A 1937 address by President Franklin D. Roosevelt advocating for international action against aggressor nations, marking a shift towards interventionism.

• Blitzkrieg
  A military tactic used by Germany during WWII characterized by rapid and overwhelming attacks to defeat enemies quickly.

• “Cash and carry”
  A policy allowing nations at war to purchase goods from the U.S. if they paid cash and transported the goods themselves.

• Arsenal of Democracy
  A phrase used by FDR to describe the U.S. role in providing military supplies to allies during WWII to combat fascism.

• Lend-Lease Act
  A program that allowed the U.S. to supply Allied nations with war material in exchange for bases or other benefits.

• Atlantic Charter
  A pivotal policy statement issued during WWII by FDR and Winston Churchill outlining allied goals for the post-war world.

• Pearl Harbor
  The U.S. naval base in Hawaii attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, prompting the U.S. to enter WWII.

• War Production Board
  An agency established during WWII to oversee the conversion of industries to war production.

• Office of Price Administration
  A U.S. government agency created during WWII to control prices and rents to prevent inflation.

• Office of War Information
  A U.S. agency responsible for disseminating war-related information to the public and maintaining morale during WWII.

• Manhattan Project
  The secret U.S. research project that developed the first atomic bombs during WWII.

• “Double V” for African Americans
  A campaign slogan advocating for victory against fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home during WWII.

• Korematsu vs. US 1944
  A landmark Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII as a wartime necessity.

• Rosie the Riveter
  A cultural icon representing women who worked in factories and shipyards during WWII, symbolizing female empowerment.

• Strategic bombing
  Military strategy of bombing key enemy targets to diminish their ability to wage war during WWII.

• Island hopping
  A military strategy used by the Allies in the Pacific Theater during WWII to capture specific islands and use them as bases.

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  The Japanese cities where the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in August 1945, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of WWII.

• Big Three
  The leaders of the Allied powers during WWII: Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S.), Winston Churchill (UK), and Joseph Stalin (USSR).

• Yalta Conference
  A meeting in 1945 where the Allied leaders discussed the post-war reorganization of Europe.

• United Nations
  An international organization founded in 1945 aimed at promoting peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

• Iron Curtain
  A term used to describe the political and ideological division between Eastern (Soviet) and Western (democratic) Europe during the Cold War.

• Cold War
  The period of political tension and military rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union after WWII, characterized by ideological conflict.

• Satellite nations/Soviet Bloc
  Countries in Eastern Europe that were aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War and under its influence.

• Containment
  A U.S. foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism worldwide.

• George Kennan Argument
  The strategy of containment was articulated by diplomat George Kennan as a means to counter Soviet expansion.

• Truman Doctrine
  A U.S. policy established in 1947 promising military and economic support to countries resisting communism.

• Marshall Plan
  A U.S. initiative post-WWII providing financial aid to rebuild European economies to prevent the spread of communism.

• Berlin Blockade
  A Soviet attempt to blockade West Berlin in 1948-49 to exert control over the city, leading to the Berlin Airlift.

• Berlin Airlift
  The operation in which the U.S. and its allies supplied West Berlin by air during the Soviet blockade from 1948 to 1949.

• NATO
  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 for mutual defense against aggression.

• Warsaw Pact
  A military alliance formed in 1955 among Soviet-aligned countries in response to NATO.

• Arms Race
  The competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

• National Security Act 1947
  Legislation that restructured the U.S. military and intelligence services, establishing the Department of Defense and the CIA.

• Korean War
  A conflict from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea (with Soviet and Chinese support) and South Korea (with U.S. and UN support).

• 38th Parallel
  The latitude line that divided North and South Korea before and after the Korean War.

• Eisenhower Doctrine
  A U.S. foreign policy promising military and economic aid to Middle Eastern countries resisting communism, articulated in 1957.

• Military-Industrial Complex
  The relationship between a country's military and the defense industry, which some argue can influence policy decisions.

• Dulles’s Brinkmanship
  The foreign policy approach of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles that aimed to confront the Soviet Union with the threat of nuclear war to achieve goals.

• MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction)
  A military strategy where both the U.S. and Soviet Union would use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack, assuring total destruction for both parties.

• Sputnik
  The first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, which marked the beginning of the space race.

• NASA
  The U.S. governmental agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics research, established in 1958.

• Fidel Castro
  The Cuban revolutionary leader who established a communist regime in Cuba after the 1959 revolution.

• Bay of Pigs
  A failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 by U.S.-backed Cuban exiles aimed at overthrowing Castro.

• Berlin Wall
  A concrete barrier erected in 1961 to divide East and West Berlin, symbolizing the Cold War divide.

• Cuban Missile Crisis
  A 1962 confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba, bringing the world close to nuclear war.

• Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 1963
  An agreement prohibiting all test detonations of nuclear weapons except underground tests, signed by several nations during the Cold War.

• Red Scare
  A period of intense fear of communism and anti-communist sentiment in the U.S., particularly after WWII.

• The Smith Act (1940)
  A U.S. federal law that made it a criminal offense to advocate for the violent overthrow of the government.

• McCarran Internal Security Act (1950)
  A law aimed at protecting the U.S. against subversive activities, requiring Communist organizations to register.

• HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)
  A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives known for investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities in the 1940s and 1950s.

• Rosenberg Case
  The trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage, accused of passing atomic secrets to the Soviets during the Cold War.

• McCarthyism
  The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence, associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare.

• Employment Act of 1946
  Legislation aimed at promoting maximum employment and economic stability in the post-war U.S. economy.

• GI Bill
  A law that provided a range of benefits to returning World War II veterans, including education and housing assistance.

• Baby Boom
  A marked increase in the birth rate following WWII, particularly in the U.S., resulting in a demographic shift.

• Levittown
  A suburban housing development created in the late 1940s, known for its mass production of homes for returning veterans.

• Sun Belt
  A region in the southern U.S. that experienced significant population growth in the post-war period, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.

• 22nd Amendment (1951)
  An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that limits a person to serving as President for two terms.

• Taft-Hartley Act
  A law enacted in 1947 that restricts the activities and power of labor unions in the U.S.

• Fair Deal
  A plan proposed by President Harry S. Truman aiming to extend social welfare programs and civil rights after WWII.

• Modern Republicanism
  A political philosophy adopted by President Eisenhower, advocating for moderate policies and a mixed economy during the 1950s.

• Interstate Highway Act (1956)
  Legislation that authorized the construction of a nationwide network of interstate highways, facilitating road travel and commerce across the U.S.