cold war

What was the Truman Doctrine?
A U.S. policy (1947) providing aid to countries threatened by communism, especially Greece and Turkey.

What was the Marshall Plan?
A U.S. economic aid program (1948) to help rebuild Western Europe and prevent communism's spread.

What was Containment?
A U.S. strategy to prevent the spread of communism through military, economic, and diplomatic means.

What was Brinkmanship?
A Cold War policy of pushing conflicts to the brink of war to force an opponent to back down.

What is NATO?
A military alliance (1949) between the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe to defend against the Soviet

What was the Korean War?
A conflict (1950–1953) between communist North Korea (backed by China/USSR) and democratic South Korea (backed by the U.S./UN), ending in a stalemate at the 38th parallel.

What was the Immigration and Naturalization Act (1952)?
Also known as the McCarran-Walter Act, it limited immigration from communist countries and allowed the deportation of suspected communists.

What was the Taft-Hartley Act (1947)?
A law restricting union power, allowing "right-to-work" laws, and requiring union leaders to affirm they were not communists.

What was Executive Order 9981?
An order by President Truman (1948) that desegregated the U.S. military.

What was Dennis v. United States (1951)?
A ruling that upheld the conviction of Communist Party leaders under the Smith Act, restricting advocacy for government overthrow.

What was Yates v. United States (1957)?
A ruling that distinguished between advocating for abstract communist ideas (protected speech) and inciting immediate violent action (not protected).

Who was Harry Truman?
U.S. president (1945–1953) who led the U.S. into the Korean War and implemented the Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan.

Who was Senator Joseph McCarthy?
A U.S. senator known for leading anti-communist investigations during the "Red Scare."

Who was Dwight Eisenhower?
U.S. president (1953–1961) who expanded Cold War policies, issued the Eisenhower Doctrine, and enforced school desegregation.

Who was John Foster Dulles?
Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, a strong anti-communist who promoted brinkmanship and massive retaliation.

Who was Douglas MacArthur?
U.S. general who led UN forces in the Korean War but was fired by Truman for insubordination.

Who was J. Edgar Hoover?
Longtime FBI director who aggressively pursued suspected communists and civil rights activists.

Who was Jackie Robinson?
The first African American Major League Baseball player, breaking the color barrier in 1947.

Who was Thurgood Marshall?
NAACP lawyer in Brown v. Board of Education; later became the first Black Supreme Court Justice.

Who was Rosa Parks?
Civil rights activist whose 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
A successful 1955–1956 protest against bus segregation, led by Martin Luther King Jr.

What was the Little Rock School Crisis (1957)?
Eisenhower sent federal troops to enforce school integration for nine Black students in Arkansas.

What was the Civil Rights Act of 1957?
The first civil rights law since Reconstruction, aimed at protecting Black voting rights.

What was Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?
A Supreme Court decision that ruled school segregation unconstitutional.

What were the Satellite Nations?
Eastern European countries controlled by the Soviet Union, including Poland, Hungary, and East Germany.

Who were The Rosenbergs?
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953 for allegedly spying for the Soviet Union.

Who was Whittaker Chambers?
A former communist and key witness in the Alger Hiss trial, which fueled anti-communist fears.

Who was Nikita Khrushchev?
Soviet leader after Stalin, known for de-Stalinization, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Cold War confrontations.

What was the Loyalty Review Program?
A Truman-era program investigating federal employees for communist ties, leading to many dismissals.

What happened in Iran (1953)?
The CIA orchestrated a coup to overthrow Iran’s Prime Minister Mossadegh and reinstall the Shah.

What happened in Guatemala (1954)?
The CIA led a coup against democratically elected Jacobo Árbenz, fearing communist influence.

Why was Taiwan important in the Cold War?
It was home to China’s Nationalist government after their defeat by communists in 1949, supported by the U.S.

What was the Eisenhower Doctrine (1957)?
A policy pledging U.S. aid to Middle Eastern nations threatened by communism.

What was Sputnik (1957)?
The first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union, sparking the Space Race.

What defined 1950s Culture?
Economic prosperity, suburban growth, conformity, anti-communist fears, rise of television, and rock & roll.