WCHS REVIEW III
Key Terms for post World War II trough 1950's
“Cold War”- rivalry b/t the US and Soviet Union in politics, economics, and technology
Iron curtain- stated by Winston Churchill; said an “iron curtain has descended across eastern Europe” that divides communist Europe from non-communist Europe
Soviet satellites- countries that were communist and looked to the USSR for leadership
United Nations/Security Council- world-wide peace keeping organization formed at the end of World War II; it replaced the League of Nations; the Sec. Council was made up of the US, USSR, China, France, and Great Britain and other countries that rotated membership on the council
Containment Policy- George Kennan- belief that the US should and would fight to stop the spread of Communism; this guided our actions from 1945 until 1991
Truman Doctrine- an informal declaration of war when Truman said we would help anyone who wasresisting communist aggression
h-bomb- 800 to 1,000 times more powerful than the a-bomb; the US made this after the USSR got the a-bomb
Korean Conflict: June 1950, Pusan, Inchon, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, 38th parallel, Yalu River, Chinese involvement, Truman fires MacArthur, Ike ends the war with massive retaliation
Inflation- when demand exceeds supply; occurred after WWII b/c people had $ to spend but goods had notbeen made during the war and so prices went up drastically
Fair Deal- Truman’s domestic program; his plan proposed to increase minimum wage, extend Social Security, and begin public housing
Taft Hartley Act- limited the power of labor unions; required a cooling off period before striking; allowed the president the power to intervene and end a strike
Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism- “second red scare”; people were concerned about communists in our government; Senator McCarthy led the hysteria and was later censured
The Rosenbergs- couple executed for selling atomic secrets to the Soviets; showed how scared we were ofcommunist taking over; they were executed
Alger Hiss- a government worker who was accused of stealing government documents
Dixiecrats and Strom Thurmond- southern political party that believed in states’ rights and denying rights toAfrican Americans led by South Carolinian Strom Thurmond
Brinkmanship- threatening an all-out war in an attempt to confront communist aggression
Eisenhower Doctrine- Ike promised to help all countries in the Middle East that wanted our help in stopping the spread of communism
Castro comes to power- Castro leads a revolution to overthrow Batista but then becomes communist; 1959
U-2 spy plane incident (1960)- Ike is president; the USSR shot down our spy plane and captured the pilot,
Gary Powers; it made our relationship with the USSR worse
Sputnik- 1957; the USSR launched the first successful artificial earth satellite; it scared us to death!
Eisenhower funds- the government started to pump more $ into education to help us catch up with the Soviets in technology
NASA- space program established to help us win the space race
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)- was created in 1947 by Congress as an intelligence-gathering organization to protect American interest in other countries.
Civil Defense Administration- was a government organization that taught Americans how to survive a nuclear attack.
Second Red Scare-This was a fear that communist both inside and outside the United States were working to destroy the American way of life and the United States government.
The Smith Act-this legislation was used by Harry Truman to cripple the Communist party within the United States. This act made it unlawful to teach or advocate a violent overthrow of the United States government.
The House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)- was an organization created by the US House of Representatives to investigate possible subversive activities by fascists, Nazis and communists.
Blacklist- a do not hire list that actors, artists, etc. were placed on if they were believed to have association with the Communist Party
Automation- making things by machine; reduces the number of workers but increases productivity
GI Bill of Rights- gave returning WWII vets $ for college and homes..... new home building sprang up under the FHA
Baby Boom- when vets came home they settled down and started families; people could now afford to have children; boom was from 1945-1960
Impact of television- I Love Lucy, Mickey Mouse Club… contributed to the conformity of the 1950s
Migration to suburbs- the auto allowed people to move out of the city; was seen as a “step up” in society tomove to the new houses in the suburbs
Levittown-the first suburb built to fill a need for homes for returning veterans. Theses homes were affordable and were mass produced.
Car Culture-car ownership sprang from 26 million in 1945 to 60 million in 1960. The automobile industry thrived and this led to more businesses.
Interstate Highway Act- 1956; Ike’s greatest domestic achievement; tens of thousands of miles of roads were built which impacted transportation of goods and people etc.
Sunbelt- this was a name given to the southern and western states. The coastal areas along the southernmost United States are part of the Sunbelt. The invention of the air-conditioner made their climates attractive, as well as, the development of the Interstate Highway System caused migration into the areas to increase.
Information industries-individuals who built and operated the first computer
White-Collar jobs-professional/semi-professional jobs such as office workers. This type of work increased during the 1950's.
Service Sector-businesses where people provide services; such as banks, healthcare, lawyers, , insurance, manufacturing, etc. These type of businesses grew in the 1950's.
Franchise businesses-this allows a company to distribute its products or services through retail outlets owned by independent operators. Ex. McDonalds, BEST Buy, Wendy's
Multinational Companies-this is when American businesses produced and osold their goods all over the world.
consumerism-buying as much as you could...usually on credit.
Median family income-this is an average of a family's income over a year. Median income increased from $3,319 to $5417 during the 1950's.
Nuclear Family- the 1950's embraced the ideology that the "ideal" family would consist of a mother, father and their children. Parents bought and read this book because they wanted expert advice on how to raise their children. Spock emphasized the importance of nurturing children in the early years.
The 1950's was a time of religious revival. In God We Trust was added to the American dollar during the 1950's. Under God was added to the Pledge of Allegiance during the 1950's. More churches were built in the 1950's than ever before. Billy Graham was a famous preacher from the 1950's.
“rock and roll”- new music of the 1950s. Chuck Berry was a rock and roll artist from the 1950's. Elvis Presley is the most noted rock-n-roller from the 1950's. Dick Clark started American Bandstand. Parents were horrified by rock-n-roll and teenagers loved it.
Beatniks-a small group of writers and artist who refused to dress the way society said was "the norm." They wore "careless dress" with "Colorful jargon."
Urban renewal-were projects where federal, state and local governments tried to reverse the downward trend in some American cities. Urban renewal government projects cleared large tracts of older houses and built freeways and developments which in hopes would "revitalize" the area.
Termination Policies-these were laws that sought to end Native American tribal governments
and to support relocation of Native Americans to our nation's cities.
Brown vs. Board of Education 1954- this Supreme Court casereversed the Plessy decision stating that "separate but equal was constitution." The Brown decision stated "separate but equal facilities" for different races was "inherently unequal and unconstitutional."
Rosa Parks launched the start of the Civil Rights Movement in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to a white citizens. As a result, the Montgomery Bus Boycott started where African Americans boycotted the public busing system in Montgomery Alabama for over a year.
Martin L. King Jr. was the father of the Civil Rights Movement starting in the late 1950's. He worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Council to get civil rights legislation passed.
Academic Vocabulary:
EvaluateAnalyze ArgumentIdeology
Migration DiversityTraditionalismDomestic
Mass MediaFederal PowersNational SecurityEconomics
Push/Pull FactorsRetaliationArms RaceProductivity
urbanizationnatural rightsCivil rights
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Key Terms for late 1950's through 1960's
“Cold War”- rivalry b/t the US and Soviet Union in politics, economics, and technology
Castro comes to power- Castro leads a revolution to overthrow Batista but then becomes communist; 1959
U-2 spy plane incident (1960)- Ike is president; the USSR shot down our spy plane and captured the pilot, Gary Powers; it made our relationship with the USSR worse
1960 election- John Kennedy narrowly defeated Richard Nixon; the televised debates helped JFK win“Ask not what your country..”- famous quote from JFK’s inaugural address that encouraged Americans to volunteer (Peace Corps etc.)
New Frontier- JFK’s domestic agenda for the United States. He made changes in the Social Security System, fought poverty, fought racial discrimination and spurred the space race. The New Frontier sought to improve economy, education, healthcare and civil rights in the United States.He pushed for improvements in the welfare system, an extension of social security and an increased minimum wage.
The Other America was a best-selling book by Michael Harrington that exposed the graphic poverty in America. This booked shocked President Kennedy and other politicians, such as VP Lyndon Johnson.
Equal Pay Act-there was a glaring difference between the pay of men and women who had "equal jobs." The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required employers have "equal pay" for "equal work" in commerce industries. This was a a major step on the road to fair and equal employment.
Deficit spending-Kennedy advocated deficit spending to stimulate the economy. (EX FDR Pump Priming)
Space race- JFK challenged Americans to have a man on the moon and have him safely return by the end of the decade. The Space Race was a term used to describe the competition between the Soviet Union and the United States to develop technology to land on the moon.
Alan Sheppard 1961 becomes the first American to make a space flight.
John Glenn 1962 becomes the first American to orbit the Earth.
In 1967 Apollo mission has 3 astronauts killed due to fire.
Apollo 11 astronauts successfully land on the moon July 1969.
Third World countries- also known as underdeveloped countries or developing countries; poor countries (most of Africa, parts of Mexico and China, SE Asian countries) where we feared communism couldspread; the US developed the Peace Corps and Alliance for Progress to combat poverty in these areas while also hoping to contain the spread of communism
Green Berets- special forces in the Army trained in guerilla warfare
Peace Corps- organization created in 1961 to sends volunteers to Third World countries to help these areas fight poverty and receive basic services like clean drinking water, basic medical care, education, technical assistance , etc. The Peace Corp were on "missions of freedom" to support developing countries.
Alliance for Progress- the US gave Latin American countries millions of $ in exchange for the promise that the countries would have democratic governments; few, if any, countries kept their promise. This was to resurrect FDR's Good Neighbor Policy.
Flexible Response Doctrine: this was a defense policy that prepared the United States to fight any type of war. Kennedy gave increased funding to the military, as well as the Special Forces, such as Green Berets. This was partially as a response to Fidel Castro taking power in Cuba.
Bay of Pigs- April 17,1961 John F. Kennedy implemented a CIA plan to free Cuban exiles. The CIA led the Cuban exiles in an attack on Cuba. The forces landed poorly equipped and had no cover. 300 out of 1400 were not captured by Cuba. This failed attempt by the US to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro only strengthened his hold and John Kennedy looked "foolish."
Berlin Wall- 1961; built by the Soviets to keep East Berliners (communist controlled) from fleeing to West Berlin (not communist); stood until 1989
Nikita Khrushchev-leader of the Soviet Union
Cuban Missile Crisis- 1962; Soviet response to the Bay of Pigs; Soviets were building missile sites in Cuba when they were discovered by the US; JFK’s response was a naval blockade around Cuba; Soviet shipsturned around and headed home; the closest the world has ever come to nuclear warJFK’s assassination- JFK was shot by
Hotline: Khrushchev and Kennedy stood on the brink of a nuclear war. To prevent a war and to calm "cold war" tensions a temporary phone line was placed between Washington DC and Moscow to improve communication.
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 1963- USA, Great Britain and USSR signed the first agreement to limit above ground test on nuclear weapons. 36 other nations eventually signed this treaty.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 while in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was at the Texas School Book Depository and fired three shots. The third shot hit Kennedy in the back of the head and killed him. 30 minutes later Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President of the United States. Lee Harvey Oswald was jailed and killed while in police custody. Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby when police officers were escorting him to a different jail; the Warren Commission wasestablished to investigate the assassination and found that Oswald acted alone in killing JFK.
Gideon vs. Wainwright 1963 was a Supreme Court case that dealt with "can a person get a fair trial."Gideon was charged with burglary but was to poor to hire an attorney. The case went forward and Gideon defended himself and was found guilty. Gideon claimed he had been denied his rights to an attorney and this violated his due process. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Florida should have provided him an attorney.
War on Poverty-President Lyndon Johnson’s plan to eliminate or reduce poverty in the US. He had taught school before politics and was determine to address poverty of the United States. He created change in American educational systems.
Head Start- pre-kindergarten program for low income children that will give them a “head start” with theireducation so they won’t enter school at an educational disadvantage. This was a program enacted by President Johnson.
Great Society- Lyndon Johnson’s (LBJ’s) domestic agenda that included Medicare (government subsidized health care for the elderly), Medicaid (govt. subsidized health care for low income families), Elem. and Sec. Education Act (gave millions of $ to poor areas for schools), and HUD (Housing and Urban Development)
Economic Opportunity Act of 1964-created the Job Corps to train young men and women between the ages of 16 and 21 in work skills they needed to acquire better jobs and move out of poverty.
Medicare - this was a feature of the Great Society that provided basic hospital insurance for Americans in the Social Security System who were 65 and older.
Medicaid- this was a feature of the Great Society that provided basic hospital insurance services to the poor and disabled citizens who were NOT part of the Social Security System.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965- this part of the Great Society gave aid to schools that were in poor communities. It provided federal funds to improve libraries, learning centers, language laboratories, and services in impoverished school districts across America. This act drastically increased funding for Indian, inner city and Mexican-American schools.
Rachel Carson and Silent Spring1962-Silent Spring was a book written by Rachel Carson that detailed how chemical fertilizers and pesticides were damaging the fragile ecosystem. Her book raised American awareness about the environmental and consumer problems. Ralph Nadar's book Unsafe at Any Speed was written in 1965 and attacked the automotive industries in their lack of passenger safety.
Both Raplh Nadar and Rachel Carson's books urged Congress to pass legislation to protect consumers and the environment. The Water Quality Act 1965 and Clean Water Restoration Act 1966 aimed at improving water and air standards in our country. The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act 1966 established safety standards for automotive vehicles.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 altered America's quota system. Once again America's doors were open to immigrants from around the world. Immigrants came from the eastern and western hemispheres, Latin America, Asia, etc.