Chapters 26 and 27 Flashcards
containment policy
a doctrine uniting military, economic, and diplomatic strategies to prevent communism from spreading and to enhance America’s security and influence abroad (under Truman)
GI bill of rights
designed to forestall the expected recession by easing veterans back into the workforce. gave veterans priority for many jobs as well as 52 weeks unemployment benefits occupational guidance, est. VA hospitals and low interest loans to returning GI’s who were starting businesses of buying homes/farms
“Iron Curtain” speech/churchill
churchill claimed that strain had drawn an iron curtain across the eastern half of europe. the soviet threat required an alliance of the English speaking people and an Anglo-American monopoly of atomic weapons
Truman Doctrine
Truman’s statement of a new policy of active US engagement to contain communism. it laid the foundation for American Cold War policy for nearly 40 years
Marshall Plan
Congress approved proposal for massive US assistance for European recovery in 1947.
considered a “weapon” in the arsenal against the spread of communism
Berlin blockade and airlift
Truman ordered a massive airlift to provide Berlin with food and fuel necessary for survival in response to the soviets blockade of Berlin’s rail and highway routes through the soviet zone into Berlin.
NATO
10 nations of Western Europe adopted a treaty establishing a mutual defense pact with the US and canada. Peacetime military alliance officially ended US isolationism. treaty said that an unarmed attack against one of them was an attack against all of them
Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrats
Strom Thurmond was elected president of the states. Rights Democratic Party. His party was called “the Dixiecrats” they hoped to win enough electoral votes to prevent Truman from being reelected and to restore the dominance of the Democratic Party, he wanted to preserve the southern way of life
Alger Hiss
in 1948 was identified as belonging to a secret communist cell in the 1930’s
he died involvement and denied knowing his accuser, chambers
was eventually convicted for perjury and espionage
made democrats look bad. made them look like the were harboring communists
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
accused as co-conspirators in a wartime spy network. accused of passing atomic secrets (from the Manhattan Project) to the soviets
they claimed to be victims of anti-semitism but they were found guilty of espionage. they were sentenced to death
McCarthyism
became a synonym for personal attacks on individuals by means of indiscriminate allegations, especially unsubstantiated charges
Joseph McCarthy
republican senator from Wisconsin- falsely claimed to be a war hero, with reputation for lying and heavy drinking. lied to public about democrats “traitorous actions” claiming to have a list of names
senate committee found it to be a fraud and hoax
dynamic conservatism
eisenhower’s ideas to avoid a depression; he abandoned balanced budgets and increased spending in order to restore prosperity. eisenhower went along with congress when it extended social security benefits to 10 mil. americans raised minimum wage making more workers eligible for unemployment benefits increased public housing fr low income families
interstate highway act
eisenhower wanted federal government to take the lead in building 41,000 miles of freeways to replace old, unsafe roads and aid comerce.
Earl Warren
Chief Justice of Supreme Court
defended the rights of persons accused of subversive beliefs. made him unpopular with conservatives
brown vs. board of education
brown combined lawsuits from four states and the District of Columbia in which black plaintiffs claimed that segregated public education was unconstitutional
little rock desegregation fight
to ensure the safety of the black students, soldiers patrolled central high but the didnt want to accept integration so they shut down little rocks public high schools. at the end of the decade fewer than 1% of african american students attended desegregated schools
John Foster Dulles
Secretary of State talked of a holy war against “atheistic communism” “Liberating” the captive peoples of astern europe. believing that the soviet union understood only force, Dulles threatened retaliation with nuclear weapons. he insisted on the necessity of brinksmanship
brinksmanship
the art of never backing down in a crisis
Domino Theory
Eisenhower warned that if Vietnam fell to the communists, then Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, and ultimately all of Asia would fall like dominos
Eisenhower Doctrine
a middle eastern country could request American economic assistance or aid from US military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state
Gamal Abdel Nasser
came to power in Egypt, determined to modernize his nation
Rachel Carson and silent Spring
a former researcher for the fish and wildlife serivce, dramatized the problems caused by the use of the insecticide DDT and its spead through the food chain
Sun BElt
a complete community geared to older Americnas
Baby Boom
population grew by almost 30%
Michael Harrington and the other America
the poor were trapped in a vicious cycle of want and a culture of deprivation
Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and Montgomery Bus Boycott
demonstrated African american strength and determination
Southern christian Leadership Confeence
carry on nonviolent crusades against the evils of second class citizenship
NASA
national aeronautics and space administration
nationshal defense act
providing loans to studetns, funds for teacher training, and money to develop instructional materials in the sciences, math and languages
Elvis Presley and Rock n’ Roll
“Devils music”
The Beats
scorned conformity and materialism as much as they did conventional punctuation
