Exam 3 Flashcards
The Cold War
After being Allies during WWII, the USA and USSR viewed each other with increasing suspicion. Their political differences created a climate of tension that plunged the two countries into an era of bitter rivalry. The Cold War begins when WWII ends (1945) and roughly ends when the Berlin wall falls (1989) or USSR collapses (1991).
The Iron Curtain
Term coined by Churchill in 1946, referring to Soviet domination of eastern Europe.
The Truman Doctrine
The United States should give money to the governments of countries fighting off communism. Keep communists from taking territory.
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1949): mutual defense agreement b/w the USA and its allies.
Berlin Blockade & Airlift
Josef Stalin (Soviet Union) blockaded West Berlin in June 1948. Truman responded by sending in transport planes w/supplies; he also sent 2 squadrons of B-29 bombers to Berlin. Stalin lifted the blockade in May 1949.
Marshall Plan
US financial aid to European nations to promote economic recovery and thus stabilize democratic governments. The similar Four Point Program gave aid to some nations in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Fair Deal
Expansion of the Social Security system. Raised the minimum wage in 1949 for the first time in eleven years. Housing Act of 1949. National health care plan and Civil rights legislation failed.
Taft-Hartley Act
Banned closed shops where membership in a union was a requirement for employment and gave workers the right to decline to join a union. Allowed states to pass right-to-work laws prohibiting union shops. Since then, 28 states have passed right-to-work legislation. Required unions to give 60 days advanced notice of a strike and outlawed many types of strikes and boycotts. Weakened labor unions overall.
Jackie Robinson
First African American to play in the MLB.
Executive Order 9981
Wipes out segregation in the armed forces. Signed by Truman in 1948.
Korean War
Aim was to stop North Korean communists from overtaking South Korea. China entered war when US got too close to their border. After a while, it was stalemate with the US accomplishing its goal.
Second Red Scare
A fear-driven phenomenon brought on by the growing power of communist countries.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Rosenbergs were charged with getting info from Ethel’s brother and were convicted and executed. They got confidential atomic info.
Joseph McCarthy
In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed he had a list of communists working in the State Department. Every time he made a charge that proved to be untrue, McCarthy simply made a new charge. The tactic became known as “McCarthyism.” The Senate later censured him.
The Baby Boom
Surge in children as a result of soldiers returning home from WWII.
Sputnik
The USSR launched the first satellite into orbit around the earth in Oct. 1957.
NASA
Eisenhower & Congress created NASA in 1958; first successful U.S. satellite launch occurred that year.
U-2 Incident
US spy plane shot down over the USSR; pilot Francis Gary Powers was captured.
Election of 1960
John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon. The 1st televised presidential debates gave Kennedy a significant boost.
The New Frontier
Political slogan used by U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy to describe his concept of the challenges facing the United States in the 1960s.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
CIA plan to send 1,500 Cuban exiles back into Cuba in a military invasion to spur a revolution against Fidel Castro. Miserable failure, international embarrassment to the U.S.A.
Berlin Wall
Wall/barrier erected around W. Berlin (August 1961) to keep East Germans from fleeing to freedom in W. Berlin.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Pres. Kennedy announced a “naval quarantine” (blockade) of Cuba after discovering Soviet missile silos. Khrushchev (USSR) offered to dismantle launch sites in Cuba if the U.S would agree to respect Cuba’s sovereignty and remove American missiles from Turkey.
Assassination of Pres. Kennedy
The assassination of John F. Kennedy, took place November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife Jacqueline in a motorcade. The assassin is thought to be Lee Harvey Oswald.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS
Bans school segregation in a 9-0 decision.
Montgomery Bus Boycott (Rosa Parks, MLK Jr.)
Started by Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Improvement Association. Ended in victory following the Supreme Court ruling Browder v. Gayle (November 1956). Gave rise to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the prominence of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Little Rock Nine
Nine black students were refused admission to Little Rock Central high school against federal court order. The governor of Arkansas wouldn’t budge and Eisenhower had to nationalize the Arkansas National Guard and send in federal paratroopers to escort the kids.
Sit-in Demonstrations
In protest, African Americans would sit in places they weren’t allowed to. Police would have to force them out.
Freedom Rides
A convoy of protesters drove and demonstrated in every major southern city.
James Meredith
James Meredith required protection from the U.S. Marshals in order to attend classes at Ole Miss.
March on Washington
More than 250,000 people attended this political rally for civil rights. Organized and planned by Bayard Rustin. MLK Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlaws segregation in education, employment, and public facilities.
Election of 1964
Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson ran against Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, a conservative Republican. Johnson portrayed Goldwater as a dangerous warmonger who might start a nuclear war if elected.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Outlaws literacy tests and other measures that had prevented many black people from voting.
Watts Riot
Large riots in Los Angeles.
Betty Friedan
Formed the NOW (National Organization for Women, founded 1966).
The Great Society
LBJ’s set of programs with the main goals of ending poverty, reducing crime, abolishing inequality and improving the environment.
Medical Care Act of 1965
It established Medicare, a health insurance program for the elderly, and Medicaid, a health insurance program for people with limited income.
Beginning of the Vietnam War
The USA entered the Vietnam War to keep the North Vietnamese Communists (led by Ho Chi Minh) from taking over non-Communist South Vietnam (Domino Theory).
Viet Cong
An armed communist revolutionary organization in South Vietnam.
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
North Vietnamese patrol boats fired on the USS Mattox in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2. On August 7, the U.S. Congress approves the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting President Johnson authority to send U.S. troops to South Vietnam.
Tet Offensive
Vietcong, among a crowd, attacked over 100 towns, 12 U.S. air bases. Tet offensive lasts 1 month before U.S. regains control of S. Vietnam.
Paris Peace Accords of 1973
After years of getting all sides to approve the agreement, the Paris Peace Accords were signed on January 27, 1973. The US withdrew all forces within 60 days. All POWs would be released. All parties agreed to end military activities in neighboring countries. The 17th parallel would remain the border between North and South Vietnam.
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
Nuclear arms reduction agreement between the USA & USSR signed by Nixon in 1972.
Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act
Prohibits sex-based discrimination in public schools & colleges.
Equal Rights Amendment
A proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It was never ratified by enough states.
Roe v. Wade
Nullified & prohibited state laws against abortions during the 1st trimester.
Resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew
Resigned after pleading no contest to charges of income tax evasion and money laundering. Under the 25th Amendment, Pres. Nixon appointed Republican congressman Gerald Ford as the new VP, subject to congressional approval.
Watergate and the Resignation of Nixon
On June 17, 1972, five men who worked for the Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP) were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Pres. Nixon authorized a cover-up to conceal the Republican Party’s culpability in the break-in.
“Stagflation”
Stagnant economy with high inflation and high unemployment.
Camp David Accords
Historic peace agreement between Egypt (Anwar Sadat) and Israel (Menachem Begin) brokered by Pres. Carter at Camp David in 1978.
Three Mile Island Incident
Partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor in PA, 1979.
Iranian Hostage Crisis
52 Americans held hostage in Iran, Nov. 4, 1979-Jan. 20, 1981. Retaliation for Pres. Carter allowing the deposed Shah of Iran to come to the USA for cancer treatment.
“Reaganomics”
Large-scale tax cuts in the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 and the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Cutbacks in federal welfare programs and major increase in defense spending. Unemployment went down, but national debt skyrocketed.
Iran-Contra Affair
Involved illegal arms sales by the U.S.A to Iran and illegal diversion of proceeds to Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
End of the Cold War
1989, teardown of the Berlin Wall. 1990, reunification of Germany. 1991, dissolution of the USSR.
Persian Gulf War of 1991
The Persian Gulf War was the conflict fought in early 1991 when the U.S. and a coalition of other countries fought to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control. Iraq accepted the cease-fire terms and Kuwait was liberated.
Rodney King/Los Angeles Riots
A series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles. Spurred on by Rodney King, a victim of police brutality.
Election of 1992
Ross Perot, third party, received a large % of the vote. Bill Clinton won against Perot and H. W. Bush.
Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America”
Conservative, anti-big government platform for GOP candidates. Republicans won control of both houses of Congress for the first time in forty years. This prodded Clinton to be more moderate.
Oklahoma City Bombing
Domestic truck bombing against an FBI federal building. Killed 100+.
The Rise of the Internet and e-Commerce
Email emerges as a popular communication tool for consumers around the world. Amazon grows rapidly.
Impeachment of Pres. Clinton
Clinton is impeached by the House for lying under oath when questioned about his relations with Monica Lewinsky. He is acquitted by the Senate.
“Y2K” Scare
Federal money funneled into figuring out how to save computers. Many systems weren’t built to register the year 2000.
Election of 2000/Bush v. Gore
VP Al Gore vs. Texas Governor G.W. Bush. Results hinged upon contested vote results in Florida. The Supreme Court ended the election in a 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore.
9/11
Members of Afghanistan-based terrorist organization Al-Qaeda hijacked 4 commercial jets. 2 crashed into the Twin Towers of NYC’s World Trade Center. Both towers collapsed in hours. Another hit the Pentagon in Wash., D.C., and passengers stormed the cockpit of another that crashed in a field in PA.
Post-9/11 Wars
Afghanistan was a war against the Taliban government who were keeping Osama Bin Laden safe. Iraq was later invaded (unrelated) because of claims that they harbored weapons of mass destruction. They didn’t actually have these weapons, but Saddam Hussein was overthrown anyway.
Hurricane Katrina
On Monday morning 29 August 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck Louisian, rushing quickly inland to New Orleans.
The Great Recession
Due to complex factors, the economy took a major hit. Financial institutions needed to be bailed out.
The Election of 2008
Barack Obama vs. John McCain. Obama won easily.
