Final Exam Flashcards
What was the Truman Doctrine?
Aid anyone in struggle against Communist aggression
What was the Marshall Plan?
Economic recovery plan for Europe; role model for democracy around the world
What did the Secretary of State George Marshall accuse the US of being at least partially responsible for? Why?
Hitler’s rise to power; isolationism
How was Germany handled after the war?
Split into American, French, British, and Soviet Sectors
What was the Berlin Airlift?
The Soviet Union cut off access to Berlin in an attempt to starve Americans, French, and British out of Berlin. They had no food, water, or fuel. They had to fly in these items (2 million tons) for 15 months to 2 1/2 million Berliners. It began on June 26, 1948, and the blockade was not lifted until May 10, 1949. The airlift actually continued until September 30, 1949. There were 278,000 flights, 189,963 of them being from the US.
What was the key in keeping Communism contained in Eastern Europe?
West Germany
What was the first major victory in the Cold War?
Berlin Airlift
When and why did the arms race begin between the US and the USSR?
Atomic bomb by the Soviets in September 1949
Who headed American occupation forces in Japan?
General MacArthur
What changes were made in Japan after the war?
- Lost China, Korea, islands
- de-emphasized the role of emperor
- gained new government constitution
- everyone could vote
- armed forces disbanded
Where did Chiang Kai-Shek and his forces retreat to?
Taiwan
Who took over China?
Mao Zedong
What is NATO?
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Security alliance made up of 30 countries
Who commanded UN forces in Korea?
General MacArthur
Why was the US able to get the UN Security Council to agree to armed intervention in Korea?
Because the Soviet Union had boycotted and decided to not take part
What did Truman do to MacArthur? Why?
Truman relieved MacArthur of his command because he wanted to bomb China. When Truman refused out of fear of causing WWIII, MacArthur criticized Truman to Congress.
What did WWII veterans get from the government when they came home from the war?
GI Bill–funds for higher education, unemployment insurance, housing, and business start-ups
What did Truman do in 1948 against everyone’s advice?
Got involved with Civil Rights and ended segregation in armed forces
Who was Sgt. Isaac Woodard?
He (black) was honorably discharged from the Army because he was beaten up by a Sheriff in South Carolina. The Sheriff was found innocent by all-white jury. When he died, he was buried with full military honors
What were Americans petrified of in the 1950s?
The Red Scare–Communists
Who was Senator Joseph McCarthy?
From Wisconsin. He said the State department was full of communists. He accused the Army of of being communist. There were televised hearings of his case.
Who was elected President in 1952?
Eisenhower
Who crafted the US foreign policy known as massive retaliation? What advantage would massive retaliation have–or so it was thought?
- Joseph Foster Dulles
- Arsenal of nuclear weapons would deter other countries from going to war against US; would also mean fewer troops on active duty; would keep peace
What happened to Stalin?
Suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in March of 1953 and died four days later. Was replaced by Nikita Khrushchev
Who was elected to the US Presidency in 1956?
Eisenhower
What did the Soviets do on October 4, 1957?
- Sputnik
- soviet missiles could soon reach US
- nullified massive retaliation/bomber defense
What caused the summit between the Soviets and Americans, scheduled for May 1960, to be cancelled?
U-2 Reconnaissance plane shot down
Where did many surviving Jews from WWII emigrate to?
Palestine
What did the UN approve of in 1947–concerning Palestine?
UN Mandate–give both Jewish and Palestinians homeland, Jerusalem and Bethlehem under international control
When was the state of Israel established?
May 14, 1948
Who was overthrown in Egypt? Who took over?
- King Farouk overthrown
- Colonel Nasser took over
What is the Suez Canal?
Conduit from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea
Who attacked Egypt? Why? How long was this war? What did Nikita Kruschev threaten to do?
- Britain, France, and Israel attacked Egypt in 1956. Israel attacked in retaliation for hit/run tactics from Egypt
- War lasted 9 days
- Kruschev threatened nuclear retaliation
Vietnam had one time been a colony of what country?
France
Who led the Vietnamese Nationalist Forces?
Ho Chi Minh
Who asked the US for help? Why? Whom did the US give aid to?
Both Ho Chi Minh and France asked the US for help. France asked for help to fight Communism. The US chose to give aid to France.
After the French withdrew, where was Vietnam divided? Who controlled each portion?
- separated at the 17th parallel
- Democratic Republic of Vietnam controlled by Ho Chi Minh
- South Vietnam controlled by a communist emperor
Who overthrew the Vietnamese emperor?
Anti-communist Diem
What became a major issue during the Eisenhower administration?
Civil Rights
What was Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas?
- separate by equal facilities had no place in education
- integration of schools
What was the Civil Rights Act of 1957?
Allowed black people to vote
Who was Rosa Parks?
Black woman who was arrested on December 1, 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on the bus
What boycott was organized as a result of Rosa Park’s protest? How long did it last?
- Boycotted buses; took cabs, walked, carpooled, etc.
- lasted 13 months
Who made a name for himself as a leader of the boycott movement?
Martin Luther King Jr
Who was Irene Morgan?
- A black woman who was arrested for not abiding to racial segregation facilities
- Won Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001 by Clinton
What were the sit-ins?
- Woolworth Lunch Counter–Greensboro, NC; Feb. 1960
- Hampton University–March 1960
- Phoebus Movie Theater–1961; 15 students arrested (overturned)
Who was elected President in 1960?
John F Kennedy
What replaced sharecropping?
Commercial Farms
What were the Freedom Rides?
- May 1961
- Bus rides from D.C. to New Orleans by white and black activists
- One bus set on fire in Alabama
- Passengers on other bus beaten up
Describe the life for the typically black person living in the south.
- Neighborhoods, stores, leisure activities
- Job ads for “coloreds”–only manual labor
- Couldn’t try on clothes in store
- White teachers only needed a certificate; black teachers needed a college degree