Harry Truman Flashcards
V-E Day
On May 8, 1945, V-E day was the day that formerly marked the unconditional surrender of Nazi forces in Europe. It prompted great celebrations in Western Europe and the United States. (748)
Okinawa
The battle of Okinawa, a Pacific island, opened up Japan to a full scale land invasion. It was one of the bloodiest battles in the pacific.(749)
The firebombing of Tokyo
Besides the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, another source of massive casualties in Japan was the firebombing of Tokyo in which much of Japan’s military industry was destroyed, which severely crippled Japan’s hopes to continue a full scale war with the United States. (750)
The Potsdam Ultimatum
The declaration by Truman that declared imminent destruction for Japan if it did not surrender. Truman’s claim took place after the Manhattan Project was completed allowing the US to unleash Atomic warfare onto Japan. Truman’s choice to deliver the Potsdam Ultimatum was equally a display of political superiority as it was a warning. (751)
Enola Gay
The name of the B-29 Bomber that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The death toll was more than 80,000. (753)
Hiroshima and Nagaski
The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were so catastrophic that it prompted and immediate Japanese surrender and resulted in total to about 200,000 civilian deaths. The controversy behind the bombings lie with the fact that Truman, besides wanting to draw the war to a close, also hoped to demonstrate the military power of the US to the Soviet Union. This was one of the key developments that would eventually create the Cold War. (753)
V-J Day
The date on August 14, 1945 that formerly represents the end of World War II–the day of Japanese surrender. It was celebrated widely. (754)
G.I. Bill
The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, known informally as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for returning World War II veterans. Benefits included low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans to start a business or farm, cash payments of tuition and living expenses to attend college, as well as high school or vocational education.
“Fair Deal”
A set of proposals used to describe the domestic reform agenda of the Truman Administration. It was the government’s first steps toward civil reform; it included an expansion of the Social Security system and a rise of minimum wage. This Fair Deal lowered poverty rates and built off the social programs of the New Deal. (766)
United Nations
United Nations was developed in 1945 with a goal to establish lasting world peace. It outlines the worldwide regulations on issues such as human rights and environmental protection. The UN became an influential force following the end of the Cold War because, prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, there was too much tension between powers to allow a sense of world government.(758)
Truman Doctrine
The declaration that the United States had the right and the obligation to protect pro-capitalist nations from the spread of communism. It was tried closely with the containment policy. (762)
What policy came to dominate U.S foreign relations in the years following the Truman Administration?
The policy of containment which called for the containment of communism to areas in which it already existed. It was the driving force behind the Korean and Vietnam wars. (761)
Marshall Plan
The effort by the US to rebuild pro-American nations in Europe following World War II in hopes that they would eventually become strong allies against the Soviet threat, which they eventually did and came to be known as satellite states (762)
Berlin Airlift
-Brinkley p.763-4
In June 1948, Stalin imposed a blockade around West Berlin. In response, Truman ordered planes to transport massive quantities of supplies to West Berlin.
-In Spring 1949, Stalin lifted the Soviet blockade of West Berlin.
-The events of the Berlin Airlift demonstrated America’s resolve to stand against Communism and solidified the division of Germany into two states until the fall of the Soviet Union.
National Security Act
- Brinkley P. 763
- Passed in 1947, the National Security act reorganized the military by combining the War and Navy Department to create the Department of Defense. It also replaced the wartime Office of Strategic services with the CIA.
- Significantly expanded the powers of the President by giving him control of a secret organization that engaged in covert military and intelligence operations.
