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History - USA > Overview (T4) > Flashcards

Overview (T4) Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the USA like after WW2?

A

It emerged as a superpower - it was the richest country in the world

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2
Q

What was the prosperity like after WW2?

A

Some feared the prosperity would not last, but this diminished and a consumer boom developed - along with mass movement to the suburbs

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3
Q

What was the fear of communism like after WW2 in the USA?

A

There was a spread of the fear of communism

The fear was exacerbated and resulted in, communist witch hunts, along with the start if the Cold War

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4
Q

What were attitudes towards race after WW2?

A

There was a slow improvement in the role and status of ethnic minorities

Southerners fiercely fought for the maintenance of segregation

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5
Q

What happened in 1944?

A

GI Bill of Rights

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6
Q

When was the GI Bill of Rights?

A

1944

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7
Q

What happened in April 1945?

A

Death of Roosevelt

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8
Q

When was the Death of Roosevelt?

A

April 1945

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9
Q

What happened August 1945?

A

End of WW2 in Asia (Pacific)

Explosion of the first Atomic bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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10
Q

When was the end of WW2 in Asia (Pacific)?

A

August 1945

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11
Q

What happened in May 1947?

A

Truman Doctrine speech

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12
Q

When was the Truman Doctrine speech?

A

May 1947

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13
Q

What happened in June 1947?

A

Taft-Hartley Act

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14
Q

When was the Taft-Hartley Act?

A

June 1947

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15
Q

What happened in October 1949?

A

China became communist

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16
Q

When did China become communist?

A

Oct 1949

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17
Q

What happened in August 1949?

A

USSR explodes its first atomic bomb

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18
Q

When did the USSR explode its first atomic bomb?

A

Aug 1949

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19
Q

What happened in Feb 1950?

A

McCarthy’s anti communist ‘witch-hunt’ begins

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20
Q

When did McCarthy’s anti communist ‘witch-hunts’ begin?

A

Feb 1950

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21
Q

What happened 1950-1953?

A

Korean war

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22
Q

When was the Korean war?

A

1950-1953

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23
Q

What happened Jan 1953?

A

Eisenhower becomes President

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24
Q

When did Eisenhower become president?

A

Jan 1953

25
Q

What happened in March 1954?

A

USA explodes its first hydrogen bomb in Bikini Atoll

26
Q

When did the USA explode its first hydrogen bomb?

A

March 1954 - in Bikini Atoll

27
Q

What happened in May 1954?

A

Brown vs Topeka Board of Education

28
Q

When was the Brown vs Topeka Board of Education?

A

May 1954

29
Q

What happened in July 1954?

A

Citizens’ Councils formed

30
Q

When were the Citizens’ Councils formed?

A

July 1954

31
Q

What happened in March 1955?

A

Southern Manifesto issued

32
Q

When was the Southern Manifesto issued?

A

March 1955

33
Q

What is the GI Bill of Rights?

A

Grants were offered to veterans to improve their education, learn new skills or set up a business

They were also offered low interest home loans

34
Q

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A

President Truman pledged American support to any country that was under the threat of a communist take-over –> Largely focussed on post-war Europe

Then followed by the Marshall Plan - offer aid to protect capitalist economies

35
Q

What was the Taft-Hartley Act?

A

Passed in 1947 by Republicans

Limited the power of the unions in favour of employers - i.e. the right to call a strike & the right for employers to sue unions

36
Q

What were Suburbias?

A

Often new housing developments on the outskirts of major cities

Houses often larger with more open space, away from the busy city and more affordable

18 million Americans move out of the towns and cities

37
Q

How did Levitt Towns start?

A

In 1947 Levitt bought 1,200 acres of land on Long Island, New York where he built 10,600 houses

38
Q

Who was connected to the growth of suburbs after WW2?

A

William Levitt - he started Levitt Towns

39
Q

Why did William Levitt see Levitt Towns as a perfect opportunity?

A

He was aware of the GI Bill & its links to mortgages for veterans - this created a significant opportunity to mass produce houses using prefabricated door frames, walls and windows that could be easily put together ‘on site’

40
Q

What were Levitt Towns like?

A

They were a middle-class suburbia

They encouraged people to purchase houses hy including swimming pools, schools and sports facilities which made life here more attractive

41
Q

What did the Taft-Hartley act give the president power to do?

A

To prevent strikes that were against the national interest

The act also made union leaders swear they were non-communist

42
Q

What was the nuclear family?

A

A couple and their dependent children, regarded as a basic social unit

43
Q

What did HUAC stand for?

A

House of Un-American Activities Committee

44
Q

What was HUAC originally set up to do?

A

Set up in 1938 to deal with possible German agents spying and subversion

45
Q

How did HUAC change after WW2?

A

At the end of WW2 it was used against possible communist subversion - The Smith Act helped this

They investigated what the believed to be communist infiltration by attempting to expose communists in federal government, TUs & entertainment i.e. Hollywood

46
Q

What was the Smith Act?

A

The Smith Act of 1940 allowed the prosecution of anyone who supported communism

47
Q

How did the 1946 midterm elections affect HUAC?

A

After the midterm elections in 1946, the Republican control of the House of Representatives resulted in the HUAC becoming a powerful instrument in America’s fight against communism

48
Q

What did McCarthy claim in Feb 1950?

A

That the State Department had been infiltrated by communists & communist sympathisers and that he had a list of 250 names

49
Q

How did McCarthy’s story change during his communist witch hunt?

A

The amount of names he had went from 250 to 50 then to “a lot” of names

50
Q

How were McCarthy’s claims unrealistic?

A

McCarthy however never named any of the individuals on his ‘list’

A Senate Committee set up to investigate found no evidence of his assertions

51
Q

What led to McCarthy’s downfall?

A

In 1954, McCarthy’s accusations & aggression, witnessed by many Americans through televised HUAC committee hearings, led to his downfall

52
Q

Who was Klaus Fuchs?

A

He was a nuclear scientist, who in 1950 was arrested & admitted to passing American nuclear weapon secrets to the soviets

He implicated an American couple who had been members of the American Communist Party - the Rosenbergs

53
Q

Who were the Rosenbergs?

A

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg - they had previously been members of the American Communist Party

Julius Rosenberg was an electrical engineer and was arrested in July 1950

54
Q

Why were the Rosenbergs arrested?

A

They were suspected of passing on info about American nuclear weapons onto Communists

55
Q

What was the evidence against the Rosenbergs like?

A

The evidence was based on circumstance & innuendo

The couple claimed they were victimised as they were Jewish

56
Q

What was the result of the Rosenbergs trial?

A

They were found guilty under the Espionage Act of 1917 - They were sentenced to death

57
Q

When were the Rosenbergs excecuted?

A

June 19th 1953

58
Q

What did the Rosenberg case demonstrate to the American population?

A

The very public trial confirmed for many Americans that there was a real threat of communism

The greatest threat came from within through subservies & spies

History - USA (37 decks)

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