Period 8: 1945 - 1980 Flashcards
Post WWII economy, GI Bill of Rights
fear of economic collapse bc of jobs and depression, GI Bill of Rights to assist veterans in schools and homes, U.S. economic boom bc only leading superpower
Truman Administration
first president who uses powers of President to challenge racial discrimination: Committee on Civil Rights, desegregated armed forces
Taft-Hartley Act
setback for unions, made closed shops illegal, Republicans wanted to reduce the growing power of unions
Election of 1948
liberal Democrats supported Henry Wallace, S. Democrats support Strom Thurmond of the Dixiecrats, Truman was expected to lose but then he wins (pic of him holding newspaper)
Truman’s Fair Deal
reform program that called on extending programs and progress of New Deal; wanted to extend S.S., increase minimum wage, national health insurance; conservatives in Congress blocked most of it and the only thing that was actually passed was increase in minimum wage
America Post WWII
no longer isolationist, joins the U.N., key player in stable global economy like the IMF and the World Bank created at Bretton Woods
Cold War (1945-1991)
ideological, political and military struggle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
Causes of the Cold War
Prior to WWII: ideological conflict between capitalism and communism (Bolshevik Revolution), Stalin was brutal dictator
During WWII: Stan mad over delays in opening 2nd front, Soviets not included in bomb development, U.S. and Soviets had different visions for E. Europe
Yalta Conference (1945)
Big 3 meeting in Yalta
- FDR and Churchill think Stalin agrees to allow representative gov.
- FDR wanted Stalin to agree to help out in war against Japan
Buffer zone
Stalin wants countries surrounding Russia to be Communist so he refused to remove the “red army” from E. Europe and brought pro-Soviet puppet gov.’s to power (Iron Curtain)
Containment, Iron Curtain, George Kennan, Long Telegram
Churchill does Iron Curtain speech where he says he wants W. Democratic nations to stop Soviet expansion; George Kennan and the “Long Telegram” developed idea of containment and said that the U.S. should work to stop Soviet expansion; containment is U.S. foreign policy throughout Cold War
Truman Doctrine
U.S. would provide military and economic aid to help prevent Greece and Turkey from falling to communism, no troops just $
Marshall Plan
provide billions of dollars to aid European recovery to stop spread of communism, huge success and W. Europe does rebuild, Soviets reject aid bc condition was they had to turn democrat
Crisis in Germany post WWII`
after WWII Germany was divided into 4 territories but Stalin wanted a weakened Germany and for them to pay reparations so he starts to form German Democratic state then blockades Berlin in 1948; Truman doesn’t want to look week so the Berlin Airlift happens; after Germany still stays divided
Military buildup post WWII, National Security Act (1997)
U.S. joins NATO (“an attack on one is an attack on all”), National Security Act (1947) est. dept. of defense, the NSC and the CIA, arms race between U.S. and soviets
NSC-68
called for massive military buildup and was a more violent approach to communism,
Cold War in China
China was in a Civil War between Nationalist Chiang Kai-shek vs. Communists under Mao Zedong, Mao declared China as communist and the U.S. doesn’t acknowledge China; Republicans blame Truman for the “loss of China” to communism; contributes to growing domestic fear over communism
2nd Red Scare, Smith Act, Federal Employees Loyalty Program, HUAC
fear of communism influence and infiltration on American life
- Smith Act (1940): made it illegal to belong to an org. that advocated the overthrow of the gov. by force
- Federal Employee Loyalty Program (1947): investigated background of federal employees
- House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC): search and try ppl for communist sentiments esp. influence in Hollywood
Korean War
after WWII Korea is divided at the 38th parallel w/ Soviets in the N. and the U.S. in the S., communist N. Korea invades the S. and in order of containment the U.S. jumps in and Douglas MacArthur fucks up bc he wants to defeat communists by brutal force and Truman fires him; Eisenhower ends up ending the war bc of his massive retaliation but nothing is changed and Korea still divided at 38th parallel
Espionage Cases
Alger Hiss, Rosenberg case
Eisenhower
moderate Republican w/ Nixon as vice, allows many New Deal programs to remain but doesn’t push that much domestic reform
Interstate Highway Act
under Eisenhower, largest public works project, building of 42,000 miles for interstate highways, justified bc of national defense and fleeing from communist attack, leads to homogeneous culture
1950’s economy
economic prosperity and rise of middle class, white collar workers outnumber blue collar workers
1950’s society
move to suburbs, Levittowns, baby boom, credit cards lead to more consumerism, television contributed to standardization of American culture
Early TV
TV led to questions regarding national morals and politics, glamorized suburban life w/ father working and mom at home so reinforcing the cult of domesticity
Betty Friedan
wrote “The Feminine Mystique” which questioned the status of women in society; org .the NOW and campaigned for the ERA
Beatniks
counterculture of the decade which criticized the conformity of the 1950s like Jack Kerouac, similar to the Lost Generation of the 1920s
Civil Rights Movement
after Reconstruction civil rights was slow bc of Jim Crow in the S. and de facto discrimination in the N. ; CORE and NAACP and desegregation of military inspire more action
Brown v. Board of Education (1945), Little Rock 9
overturns Plessy as unconstitutional and ruled that schools must be desegregated -> S. resistance through “Southern Manifesto” and Little Rock Nine (Orval Faubus!) Ike sends troops
Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King
Bus boycott and I have a Dream
Grass Roots Civil Rights movement
Southern Christian Leadership conference, Greensboro sit ins at Woolworth, Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee
Cold War under Eisenhower, New Look policy
Sec. of State Dulles talks about “brinkmanship” to defeat communism and roll back communist gains (thought containment was too weak), New Look Policy: buildup of nuclear weapons to deter communist aggression, massive retaliation
Joseph McCarthy
crazy senator who claimed he had a list of over 200 state officials that were Communist, power based on American ppl’s fear of communism, dies out when it’s realized he’s a bully
Geneva Conference
“Spirit of Geneva,” first relaxation of tensions between U.S. and Soviets;
*2 different things at different times both at Geneva
ends Vietnam and it’s divided into 3 nations
Cold War policies under Eisehnhower
Hungarian Revolution crushed, Sputnik, National Defense of Education Act, NASA, U-2 Spy plane shot down by Soviets so tensions remain high
Decolonization
collapse of colonial empires post WWII, U.S. and Soviets will try to use them as pawns in the Cold War like the CIA doin a bunch of shit
Cold War: Middle East
Under Eisenhower Cold War expands to Middle East and the CIA used to install pro U.S. regimes in Iran and Guatemala, Suez Canal Crises
Suez Crisis
Egyptian president Nasser nationalizes the Suez canal that was controlled by France and England so they get mad and attack Egypt
Eisenhower Doctrine
basically Truman doctrine for the Middle East, promises economic and military aid to any country in the Middle East threatened by communism
OPEC (1960)
Middle Eastern countries try to maintain their leverage in the oil trade and not let them get taken advantage of
Cold War: Latin America
CIA in Guatemala overthrows socialist gov. which leads to brutal dictator instead, Fidel Castro leads revolution which removes Cuban dictator Batista from power and starts to nationalize American businesses so Eisenhower orders embargo on Cuba and Cuba moves closer to the Soviets
Vietnam
French want to regain control of Indochina as it threatens to turn communist but they suck at fighting and lose at Dien Biem Phu so the US. sends aid to Diem and China aids Communist Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Cong, later after Geneva Conference it’s split into N. led by Minh and S. led by Ngo Dinh Diem who the U.S. supported even tho he was dictatorial bc not communist
Domino theory
Eisenhower’s thought that if S. Vietnam fell to communism one nation after another would fall in a domino effect and communism would spread
SEATO
like Asian NATO
Military Industrial Complex
In his Farewell Address Eisenhower says warns that the U.S. was spending too much money on arms race and the permanence for war mobilization would have negative impact on U.S. society
Election of 1960
JFK vs. Nixon, TV plays big role bc JFK wins ‘tv debate’ while Nixon is weird
JFK capaign
New Frontier domestic program to expand health care and civil rights but most blocked by Congress
JFK foreign policy, Alliance for Progress, Bay of Pigs
Cold War continues
Alliance for Progress: like Marshall Plan for Latin America
Bay of Pigs Invasion: JFK approves CIA plant to train Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro but it’s a huge fail and embarrassment and Cuba and Soviets become closer
Cuban Missile Crisis (1963)
U-2 spy panes discover the Soviets were installing offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba so Kennedy orders naval blockade to pressure the Soviets remove the missiles; closest U.S. and Soviets come to actual war during Cold War; Khrushchev eventually agrees to remove the missiles and Kennedy promises to not invade Cuba and to also remove our missiles from Turkey, hotline est. between D.C. and Moscow, detente
Flexible Response
Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara and Kennedy plan to increase spending on conventional weapons and maintain a variety of options to logically be able to respond to issues that present themselves; Green Berets and defense spending continues to increase
Lyndon Johnson
becomes president after JFK assassinated, New Deal Democrat that wanted to expand the reforms of the New Deal
The Great Society
dramatically increase the size and scope of the federal gov., will seek to advance cause of Civil Rights, reform centered around poverty, immigration, civil rights, education and medical care
War on Poverty
sparked by Harrington’s book “The Other America,” Congress created the Office of Economic Opportunity that created Head Start program and Job Corps
Immigration and Nationality Acts of 1965
signed by Johnson, ended the quotas of the 1920s designed to restrict certain nationalities so bunch of new immigrants come over
Barry Goldwater
conservative senator who runs against Johnson and advocated an end to the welfare state -> loses but shows the beginning of the conservative reaction that’s coming
Great Society Programs
Medicare for old ppl, Medicaid for the poor, food stamps and public housing, Clear Air and Water Acts caused by “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson, majorly expands the welfare state
- critics: too costly, inefficient, too idealistic, created dependency on welfare
Civil Rights under JFK
Freedom Rides to try to end segregation in bus facilities, James Meredith thing w/ UMISS, MLK nonviolent protests and Letter from a Birmingham Jail, March on Washington to persuade JFK to take action
Civil Rights Act (1964)
Johnson; segregation illegal in all public facilities and est. the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that banned discrimination in unemployment so gives the fed. gov. power to oversee desegregation
24th Amendment
outlawed collection of poll taxes
Civil Rights: Right to Vote (24th Amendment, Selma -> Montgomery, Voting Rights Act of 1965)
24th Amendment, Freedom Summer (1964), March from Selma to Montgomery, Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended efforts to prevent African Americans from voting in the S. (literacy tests banned)
Radicalization of Civil Rights movement (Watts Riots, Malcom X, SNCC, Black Panthers)
much unrest still bc of slow pace of change
- Watts Riots (1965): broke out following an arrest of black motorist by white police officers
- Malcolm X: joined Nation of Islam, emphasize black nationalism, self improvement and separatismm
- SNCC w/ Stokely Carmichael calling for black power
- Black Panthers more militant and violent bc thought nonviolence wasn’t working
Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)
LBJ claimed U.S. ship attacked by N. Vietnam in Gulf of Tonkin so LBJ sends troops to Vietnam
Tet Offensive (1968)
surprise attack by N. Vietnam during Vietnamese New Year and pics are released that reveal to the public that the war isn’t close to finishing to anti-war opposition intensifies (hawks v. doves)
Stonewall Riots (1969)
gave rise to the modern gay rights movement
Election of 1968
Tet offensive, LBJ out, MLK out, RFK out, riots at Democratic convention, George Wallace runs as super conservative antiwar and anti-Great Society, Nixon wins bc Americans turning away from New Deal liberalism in favor of more conservatives
Nixon and Vietnam, My Lai, Vietnamization
Nixon and Kissinger promised to end the war w/ “peace and honor, My Lai Massacre makes war even more unpopular, Vietnamization: gradually withdraw U.S. troops and have S. Vietnamese take over the fighting, secret bombings to pressure Vietnam into surrender
Silent Majority
Nixon appealed to the common people, those not rioting so like the growing middle class
Growing distrust in gov.
Tet Offensive, My Lai Massacre, Pentagon Papers reveal deceit, War Powers Act to reduce war powers of the pres.
End in Vietnam
Nixon’s strategy of Vietnamization, Widening the war, Secret negotiations -> Paris Accords -> cease fire didn’t end fighting between N. and S. -> Vietnam fell to communism (Ford)
Nixon and Detene
- relaxing of tensions during Cold War
- Nixon and Kissinger sought to take advantage of the distrust and rivalry between the Soviet Union and China so we go to China and the Soviets get a lil jealous
- ABMs. SALT
Downfall of Nixon, Watergate
CREEP wanted to guarantee re-election bc Nixon was paranoid so Watergate happens and he is impeached bc of obstruction of justice but he resigns before is thrown out of office (welcome to your tape)
Politics of 1970s
Nixon wanted to limit the size of the federal gov., stagflation, Ford pardons Nixon
Jimmy Carter
peanut farmer from Georgia, Washington outside, sought humanitarian foreign policy, Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the U.S. boycotts Olympics
Middle East Drama
U.S. allies w/ Israel during Yom Kippur War which causes Oil Embargo from OPEC which causes energy crisis
U.S. supports Shah of Iran then the Tehran hostage thing happens
Roe v. Wade (1973)
legalized abortion
ERA (1970s)
passed by Congress but fell short of ratification, Phyllis Schlafly anti-ERA
Warren Court (1953-1969)
liberal ideals such as expanding democracy and individual freedoms were realized in decisions of Supreme Court under Warren, Miranda v. Arizona, conservative critics
