Unit 9: The Cold War and Modern America

Question 1

Baby Boom

Answer 1

record number of babies were born post WWII (peaked at 4.3 million in 1957)
led to surge in demand for baby and kid products
led to rebirth of domesticity

Question 2

GI Bill of Rights

Answer 2

1944 act where USFG spent $13 billion on veterans aid (education, job training, unemployment, insurance)
boosted upward social mobility, helped many WHITE vets go to college + get home loans (
discriminated against African Americans, increased gender pay gap

Question 3

Taft Hartley Act

Answer 3

1947 act under Republican Congress that curbed union power:
prohibited unions from coercing people to join
allowed employers to campaign against union formation
eliminated workers collectively choosing to be part of a union upon voting at place of work
-
though Truman was unpop with union (price control fiascos), vetoed - Congress overturned BUT union endorsed Truman again

Question 4

The Cold War’s Beginnings

Answer 4

It started because of ideological differences: freedom, cap vs authoritarianism, communism
USSR wanted to guarantee Germany’s “loyalty” after their invasions (military security) – led to the establishment of the Iron Curtain, which increased tensions (and thus nuke dev)

Question 5

Iron Curtain

Answer 5

USSR violated Yalta conference agreement to leave East European countries independent - imposed military and political control over them
established puppet govs, committed atrocities, systematic imprisonment (that dem countries like US and GB wanted to lift)

Question 6

Containment Policy

Answer 6

policy created by US embassy to Moscow George Kennan in his Long Telegram.
policy = contain Soviet expansion w/o war through counterforce to communism
Truman and other officials took it as both a political strategy and a military doctrine

Question 7

Truman Doctrine

Answer 7

March 1947 speech by prez exaggerating threat to Greece by Soviet takeover - established War on Communism (and end of isolation)
asked Americans to support “free peoples” of East Europe
led to Congress approving military aid to Greece/Turkey

Question 8

George Kennan

Answer 8

made Long Telegram and Containment Policy during the Cold War. after analysis, argued that USSr needed ext threat (US) to maintain power. Their goal was to expand their military and undermine cap govs.
he disliked Truman characterizing Containment as a nebulous ideology

Question 9

Marshall Plan

Answer 9

1948 provision of financial support ($13 billion) to democratic European nations to rebuild their econ and society according to American capitalist ideals - worked by 1950

Question 10

Berlin Airlift

Answer 10

In 1948 US, France, and GB unified their Berlin zones to form West Berlin, while USSR occupied East. Stalin responded with June ‘48 blockade of road/rail traffic to force allies to leave.
US did embargo vs USSR + East Germ, united Western allies around common threat thrgh airlift (food/supplies)
went on for 11 months until Soviets lifted in May ‘49 bc of bad harvest

Question 11

NATO

Answer 11

military alliance for defending all (12) members from outside attack [Article V]. created in 1949 bc US, GB, France, Italy, etc. Marked high pt of international containment policy and death of US isolationism.

Question 12

Fair Employment Practices Committee

Answer 12

After Double V Democracy campaign, prohibited employment related discrimination and assisted minorities in gaining jobs in defense industries. The committee had no power to enforce its directives however, making it weak.

Question 13

Fair Deal

Answer 13

facing threat of not being reelected, Truman announced in 1948 a Fair Deal to build on FDR’s New Deal
promised civil rights, national health insurance, the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Labor Act,&raquo_space; min wage
most dismissed by Republican Congress (but laid foundation for next gen reform)

Question 14

Dixiecrat Party

Answer 14

Southern Dems who were against civil rights during Truman era
outraged Black voters (helped reelect Truman in 1948
nominated SC pro-segregation Thurmond to run against Truman (renominated by Progressive Party)

Question 15

Korean War

Answer 15

Began as a civil war between North (USSR) and South (USA) Korea, but the conflict soon became international when, under U.S. leadership, UN joined to support SK + CHN entered to aid NoKo. The war left Korea divided along the 38th parallel.
1950-1953 war = example of the U.S. Cold War policies of containment and militarization, setting the stage for the further enlargement of the U.S. defense perimeter in Asia (Vietnam)

Question 16

Losing China

Answer 16

after China Civil War, the country embraced communism.
US continued relations with Taiwan (nationalist gov)
Truman and other policymakers were blamed for having “lost China” to the Communists, so wntd to ensure that they weren’t blamed for “losing Korea” too (ramped up mil)

Question 17

Pusan and Inchon

Answer 17

[EVENT IN KOREAN WAR]
At Pusan (Southeast) and Inchon (North), the UN forces attacked simultaneously, successfully forcing NoKo back over the 38 parallel. The Chinese joined the fight, and General MacArthur to drop 34 atomic bombs on them. Truman fired MacArthur and gave up on the goal of reunifying Korea, settling for a reestablishment of the truce line at the 38 parallel.

Question 18

HUAC and McCarthyism [H,C,Rs]

Answer 18

During the Cold War, anti-Communist hysteria stemmed from paranoia immediately after WWII The House un-American Activities Committee / McCarthy accused Communists of having infiltrated the state department.
Alger Hiss: A former State Department worker was accused by former Soviet spy, Whittaker Chambers of leading a Soviet spy ring and leaking secret government documents.
The Rosenbergs: The Rosenbergs were convicted for participating in Soviet-American spy ring and leaking secret atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. They were sentenced to death.

Question 19

Smith and McCarran Acts

Answer 19

During the 2nd Red Scare,
the Smith Act outlawed any conspiracy to overthrow the government. The McCarran Act made it unlawful to conspire to substantially contribute towards a totalitarian dictatorship or government overthrow.

Question 20

Dynamic Conservatism

Answer 20

Eisenhower’s 1950s policy of fiscal (economic) conservatism and social liberalism (supported unions, aid programs)
Lowered spending to balance budget, kept ND/FD programs, extended SSA, worked towards civil rights

Question 21

Post-WWII Consumerism

Answer 21

> > production during the war =&raquo_space; econ (also bc foreign industry devastated by the war)
unleashed BIG consumer demand (especially from people who lived through Great Depression)
credit cards, like Buy Now Pay Later, fueled mass consumption (rejection of austerity again)

Question 22

Growth of the Suburbs

Answer 22

1950s = mass migration to affordable housing outside inner cities especially in the Sunbelt (states from Florida to California) because of warmer weather + A/C
fulfilled American Dream - personal freedom familial security

Question 23

Role of Fed Highway Act in the Growth of the Suburbs

Answer 23

1956 booster to suburb growth- created 100k+ miles of interstate road network. allowed suburbia to stay connected to the cities (helpful for commuter Americans: home in the suburbs, work at city)

Question 24

Levittowns

Answer 24

created by real estate developer to enable lower class people to own property and a house in long island
mass produced, which kept the prices low, but also made everything look identical, which went with the conformist trend of the 50s.

Question 25

Federal Housing Administration

Answer 25

FHA made it easier for low cost houses to be built/sold by insuring loans up to 95% of a house’s value. this fueled suburban development (housing construction).

Question 26

White Flight and Redlining

Answer 26

2nd Great Migration ==> “white flight” migration to the suburbs. To ensure unofficial segregation in urban areas, companies drew red lines around the areas where blacks couldn’t live. Black people would be denied loans/mortgages for housing in these redlined areas.

Question 27

2nd Great Migration

Answer 27

Movement of about 2 million blacks out of the Southern United States. African Americans migrated to the Midwest, Northeast, and West. They were recruited to work in northern factories because of war production; move to urban areas; aggravate racial tensions; WW1 to WW2. Continued after the war until 1970, primarily to West Coast.

Question 28

1950s and Conformity

Answer 28

A general trend in American culture based on values of the broad middle class which were mostly democratic values (“The American Way”). However, critics worried that Americans were becoming the same in terms of goods, places they lived, and values held.

Question 29

Rebirth of Domesticity (1950s Housewife)

Answer 29

post WWII + Rosie the Riveter, ads targeted MC women as content to retake their place in the cult of domesticity via homemaking, lest they become Russian women (portrayed as toiling in manual jobs)
pressure to marry young (avg age = 19)
women did work out of necessity though (29% ++)

Question 30

Sunbelt

Answer 30

Warmer climate, lower taxes, and economic opportunity attracted many Americans to the states from Florida to California. Military spending during the Cold War facilitated the shifting of influence, as the Sun Belt gained both industrial development and a newfound political influence.

Question 31

The Beatniks (“Beats”)

Answer 31

1950s artists who rejected consumer culture + MC lifestyle
indulged in discursive criminal / rec drugs life
nomadic hippies - Jack Kerouac wrote a book (On the Road) chronicling his abandonment of the intellectualism of New York City to find freedom and seek enlightenment through experience on the road.

Question 32

Rock and Roll

Answer 32

rock stars, especially Elvis, had sexual undertones, rebellious youth would support it, to their conservative parents horror. difference btwn young and old gen gave way to youth counterculture in the 70s.

Question 33

Brown v. Board of Education

Answer 33

After NAACP + others relentlessly campaigned in the 50s, the 1954 Kansas SCOTUS case threw out Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” when it came to education ((despite eisenhower trying to get a segregationist win))

Question 34

Little Rock 9

Answer 34

after the diluted Civil Rights Act of 1957 passed, there was huge backlash towards 9 African Americans trying to get into newly integrated schools in Arkansas. Wthere was a police confrontation, the school closed down, but the resistance collapsed upon reopening in 1959.

Question 35

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer 35

movement started by 1955 incident where Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, thus getting arrested.
Black community then organized a boycott of the city bus system – success came with 1956 court ruling banning segregated bus seating

Question 36

SCLC and MLK Jr.

Answer 36

MLK was the president of Southern Christian leadership Conference, founding it in February 1957. It differed from NAACP in that it coordinated activities between organizations such as churches rather than individual people. It worked directly against the segregationist South.

Question 37

United Nations

Answer 37

UN = international peacekeeping organization founded in 1945. Security Council given responsibility of maintaining international security and authorizing peacekeeping missions.

Question 38

Dynamic Conservatism

Answer 38

Eisenhower’s 1950s policy to limit USFG power and restore state/local power. Fiscal conservatism (spending cuts, balancing budget) and social liberalism (pro-union, extending SSA, pro New Deal, Fair Deal, civil rights)

Question 39

Eisenhower Foreign Policy: Deterrence

Answer 39

aftermath of Korean War was that US stockpiled nukes. Eisenhower’s policy of deterrence was to hold nukes as a threat to other countries (hopefully deterring potential aggression)

Question 40

Eisenhower Foreign Policy: Massive Retaliation

Answer 40

Eisenhower’s policies to prevent Communist expansion promised that if a foreign power attacked the U.S, they would respond with a huge counterattack. Many people viewed this as a policy for mutual extinction (weakness).

Question 41

Eisenhower Foreign Policy: “New Look”

Answer 41

The U.S. began to develop nuclear power after the Korean War as an expedient to Eisenhower’s foreign policy. By developing such nuclear power, they would be able to deter attack by using the threat of massive nuclear retaliation.

Question 42

Eisenhower Foreign Policy: Brinkmanship

Answer 42

The belief that if the United States pushed Communist powers to the brink of war, they would back down due to the New Look (perceived and actual power), and deterrent threat of massive nuclear retaliation.

Question 43

Eisenhower and Vietnam

Answer 43

Japanese occupation of Indochina (mod. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) during WW2 = Viet Minh rebellion under Commu-nationalist Ho Chi Minh. France failed to regain control despite US help, so they issued Geneva Accords: divided along 17th parallel – Viet Minh North and French-American puppet Ngo Dinh Diem in the South. in 1957, guerillas (Viet Cong) emerged and waged war on Diem and South Vietnam.

Question 44

Sputnik

Answer 44

Soviets launched satellite in October 1957, which ld to American panic (feared that meant USSR could launch nukes from across the Pacific)
subsequent blow to US tech leadership led US to enact NDEA (federal STEM higher edu grants) and create NASA (coordinated space exploration program, R&D, satellite power)

Question 45

Eisenhower Doctrine

Answer 45

After Suez War in the Middle East, US in 1958 pledged econ + mil aid to any Middle Eastern country threatened by Communism

Question 46

U2 Summit

Answer 46

meeting between US and the Soviet Union in Paris in September 1959. hoped to alleviate tensions (stopping Cold War) BUT US surveillance planes got exposed and shot down in early 1960. when Khrushchev walked out, the Cold War resumed.

Question 47

Cuban Revolution

Answer 47

A successful armed communist revolt by Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement that overthrew the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista on 1 January 1959.

Question 48

Military Industrial Complex

Answer 48

Eisenhower warned against it in farewell address. advised Americans to prevent the military from having disproportionate influence on American economy, society, and politics. feared that lobbying by the armed services and military industries ==> excessive Congressional spending.

Question 49

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Answer 49

the CIA endorsed Operation Trinidad, an anti Castro rebellion/invasion of Cuba. Their efforts in April 1961 failed, and during the failure, JFK realized Castro prepared for the invasion, so he refused to send further aid to the rebels. Huge humiliations for America and put USSR + Cuba on their guard.

Question 50

Berlin Wall

Answer 50

JFK sent more convoys (mil) to West Berlin despite USSR intimidation to remove troops. Soviets responded with building the Berlin Wall around West Berlin in August 1961, stopping all traffic (and the brain drain from communist East Berlin to capitalist West Berlin).

Question 51

Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 51

in 1962, US surveillance discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, only 90 miles away from the US. JFK responded with a naval blockade that quarantined island without triggering war, mitigating the crisis when USSR agreed to remove them if US privately removed their own missiles from Turkey and did not invade Cuba.
A hotline was also established in the aftermath between Moscow and Washington. began a “thawing” of the Cold War

Question 52

JFK and Vietnam

Answer 52

JFK sent even more aid to capitalist South Vietnam, as the guerillas were winning the Vietnam War. in 1963, he wanted Diem removed bc insubordination, but rebels killed Diem, destabilizing South Vietnam (which essentially deferre dto direct US control)
JFK also supported the domino theory as a justification to not withdraw

Question 53

LBJ and Vietnam

Answer 53

MASSIVE FAILURE: TONKIN, OP THUNDER, DOMINO, TV, TET
1) Tonkin Gulf Resolution was the official justification for mil escalation in Vietnam. 1964 dec of war stated North Vietnam ships struck 1st, so empowered prez to take all necessary action
2) Operation Rolling Thunder was a prolonged aerial bombardment of North Vietnam approved by LBJ in spring 1965.
3) Domino theory: Eisenhower origin, held that if South Vietnam = Communism, Southeast Asia as a whole would fall to Communism, making it spread to Oceania and elsewhere.
4) mass media development == lower public support for the war, as it publicized poor mil decisions and unnecessary casualties.
5) Tet Offensive was a Jan 1968 Viet Cong surprise attack in South Vietnam. US combatted BUT major political defeat bc demoralized the public. LBJ’s popularity plummeted, and cred gap between USFG and US people deepened.

Question 54

1968 Democratic National Convention

Answer 54

While Johnson’s VP Hubert Humphrey was the easy choice for candidate at the Democratic nominating convention, Anti LBJ and Anti War protestors took to the streets, and the resulting violence marred the Democratic Party’s name by associating them with disorder.

Question 55

Silent Majority

Answer 55

Conservative Americans, who were largely Republicans, southern whites, northern Catholics, and suburbanites, who disagree with the liberalism of the party.

Question 56

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

Answer 56

This was a radical student organization that called for university decisions to be made through a participatory democracy, so that students could help shape the policies that affected them.

Question 57

New Left

Answer 57

SDS ideas became embodied in the New Left, as students throughout the country protested limitations on political activity, drinking, dorm visits by the opposite sex, etc. Major anti war protests occurred due to the fact that most of the university students would be drafted right after college. Association with radicalism and violence often left the New Left discredited in the eyes of most Americans.

Question 58

Weathermen and the Weather Underground

Answer 58

American based left-wing terrorist group that formed out of the Students for A Democratic Society. Prominent between 1968-1973. Bombed military recruiting centers, the U.S. capital and the office of the California Department of Corrections. During the 1980s, most had renounced terrorism, were arrested and/or had died.

Question 59

Counterculture of the 1960s

Answer 59

At the same time as New Left political protests, there was a rising counterculture that involved rebellion against conventional culture. This included eccentric styles of dress, music, drug use, and communal living. The Woodstock music festival embodied the counterculture, what with the drug use, casual sex, and music.

Question 60

The New Frontier

Answer 60

1960s JFK metaphor for his domestic program agenda - edu, civil rights, urban renewal, healthcare
few became law BUT inspired LBJ’s Great Society

Question 61

Election of 1960

Answer 61

Nixon vs JFK heavily influenced by TV debates
JFK public approval&raquo_space;> after looking confident vs sweaty, uncomfortable Nixon during TV debate

Question 62

Peace Corps

Answer 62

JFK called for volunteers to help third world nations and prevent the spread of communism by fighting poverty in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. used labor force to develop infrastructure.

Question 63

Warren Court Cases

Answer 63

changed criminal justice sys, focused on indiv rights.
Gideon v. Wainwright: established right to a public defender for all in ‘63
Escobedo v. Illinois: established right to have a lawyer present during questioning in ‘64
Miranda v. Arizona: required police to read people their rights in ‘66

Question 64

Greensboro sit-ins

Answer 64

1960 nonviolent form of protest where Black college students in Greensboro, NC entered white-only restaurants and ordered food, waiting until close for it (never) to be served.
inspired 50k across 100 cities to jion
led to Greensboro banning all white policy at lunch counters

Question 65

SNCC, SCLC, CORE: Tactics and goals

Answer 65

SNCC: student nonviolent coordinating committee, including students and young ppl in civil rights mov.
SCLC: southern christian leadership conference. led by MLK and included many organizations.
CORE: congress of racial equality. advocated nonviolence and founder of double v campaign.
GOALS: racial equality and integration. TACTICS: nonviolent civil disobedience.

Question 66

Freedom Riders

Answer 66

1961 group of Black and white bus riders protesting segregated bus sys in South (led by CORE)
rode buses forbidden to them, facing violence and hostility (beatings, arson, bombs)
mass media resulted in pol victory for civil rights mov as the peaceful protests juxtaposed by white mob

Question 67

March on Washington

Answer 67

JFK’s civil rights bill blocked by Southern Dems –> March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (orgnzd by A Phillip Randolph for J/F for AAs) largest political demonstration in history.
MLK’s I Have a Dream Speech caleed for end to racial prejudice + greater harmony between races

Question 68

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Answer 68

This act made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places.
long delayed under JFK, passed by LBJ

Question 69

The Other America

Answer 69

Michael Harrington’s 1962 book that revealed 40 million Americans to live below the poverty line. Prompted LBJ’s War on Poverty through Great Society welfare reforms

Question 70

The Great Society

Answer 70

LBJ’s liberal domestic welfare agenda.
Head Start: provided early education to low income preschool age children
Job Corps: provided vocational edu/training to employ more young Americans
Medicare/Medicaid: health insurance for old people / funds to each state for disabled+low income people
HUD: Dpt of housing/urban dev, which provided housing for poor americans and urb renewal. BUT in cities like Chicago promoted uncodified racism.
Immigration Act of 1965: reversed national origins act that discriminated against immigrants based on national origin, ending quotas and ushering in asian+latin american immigrants

Question 71

Barry Goldwater

Answer 71

Arizona Republican who openly opposed Civil Rights Act because he believed it was an issue of state’s rights. In the 1964 election, the liberal LBJ ran against Goldwater. public viewed G as trigger happy, and would get the country involved in nuclear war, so he lost.

Question 72

Selma March

Answer 72

King organized this major demonstration in Alabama to press for the right of blacks to register to vote. The Selma sheriff led local police in a televised brutal attack on demonstrators. Two northern white marchers were murdered, and the outrage that came after helped LBJ pass the Civil Rights Act of 1965.

Question 73

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Answer 73

LBJ gave speech, quoting “we shall overcome” in support of civil rights. act got rid of Jim Crow restrictions in the South. In many areas of the Deep South, the federal government provided registrars to ensure that Black people were able to vote.

Question 74

Watts Riot

Answer 74

Just days after the Voting Rights Act was passed, a six day race riot erupted in the poor Watts neighborhood of LA. widespread property damage, arrests, injury. gave rise to more riots + the Black power movement

Question 75

Black Power Movement: Goals and Tactics

Answer 75

he Black Power movement was different from the Civil Rights Movement. They were not influenced by religion, and did not use the tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience. The Black Power movement sought black power, black separatism, and black nationalism, and used more militant tactics in attempting to achieve these goals.

Question 76

Black Power Movement: Notable Actors

Answer 76

Stokely Carmichael: led the new SNCC upon rising to power, rejecting nonviolent philosophy and ousting white people from the committee. urged Black people to defend themselves
Huey Newton: led the Black Panthers, a revolutionary socialist movement who advocated black nationalism. The Black Panthers were armed, which frightened many Americans.
Malcolm X: led Black Muslims. sought to form new cultural iden while advocating self-defense + Black violence vs White aggression.

Question 77

Vietnamization

Answer 77

Nixon’s strategy during Vietnam of equpping/training South Vietnamese soldiers to go in combat, subsequently reducing US troops

Question 78

Cambodian Incursion

Answer 78

US started bombing and invading Cambodia because of its Viet Cong (communist) presence - anti-war mov >:(, protests (Kent State Incident)

Question 79

Kent State Incident

Answer 79

spring 1970 protest where ohio national guard killed college student protestors, added more fuel to the fire

Question 80

Pentagon Papers

Answer 80

top secret gov docs leaked in 1971 by Defense Dpt official
released full accounts of Gulf Tonkin Incident and US entry into Vietnam
though Nixon tried to block, SCOTUS ruled against that motion, exposing deception by US policymakers

Question 81

Credibility Gap in the 60s and 70s

Answer 81

many actions by USFG (tet offensive, My Lai massacre, pentagon papers, watergate) made US citizens less trusting of their government due to its dishonesty and deception.

Question 82

My Lai Massacre

Answer 82

1968 disclosure of a mass murder of Vietnamese women and children by the U.S. army. exacerbated anti war sentiment.

Question 83

Nixon’s southern strategy

Answer 83

strategy in Election of 1968 and 1972 to win over white southern Democrats mad over civil rights (South very conservative)
when pop growth boomed (good weather, low cost of living), it got more political influence (seats in the House , etc)
Nixon appealed to voters, saying he’d appoint judges to undermine civ rights legis and affirmative action, thus sweeping South to Republicanism