US history chapter 15-16 – Flashcards
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Cold war
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An area of high tension and bitter rivalry known between the United States and the Soviet Union following the end of World War II
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Self-determination
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Right of people to decide their own political status
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Berlin blockade/airlift
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A program in which the United States and Britain shift supplies by air to West Berlin during a Soviet blockade of all routes to the city; lasted from 1948-1949
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Joseph Stalin
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Totalitarian dictator of the Soviet Union; he used violent crackdowns on his political enemies to strengthen his control. He led the Soviet union through World War II and created a powerful Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe after the war
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Harry S Truman
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33rd president of the United States; he became president upon the death of Pres. FDR. He led the United States through the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War
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Iron Curtain
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Term coined by Winston Churchhill in 1946 to describe an imaginary line dividing the communist countries in the Soviet bloc from countries in Western Europe during the Cold War
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Containment
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Policy that the United States adopted in the late 1940s to stop the spread of communism; it involves providing economic aid in order to strengthen countries against the Soviets
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Truman doctrine
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Pres. Truman's pledge to provide aeconomic and military aid to countries threatened by communism
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Marshall plan
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Plan for the reconstruction of Europe after World War II announced by the United States Secretary of State George C Marshall
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NATO
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The north Atlantic Treaty organization; an international defense alliance formed in 1949
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Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
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American citizens executed for conspiring to share information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet union
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Joseph McCarthy
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US senator from Wisconsin who gained national fame in the late 1940s and early 1950s by aggressively charging that Communists were working in the US government. He lost support in 1954 after making baseless attacks on US Army officials
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McCarthyism
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The name critics gave to Joseph McCarthy's tactic of spreading fear and making baseless charges
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House un-American activities committee
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Committee formed in the House of Representatives in the 1930s to investigate radical groups in the United States; it later came to focus on the threat of communism in the United States during World War II and the cold war
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Edward Murrow
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American broadcast journalist who persuaded many Americans against McCarthy
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Communism
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System of government in which there is no private property and there are no economic classes
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Mao Zedong
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Leader in World War II that led to Japanese withdrawing from China
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Kim II Sung
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Dictator from North Korea
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38th parallel
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Dividing line that divided Korea into northern and southern parts
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Police action
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The military force sent to Korea would be a United Nations force
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Douglas MacArthur
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American general; he commanded US troops in the southwest Pacific during World War II and administer Japan after the war ended. He later commanded UN forces at the start of the Korean War until he was removed by Pres. Truman
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G.I. Bill
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Act that help veterans make a smooth entry into civilian life by providing money for attending college or advanced job training
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Fair deal
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Plan proposed by Pres. Truman that included a number of programs in the tradition of the new deal; few of the fair deal ideas ever became law
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Dixiecrats
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Any of the Southern Democrats who seceded from the party in 1948 in opposition to its policy of extending cilvil rights
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Dwight D Eisenhower
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34th president of the United States; he led the Allied invasion of north Africa the D-Day invasion of France and commanded the Allied forces in Europe during World War II. He faced many Cold War challenges as president
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United nations
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An international organization that encourages cooperation among nations and prevent future wars
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World bank
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Helps poor countries Build their economies by providing grants and loans to help with projects that could provide jobs and wealth
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International monetary fund
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Organization designed to encourage economic policies that promoted international trade
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GATT
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Gen. agreement on tariffs and trade. International organization that works to reduce tariffs and other barriers to trade
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John Foster Dulles
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Secretary of state who was the center of Eisenhowers foreign policy team
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Brinkmanship
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A strategy that involves countries getting up to the verge of war without actually going to war
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Massive retaliation
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The United States willingness to use nuclear force to settle disputes; term was coined by John Foster Dulles and used during the Cold War
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Nikita Khrushchev
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Communist dictator after Stalin died
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Warsaw Pact
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A military alliance established in 1955 of the Soviet dominated countries of Eastern Europe
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Arms race
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A struggle in which competing nations build more and more weapons in an effort to avoid one nation getting a clear advantage
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Hydrogen bomb
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A nuclear weapon that gets its power from the fusing together of hydrogen atoms
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ICBMs
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Intercontinental ballistic missiles; guided missiles that could travel thousands of miles and strike targets accurately
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Sputnik
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The first artificial satellite; launched by the Soviets
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NASA
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Took charge of the nations programs for exploring outerspace
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FCDA
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Federal civil defense administration; helped educate and prepare the public for nuclear emergencies
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Jonas Salk
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Scientist who developed the polio vaccine
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Baby boom
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A dramatic rise in the birthrate following World War II
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Levitown
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A New York town containing more than 17,000 mass-produced homes which became a symbol for the mainly similar suburban towns built during the post World War II years
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Sunbelt
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The southern and western portions of the United States
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Interstate highway system
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A network of high-speed roads built to make interstate travel faster and easier
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Beat generation
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Rebels of the generation
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Military industrial complex
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When factories changed from making cars for example to making tanks
