Nickname for the fear that most Americans felt towards communism during the Cold War
Red Scare
America’s failed attempt to assassinate the leader of Cuba
Bay of Pigs
Youngest president to be elected at the time who led America through some tense Cold War moments
JFK
American military’s new strategy to fight against the enemies in Vietnam
Search and Destroy
President who escalated the situation in Vietnam and decided not to run for reelection after the war wore him down
LBJ
Tactic used in schools to bring some sense of peace and calm to students during the Cold War
Duck and Cover
Closest the US and Soviet Union were to a WWIII
Cuban Missile Crisis
Communist leader of Cuba who distrusted America after we tried to assassinate him
Fidel Castro
Fighting strategy of the enemy in Vietnam which made them very hard to defeat
Guerilla Warfare
The two groups that formed in the US with differing viewpoints on the Vietnam War
Hawks vs Doves
The fear that if Vietnam fell to Communism, then all other Asian countries around it would as well
Domino Effect
Stalin’s reason for building the Berlin Wall was to stop this from happening to East Berlin
Brain Drain
Leader of North Vietnam who helped free the country from French and Japanese rule
Ho Chi Minh
Turning point of the Vietnam War in which many Americans began to doubt if the US could win the war
Tet Offensive
This act gave President Johnson the ability to send troops and declare war the Viet Cong
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Term for when members of the US government accused thousands of Americans of being Communist
McCarthyism
2 ways the US and Soviet Union challenged each other’s dominance without actually going to war
Space and Arms Race
First man to orbit the earth in space
Yuri Gagarin
2 groups that the US fought against in the Vietnam War
Viet Cong vs Viet Minh
The US turned to these 2 chemicals to deal with the environmental challenges of the Vietnam War
Agent Orange and Napalm
This government organization targeted celebrities and athletes who they accused of being communist
HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee)
Event in which an American spy plane was shot down over Russia creating more tension between the two countries
U2 Crisis
Main leader of the Soviet Union who negotiated many tense times with JFK
Nikita Khrushchev
Top secret documents released to the public which showed that the US gov was not completely honest with the American people about the Vietnam War
Pentagon Papers
Tragic massacre of many Vietnam citizens which led to more Americans questioning the US involvement in Vietnam