The Cold War
What was the NSC-68?
The blueprint for American Cold War strategy. It expanded U.S. containment policies, increased military spending, accelerated arms production, and the use of “covert means” (i.e., espionage) to disrupt communist countries.
What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott and why was it significant for the Civil Rights Era?
Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man -> African Americans responded with a year-long boycott of the city’s buses.
Significance- launched the modern Civil Rights Movement with nonviolent protest as a powerful tool, and the Supreme Court declared segregated buses unconstitutional.
Who were the black panthers?
black power group that aimed to combat police brutality, advocate for community empowerment, and achieve equality through armed self-defense, community social programs, health organizations, daycare programs, and aid for impoverished black communities to help black children.
What is stagflation?
Stagflation is a rare, severe economic condition characterized by the combination of stagnant economic growth, high unemployment, and high inflation.
What is globalization, and why was it significant in the 1990s?
the rise of new communications technologies (cheaper long-distance calling, personal computers, the internet)
significance- The world seems significantly smaller and more closely linked than it ever has before.
What is Containment?
U.S. foreign policy technique during the Cold War that aimed to stop the spread of communism by making sure it did not expand (the fear of domino theory). If necessary, the US would use military force to resist expansionism.
What was the Brown v Board of Education Case?
African American children denied admission to public schools attended by white children under laws requiring segregation, even if facilities were "equal" -> NAACP take to the Supreme Court, where they ruled "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" (overturning Plessy v Ferg). Met with "massive resistance" in the South.
Who were the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and what did they do?
A left-wing student organization founded in 1960. They believed in participatory democracy, protests against the Vietnam War, racial discrimination, and poverty. They were a key part of the "New Left," which was not tied to labor unions or communism (as the “Old Left” had been).
What is "trickle down" economics, and how was good and bad?
argues that wealthy individuals and businesses will invest tax savings into the economy, increasing production and hiring, ultimately benefiting all society.
Good- millionaire increase, Yuppies (Young Urban Professionals who practice conspicuous consumption)
Bad- Tax cuts disproportionately benefit the wealthy, poverty rate increases to 13.5%, slashes to social welfare programs
What was suburbanization in the 1950s, and why was it significant?
The Interstate Highway and Defense System Act allowed families to move from cities to surrounding residential areas such as Lewitt Towns. It was significant because it redefined the "American Dream" around homeownership, automobile dependence, and consumer culture.
What was the Second Red Scare?
A period of intense anti-communist fear that aimed to purge suspected communists from government, entertainment, and education.
Who was Martin Luther King and what was his purpose of nonviolent protesting?
His goal was to create a media-worthy image that shapes and shifts public opinion on segregation and civil rights; he wanted to make people inflict violence on them rather than the other way around to gain maximum support.
Explain the “Black Power” Movement.
a political and social movement led by Malcom X that shifted civil rights toward militant action, emphasizing racial pride and economic self-sufficiency, emerging from dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the mainstream Civil Rights Movement.
What is the “The New Right” why was it significant?
A shift of politics rightward that propelled Ronald Reagan's presidency. It pushed for tax cuts, traditional family values, and religious principles in public life.
Significance- the pendulum swung back toward a smaller, less powerful, less involved federal government (similar to laissez faire)
What did Bill Clinton mean by "New Democrat," and why was this significant?
The "New Democrat" claims that “the era of big government is over.”
significance- since Roosevelt, the democratic party had embraced big government, and Bill Clinton gives proof of Regan's shift to small government.
Explain McCarthyism
Led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, fears from the Red Scare political parties would compete to be seen as tougher on communism. Resulted in widespread blacklisting, government investigations, and violations of civil liberties.
Define the Voting Rights and the Civil Rights Act.
Voting Rights Act (1965)- banned literacy tests and authorized federal intervention to protect voting rights.
Civil Rights Act (1964)- The federal government was now responsible for the protection of African American civil rights to a degree unseen since Reconstruction
What was the National Organization for Women (NOW) and Women's Liberation?
A major U.S. feminist organization founded in 1966 that aimed to achieve full equality for women, including equal pay, reproductive rights, and the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
The Women's Liberation movement seeks to attack patriarchy, the nuclear family, and the objectification of women.
What was the Watergate scandal?
During the 1972 campaign, five men were arrested for breaking into Democratic headquarters at Watergate ->burglars associated with CREEP the committee to re elect Nixon, by relying on lying and blackmailing his competitors to secure his reelection -> court discovered Nixon's tapes -> he is about to be impeached but resigns
Explain Cuban Missile Crisis.
U.S. has nuclear weapons and europe in striking distance of the soviet union→ Khrushchev (soviet) strikes a deal with Castro (communists cuba) to put Soviet missiles in Cuba in order to be within striking distance of the United States-> the Kennedy ordered a military blockade of Cuba-> threat of full scale nuclear war on the Soviet Union (mutually assured destruction). Finally, negotiate the removal of Soviet Union weapons from Cuba in exchange for Kennedy to remove US Missiles from Turkey
→ in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy looks like a tough, calm leader, a sort of skillful negotiator in contrast to bay of pigs
What were the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan?
Truman states that U.S. will provide military and political assistance to democratic countries under pressure from communism.
The Marshall Plan in Europe put that into practice- $13 billion in cash from the United States to the struggling economies of Western Europe.
How did the sit ins start and why were they significant?
Four Black college students sat at a "whites-only" lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, refusing to leave after being denied service -> massive, youth-led, nonviolent campaign across the South and creation of SNCC.
Significance- Protests received national media attention and increasing support from people in the US.
Who were the Hippies and why were they significant?
a youth counterculture movement that rejected mainstream societal norms and embraced communal living, sexual freedom, and hallucinogenic drugs.
significance- Gives another example of Freedom being a withdrawal from mainstream society, political activism and a focus on individual fulfillment
Who was Nixon's "Silent Majority" and how did he appeal to them?
These are conservative white Americans who feared the chaos of the 1960s, including the Civil Rights movement, anti-war protests, and the counterculture.
A lot were Southern Democrats, where Nixon used the "Southern Strategy" where he pledged to ease up on enforcing civil rights using code language.
What was Johnson's "War on Poverty" and the Great Society?
LBJ's attempt to expand the welfare state and eliminate poverty.
Its centerpiece was the "War on Poverty," which included Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start (preschoolers and college students), and food stamps, significantly reducing the US poverty rate
significance- the most extensive expansion of federal social welfare and civil rights legislation since the New Deal (New Deal Part 2)