Vocab
Why was it called a "cold war"?
There was no actual fighting/soldiers. It was done through other means like proxy wars, arms race, and building of alliances
What impact did antibiotic drugs have?
They helped increase life expectancy (how long the average person will live)
Who were the two opposing superpowers during the Cold War?
Soviet Union (USSR/Russia)
and
United States (US)
What climate conditions made it difficult for American GIs (soldiers) in Vietnam?
heavy monsoon rains
Who were the Viet Cong?
They were the rebels in Vietnam that believed in communism and had support from the Soviet Union.
What was the "fair deal"?
The "fair deal" was created by President Truman that promoted increasing the minimum wage, more aide to agriculture and education, and a national health insurance program.
It was opposed by Republicans.
How did businesses encourage consumption?
advertising campaigns
planned obsolescence
credit cards
Who was Karl Marx and what economic system did he believe in?
German philosopher
Communism
Who were the "Doves" and why did they not support the Vietnam War?
Doves were U.S. citizens who believed U.S. actions in Vietnam were immoral and futile. They believed the war was a civil conflict that the U.S. should have stayed out of.
What was the nickname for the Americans that believed in containment doctrine (keeping communism contained)?
Hawks
What is "guerilla warfare"?
A method of fighting where you surprise the enemy and then disappear
How did the workforce change because of the economy in the 1950s?
White-collar jobs (like office staff, doctors, lawyers, etc.) began to outnumber blue-collar jobs (construction, mechanic, factory worker, etc.)
What was the "iron curtain"?
a symbolic barrier between the democratic West and communist East, NOT an actual wall/or barrier
What was the plan for "limited war"? How did it work?
It didn't work because there were too many enemy troops to eliminate
What lead to the spread of franchises like McDonalds and Holiday Inns?
The shift in the economy from making goods to providing services
What was "agent orange" and what effect did it have in Vietnam?
a herbicide used by the U.S. miliatry in Vietnam to kill foliage in an effort to deny cover to the enemy
It contaminated the soil and ground water
How were postwar communities like Levittown designed?
small, suburban homes that middle-class families could afford, especially those with so many soldiers coming home from war and getting married/starting a family
What was the goal of the Marshall Plan?
It's goal was to provide aid/help to the European counties to rebuild after World War II.
How did the Vietnam War impact President Johnson's run for reelection?
President Johnson decided not to run for reelection because the public's confidence in him was gone
What was the Berlin Wall and why was it built?
It was a physical wall between East Germany (Soviet controlled) and West Germany (U.S. Controlled). It was built because the Soviet Union wanted to stop people from fleeing West.
What was "mutually assured destruction" and what was the result of it during the arms race?
Mutually assured destruction was the idea that other countries would bomb/start a war with a country they knew could also bomb them.
This lead to both countries having enough bombs that they could destroy the other many times over
What were traditional family values and how were they enforced?
Traditional family values: Mom & dad with children. Mom stays home/cares for the kids and house; father goes out to work
Enforced:The mass media (news, tv, movies) showed examples of traditional values
Short Answer Practice:
How did the rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union shape the world in the decades after World War II?
-NATO : 10 Western European Countries, U.S. and Canada all vowed that an attack on one of them was an attack on all of them.
-Warsaw act: Alliance between Soviets, Polland, East German, ad several other Eastern European Countries.
-Nuclear Arms race-many countries attempted to make bombs more powerful than the atomic bomb (Mutual Assured Destruction)
-Marshall Plan--President Truman's plan to help provide aid to Europe to help it recover from World War II (also to help contain communism)
-Proxy Wars--Soviet Union and U.S. backed various sides in wars in Africa and Asia. (Korean War and Vietnam War))
-Berlin, Germany was divided. Eventually, a wall was even built to stop people from escaping West.
-Cuban Missile Crisis
-
Short Answer Practice:
What made the Vietnam War difficult to win?
-Climate (hot, monsoons)
-Geography: Dense jungle, swamps
-The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) could hide in plain sight
-The Viet Cong used guerrilla warfare
-Hid in underground tunnels
-The use of limited war did not work because there were too many enemies
-Many people started to oppose the war at home (in the U.S.)
-American GIs were not familiar with the territory
Short Answer Practice:
Why are the 1950s remembered as an age of affluence?
-Eisenhower's policy of "modern Republicanism" --conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings
-Economic growth--many people had twice as much cash after WWII and wanted a way to spend it.
-Increase in shopping centers
-Shift in making goods to providing services
-Shift from blue-collar to white-collar jobs
-Largest population boom in U.S. history (large numbers of babies born)
-Middle class families move to the suburbs (more affordable houses on small lots)
-Cars were made more affordable and seen as a status symbol (sign of wealth)
-Creation of the interstate highway system
-Technological advances that made everyday life easier
-X-rays being used for diagnostics