What international organization was formed after WWII to try & solve problems that might lead to WWIII? United Nations.

What international organization was formed after WWII to try & solve problems that might lead

to WWIII?

United Nations

What economic plan was supposed to keep Western European Nations free from Communism after WWII?

How did the USSR feel about this?

Marshall Plan; Soviets saw this as a major threat

Which side did the U.S. (and the U.N.) support in the

Korean War? Who supported the other side?

the South, the USSR (and China) supported the North

Why did Truman fire MacArthur during the Korean

War?

MacArthur insisted on being more aggressive (wanted

to nuke China)

What was the result of the Korean War?

NK stays Communist, SK free & democratic, DMZ in middle (on 38th parallel)

What were the two main treaty organizations of the

Cold War?

NATO (U.S. led) & Warsaw Pact (USSR led)

What was Truman accused of being “soft” on? How did he

respond to this?

Communism, policy review boards to identify

Communists in Government

What doctrine vowed to support all resistors of

communism wherever they may be in order to stop the

spread of communism?

Truman Doctrine

How did we respond to the Soviets cutting off access to

W. Berlin in 1948?

Berlin Airlift of supplies

What did the Soviets test/demonstrate in 1949

that scared the heck out of us?

an atomic bomb

Who was put to death for supposedly giving our nuclear secrets to the

Soviets?

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg

What was the name of the congressional committee charged with rooting out suspected communists?

Who were their most famous targets?

House Un-American Activities Committee

(HUAC); Hollywood writers & actors

Which U.S. Senator made a name for himself in the early

1950’s by hunting communists? What was his fate?

Joseph McCarthy, brought down by his former allies (censured in the Senate)

Name 2 ways U.S. citizens responded to the threat of

Nuclear attack?

fallout shelters, drop and cover drills, end of the

world parties

What made it possible for the U.S. to avoid a major post-

war economic slump?

Marshall Plan, GI Bill, and people spent what they

had saved during the war

What form of popular music emerged in the 1950’s? Who

were some key artists?

Rock and Roll, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Richie

Valens

How did Rock and Roll challenge mainstream

values?

black roots, sexual overtones, fostered

rebellion

What was the societal expectation for American

women in the 1950’s?

Stay home, raise the kids, and consume

What was the result of the need for new housing and desire for a middle class

lifestyle in the post war era? How did this change our transportation needs?

The suburbs, more cars and more roads

Name two factors that helped place emphasis on

conformity in 1950’s America.

TV, the suburbs, corporate culture, fear of

communism, consumerism

How did the GI Bill impact the U.S.?

Made it possible for vets to buy homes, businesses &

farms, as well as go to college (which pushed

millions into the Middle Class)

Who did both parties covet as their candidate for

President in 1952? Why?

Dwight D. Eisenhower, because he was a

politically moderate war hero

Which party did Eisenhower choose? What young

senator became his running mate?

Republican, Richard Nixon

Name 2 places the CIA intervened on behalf of U.S.

interests in the 1950’s.

Iran (overthrow Mossedeqh, Guatemala, Lebanon

How did the Suez Crisis of 1956 effect the Cold War?

opened the Middle East to Soviet influence

What did the U.S. response to the European crises of

1956 demonstrate?

We were unwilling to intervene behind the Iron

Curtain

What event of 1957 caused a rush to improve math & science programs in the

U.S.?

launch of Sputnik

At the peak of the arms race, how many times over could the U.S. & the USSR have

blown up the world?

10

What is the name for the idea that you can prevent

war by having so many nuclear weapons your rival

knows they will be destroyed if they attack you?

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

What was the U-2 incident? How did it affect relations

between the superpowers?

Soviets shot down a U.S. spy plane in 1960, it

started a period of tense relations

What was the bracero program?

recruited Mexican immigrants across the border to work on the

farms during World War II

What government operation focused on deporting many of these immigrants during

the 1950’s?

Operation Wetback

What new form of retail center emerged in the

1950’s?

the suburban shopping mall

What were the two main provisions of the Taft Hartley Act? Was it good or bad for

unions?

President could declare an 80 day “cooling off” period in

labor negotiations, communists & socialists were

removed from union leadership, bad for unions

What did Truman fear about unions’ demands for higher

wages?

they were inflationary and would be harmful to the

economy

What was primary the purpose of Truman’s Fair

Deal?

continue the programs of FDR’s New Deal and extend

opportunity for socioeconomic advancement

to more Americans

Identify two key aspects of Eisenhower’s “modern

republicanism”?

limit the role of the federal government, reduce role of the

President while increasing power of Congress and the

Courts, balance budget, support corporations

What communist dictator rose to power in Cuba in the late 1950’s? What did he do

that angered Americans?

Fidel Castro, seized American properties and

favored the Soviets

What effort did Kennedy make to remove him from

power?

Invasion of the Bay of Pigs by roughly 2,000 Cuban exiles, U.S. hoped invasion would

stir insurrection against Castro

Why did the invasion of the Bay of Pigs fail?

lack of Cuban support, no American air strike

Why did the Soviets put up the Berlin Wall in 1961?

Embarrassed by the flow of immigrants fleeing into West Berlin from East

Germany

Where did the Soviets attempt to set up missiles in October of 1962? How did

the U.S. respond?

Cuba, naval blockade (this is the Cuban Missile Crisis)

What was the outcome of this crisis?

U.S. promised not to invade Cuba again, USSR took

back its missiles

What was the purpose and significance of the National

Housing Act of 1949?

Provide all American families with a decent home,

significant because the gov’t took responsibility for

housing

What major demographic/social

movement left led the middle class to the suburbs and massive poverty in the

inner cities?

White flight (exodus of white middle class to the

suburbs)

What 1953 government policy ended economic

support for Native Americans and discontinued the reservation system?

The termination policy (led to worsened conditions for

Native Americans)

What was JFK’s plan to move America forward called?

What were two of it’s main emphases?

Establish Peace Corps, win the race to the moon,

better health care for poor and elderly, work to alleviate poverty

How successful was Kennedy in getting these plans implemented? Why?

Not very; faced resistance from same groups that

fought Truman’s Fair Deal – and was assassinated just

2.5 years into time in office