Period 8 Flashcards
(39 cards)
Define “cold war”
A conflict between two belligerents in which neither engages in open military conflict with the other. However, tension is so high that war could erupt at any time.
What was the source of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union?
The US had a democratic government and capitalist economic system while the USSR had a communist system in which the political and economic systems were one in the same. Both countries sought to expand their ideologies globally.
What was the overarching US strategy during the Cold War?
Containment. Marxist-Leninism was inherently expansionist, calling for worldwide revolution, which compelled the US to attempt to halt its spread economically, diplomatically, and militarily.
How did democratic/ capitalist nations and communist nations align themselves?
The notion of collective security on both sides caused like-minded countries to enter into mutual defense pacts.
What was the EPA?
The Environmental Protection Agency was a regulatory agency that sought to put limits on the environmental impact of industry on the land, and air, and water.
What was the Roe v Wade decision? What effect did this decision have on society?
The Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a constitutional right on the basis of the “right to privacy”. This decision galvanized evangelical Christians around the conservative Republican Party as a vehicle for opposing the right to abortion.
What was the Watergate Scandal?
The 1972-1974 political scandal involving the Nixon administration in which the Democratic presidential campaign was brazenly spied. Investigative journalists uncovered the plot. Nixon was impeached, choosing to resign in order to escape removal from office.
What was stagflation?
A recession, or a decline in economic activity, struck in the early 1970s. This slow economic growth, or stagnation, occurred at the same time as rising prices for goods, or inflation.
Describe 3 significant Great Society acts of legislation.
Medicare- provided health insurance to people over the age of 65
Medicaid- provided health insurance to people in low-income situations or with disabilities.
Immigration Act- abolished immigration quotas.
What was the Great Society?
President Lyndon Johnson’s continuation of New Deal era government-led social and economic reforms. These programs and legislation focused on safety nets for the poor.
Describe the outcome of the Vietnam War.
After over a decade of military involvement in Vietnam, over 50,000 Americans died which paled in comparison to the upwards of 2 million Vietnamese deaths. The US withdrew in 1973 amid massive protests throughout the late 1960s and early 70s, having never declared war.
What escalated American involvement in Vietnam?
The Gulf of Tonkin incident, though disputed like the sinking of the USS Maine in Cuba, was used as justification for increasing American troop presence in Vietnam.
What caused the Vietnam War?
Similar to the Korean War, conflict between communist and democratic forces broke out, bringing Russia and China to North Vietnam’s aid and the US to the South’s
Who was Fidel Castro? How did the US respond to his actions?
The leftist revolutionary who established a communist regime in his native Cuba in 1959. The US attempted to overthrow his regime through invasion and assassinate him, though both failed
What actions did the US take in the Middle East?
The Central Intelligence Agency assisted in the overthrow of a socialist government in Iran amid its efforts to nationalize Iranian oil reserves
What was the counterculture movement?
Predominantly young people who cast off societal restraint with rebellious styles of clothing, and music, along with experimental drug use and free love.
How did the Supreme Court address civil liberties in the 1960s?
Baker v Carr established the precedent for legislative reapportionment, or redistricting, subject to court review. This attempted to balance the representation of rural and suburban white communities with increasingly minority-majority urban communities. Engel v Vitale further reaffirmed separation of church and state, making mandatory Bible readings and teacher-led prayers in public schools illegal.
Describe the women’s rights movement during this period.
This movement called for legislation protecting the economic and social rights for women. The Equal Rights Amendment would have been the crowning achievement but conservative backlash prevented it from being ratified.
How did other groups approach the issue of civil rights?
The support and successes of the African American Civil Rights Movement inspired the Chicano Movement, American Indian Movement, the Gay Liberation Movement, among others to use similar tactics of civil disobedience, nonviolence, and militant activism for gaining protections and equality.
Define “arms race”. Why didn’t nuclear war happen?
The advancement and stockpiling of new weapons, specifically nuclear bombs during this period. As the US and USSR flaunted their newest weapons through massive tests, both sides came to realize the devastating potential for the planet should war break out.
How was the Korean War a “proxy war”?
The ideological conflict between democratic capitalism and communism was not exclusive to the US and USSR. The Korean peninsula became ideologically divided, as well, and war broke out. The Soviets and Chinese rallied behind the North and the United States and the UN on behalf of the South. “By proxy,” the Cold War belligerents attempted to further their goals via the Korean conflict.
What was the Second Red Scare
Like the first back in the 1920s, paranoia surrounding the potential for widespread infiltration of communism into the US ran high following World War II. This paranoia reached the federal government, as military officials and high profile civilians were accused of connections to the USSR by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
What was the GI Bill?
Learning from economic woes following World War I, the GI Bill (officially the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act) gave WWII veterans access to a free college education and low-interest home and business loans.
What caused the demographic spike and shift after World War II? Where did people move?
The postwar population spike in the United States as a result of young men returning from war to a generally prosperous economy. Massive planned communities sprang up in suburban areas across the country, especially in the South and West.
