Period 8.1-8.7

Question 1

Iron Curtain

Answer 1

Phrase declared by Churchill referencing the division between Western and Eastern Europe during the Cold War.

Question 2

Truman Doctrine

Answer 2

Event in which Truman asked Congress for money to assist Greece and Turkey against “totalitarian” regimes, became a policy of refusing to let Communism spread.

Question 3

Marshall Plan

Answer 3

European recovery program that provided aid to Western European countries with the aim of stabilizing democracies against Communism.

Question 4

Berlin Airlift

Answer 4

In response to a blockade of Berlin by Soviets, allied planes flew in supplies to the area until the blockade was lifted.

Question 5

NATO

Answer 5

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance for defending member countries from attack. The US participated in this organization after witnessing the failure of the League of Nations.

Question 6

Warsaw Pact

Answer 6

A military alliance for the defense of Eastern European countries by the Soviet Union in response to NATO.

Question 7

NSC-68

Answer 7

A secret report by the National Security Council that recommended quadrupling US defense spending, convincing Americans that the costly arms buildup was necessary for defense, and forming alliances with non-Communist countries around the world.

Question 8

Massive Retaliation

Answer 8

Policy by Vice President Dulles that focused on using increased levels of nuclear arms as intimidation while decreasing military spending elsewhere. However, after the Soviets’ development of their own hydrogen bombs, this policy became feasible.

Question 9

Sputnik

Answer 9

The first ever successful satellite was launched by the Soviet Union, shocking the West and calling into question US technological superiority.

Question 10

Military-Industrial Complex

Answer 10

Concept warned about by Eisenhower in his farewell address, referencing fears of turning the US into an extreme military-state.

Question 11

Berlin Wall

Answer 11

Wall erected by the Soviet Union across the border between East and West Berlin as a show of force. This served as a source of tension during the Cold War until it was later torn down.

Question 12

Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 12

Crisis that created great tension around the world as Nuclear War threatened to break out because of missiles being installed in Cuba by the Soviet Union. The threat was neutralized after the US agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey.

Question 13

Detente

Answer 13

A deliberate reduction of Cold War tensions advocated for by the Nixon administration.

Question 14

SALT

Answer 14

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, in which the US obtained Soviet consent to freeze a number of nuclear warheads. This was a significant step towards easing Cold War tensions.

Question 15

Smith Act

Answer 15

Made it illegal to advocate or teach the overthrow of the government by force or to belong to an organization that does so. Was upheld in the case Dennis et al v. United States.

Question 16

HUAC

Answer 16

Committee originally established to root out Nazis which turned its focus to Communists, investigating government officials, Hollywood actors, etc.

Question 17

McCarthyism

Answer 17

The witch hunt-like methods of rooting out supposed Communists based on unfounded claims primarily advocated for by Senator Joseph McCarthy. He used this hysteria to gian great political power before being seen as a bully and losing popularity.

Question 18

GI Bill

Answer 18

Helped more than 2 million GIs attend college and more than 5 million receive other training. The government also provided low-interest government loans to veterans and helped to stimulate the economy after the war. Had a consequence of increasing the racial wealth gap.

Question 19

Baby Boom

Answer 19

A period after WWII in which the birth rate skyrocketed due to earlier marriages and larger families.

Question 20

Levittown

Answer 20

Project led by William Levitt to create mass-produced, low-priced family homes in a suburb layout. Helped create affordable housing but was exclusive to White people.

Question 21

Sun Belt

Answer 21

A region of the United States, primarily in the Southeast and Southwest, characterized by warm weather, significant population growth, and economic expansion after WWII, shifting power and population to these areas.

Question 22

Fair Deal

Answer 22

Truman’s reform program that would enact federal health insurance, federal aid to education, civil rights legislation, funds for public housing, and a new farm program. Most of these bills were defeated, but this cemented these progressive ideals as part of the liberal platform.

Question 23

Highway Act

Answer 23

Passed under Eisenhower, authorized the construction of 42,000 miles of interstate highways linking all the nation’s major cities. This created jobs but drew focus away from public transportation, cementing the US as a car-based country.

Question 24

New Frontier

Answer 24

Called for aid to education, federally supported health care, urban renewal, and civil rights, but few of these passed congress.

Question 25

Stagflation

Answer 25

An uncommon period of economic stagnation combined with high inflation. This forced Nixon to take a more Keynesian approach to the economy, going against his previous ideals.

Question 26

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

Answer 26

Landmark Supreme Court case that established segregation within schools as unconstitutional.

Question 27

Desegregation

Answer 27

Process of eliminating Jim Crow, a battle that was especially difficult in the South.

Question 28

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer 28

Boycott resulting from Rosa Parks refusing to sit in the segregated area of a bus, sparking mass protests. MLK jr. emerges as a major civil rights leader and segregation laws are deemed unconstitutional.

Question 29

SCLC

Answer 29

Conference formed by MLK jr. made up of Southern churches and ministers with the goal of supporting the struggle for civil rights.

Question 30

Sit-in Movement

Answer 30

Movement in which students would deliberately invite arrest by refusing to leave white-designated areas.

Question 31

SNCC

Answer 31

Student movement to promote voting rights and end segregation, utilizing sit-ins throughout the South.

Question 32

Decolonization

Answer 32

The collapse of colonial empires after the end of WWII, resulting in the formation of many newly-autonomous countries that were often caught in the crossfire between US and Soviet influence.

Question 33

Eisenhower Doctrine

Answer 33

Policy pledged by the president to provide economic and military aid to any Middle Eastern colony under threat of Communism.

Question 34

Camp David Accords

Answer 34

A peace settlement between Egypt and Israel mediated by president Carter, marking a step towards peace in the Middle East.

Question 35

Iran Hostage Crisis

Answer 35

Issue in which the recently-overthrown Iranian shah fled to the US for medical treatment and, in response, fundamentalists raided the US embassy and took its inhabitants hostage. This ruined the perception of Carter's presidency.

Question 36

Peace Corps

Answer 36

An organization under Kennedy that recruited volunteers to give aid to developing countries. These were looked upon fondly by Americans, but many other Central and South American countries continued to resent the US as a result of interventions such as CIA coups.