Unit 6: Issues in 20th Century America from 1945- 1980

Question 1

Containment

Answer 1

Keeping Communism away from America and other countries (Turkey, Greece), and keeping it ‘contained’ or eradicated in the U.S.S.R and later, North Vietnam

Question 2

Iron Curtain

Answer 2

East vs. West

Question 3

The Long Telegram

Answer 3

George Kennan on confinement of Soviet influence, Soviet Union is insecure, and weaker, so if the West stays firm then the spread of information will be contained. They are looking to sow social and political discord amongst the West, and set Western powers against each other.

Question 4

Nuclear Arms Race

Answer 4

After the Soviets developed nuclear bomb capacity in 1949, Truman ordered the construction of the hydrogen bomb which was thermonuclear and a 1000 times stronger (both Oppenheimer and Einstein tried to deter Truman). The US hydrogen bomb was developed in 1952, and the U.S.S.R bomb in 1953.

Question 5

Globalization

Answer 5

Interconnection

Question 6

Bretton Woods

Answer 6

IMF (International Monetary Fund encouraged world trade by regulating currency exchanges.

Question 7

World Bank

Answer 7

Promoted economic growth in war-ravaged Europe.

Question 8

Berlin Airlift

Answer 8

-First standoff of the Cold War
-Reichsmark : Deutsche Mark
-Soviets choke off highways and rail access to Berlin
-Americans fly thousands of tons of supplies in daily

Question 8

United Nations

Answer 8

• Promoted peace in Iran and Kashmir
  -State of Israel for the Jewish after the Holocaust
  -Decolonization
  -Failure of nuclear non-proliferation

Question 9

Marshall Plan

Answer 9

-Fear of communist take-over
-European Community
-Funded countries who made political reforms and accepted certain outside controls
-$12. 5 billion over four years
-Containment policy in Turkey and Greece

Question 10

Korean War

Answer 10

1950-53 (former Japanese colony), North and South divided at the 38th parallel, Northern invasion of the South. NSC-68 Containment -> Asia (US tripled defense spending and sponsored “police action” supported by the UN).

Question 11

Red Scare

Answer 11

Hysteria prompted by spread of communism, and fear of communism during the Cold War

Question 12

Smith Act

Answer 12

-All non-citizens had to register with the federal government, and the ovethrow of the government by force or violence is made illegal.
-Eleven convictions
-First anti-sedition act in peacetime since 1798

Question 13

HUAC

Answer 13

-House Un-American Committee
-Targeted social activism (religious dissent, sexual freedom, civil rights)
-Hollywood Ten blacklisted
-Julius and Ethel Rosenberg: accused of exchanging secrets with Russians, judicial misconduct, no fair trial, convicted and executed (Evidence that Julius might actually have exchanged secrets)

Question 14

Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 14

-Fear of Nuclear War
-U2 Spy plane took photos of missiles in Cuba
-American support for dictator Fulgencio Batista to protect American financial investments
-Fidel Castro and the revolution (overthrows Batista, 1 million anti-Castro Cubans fled to the US, confiscation of American property, Left-wing dictatorship)

Question 15

Napalms

Answer 15

Carpet bombing forests to clear the ground for better attack

Question 15

Vietnam War- Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson

Answer 15

Eisenhower: US aid to Diem’s government (675 military advisors by 1960 to train South Vietnamese, financial aid as well)
Kennedy: Increased military advisors to 16,000, 1963- JFK supported a coup d’etat of Diem, assassinated weeks later (Nov 22.)
Johnson: The Blank Check (gives President absolute war powers), sends ground forces

Question 16

Tonkin Gulf Incident

Answer 16

1964, two “unprovoked” torpedo attacks on US boats by Vietnamese, apparently the first torpedo was a false alarm, led to increase of military in Vietnam

Question 17

Agent Orange

Answer 17

Poison (herbicide) that the military used to destroy forests in Vietnam. Led to millions of deaths, as it was toxic and caused cancer and other health issues.

Question 18

Anti-War Movement

Answer 18

Protests against the Vietnam war, and the military draft.

Question 19

Domino Theory

Answer 19

If Vietnam falls to Communism, then other countries will follow (Containment).

Question 20

Tet Offensive

Answer 20

On the vietnamese new year, the Vietcong attacked the South, and over a 100 cities were captured. However, the US and ARVN beat back the offensive and reclaimed all the cities. Technically, the US military won, and there were far more casualties for the Vietcong, but the US was made to look as if it was defeated.

Question 21

Vietcong

Answer 21

Southern Vietnamese guerillas in support of communism, and looking to make South Vietnam run like the north.

Question 22

Military Draft

Answer 22

A random selection for birthdays for men.

Question 23

Emmet Till

Answer 23

14 year old African American boy lynched in Mississipi after being accused of offending a white woman, his murderers are found 'not guilty'. He had an open casket funeral, and the media drew a lot of attention to it.

Question 24

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer 24

African American woman who refused to give up her seat for a white person, arrested, led to a boycott in Montgomery, Alabama and eventually the Supreme Court ruled segregated buses unconstitutional.

Question 25

Brown vs. the Board of Education

Answer 25

1954, Little girl who was not allowed to go to the closest school to her because it was 'white only', had to walk two miles to it every day. This prompted Thurgood Marshall to challenge the Board of Education, and using a psychological experiment where all the children chose only white dolls, and not black, proved that segregation was detrimental to mental health. The court then ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Question 26

Little Rock Nine

Answer 26

9 African American gifted children were sent to a 'white' school after federal law made desegregation compulsary. The governer sent the National Guard to oppose them, the public were vehement in denying them access, but eventually the President heard the commotion, and had to send in military so the kids could go to school.

Question 27

Martin Luther King Jr.

Answer 27

African American civil rights activist, preacher, mobilized the power of Black churches, famous "Letter to Birmingham" from jail, and "I have a Dream" speech. Favored non-violence, assassinated in 1968.

Question 28

Freedom Riders

Answer 28

1961, to end segregation on interstate buses, C.D.R.E - Congress of Racial Equality

Question 29

Voter Registration Project

Answer 29

Federal support for voter registration (for African Americans) under Kennedy, 1962

Question 30

Birmingham Demonstrations

Answer 30

Students skipped class to nonviolently march to downtown Birmingham, Alabama and drew attention to segregation in the South. Police arrested them, and beat them.

Question 31

March on Washington

Answer 31

Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a Dream".

Question 32

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Answer 32

Banned racial discrimination in most private facilities open to the public, including theatres, hospitals, and restaurants. (Johnson)

Question 33

Title VII

Answer 33

Banned employees from hiring discrimination practices based on race or national origin (Johnson).

Question 34

Affirmative Action

Answer 34

Presidential order, active role to support marginalized minorities for jobs and universities.

Question 35

Great Society

Answer 35

"War on Poverty", 2$ billion increase of anti-poverty funding, $1 billion in Appalachia (poorest parts of the country, whites), Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, federal funding for schooling, Medicare (elderly) and Medicaid (aid the poor).

Question 36

Freedom Summer

Answer 36

Mississippi voter registration drive (1964), university students

Question 37

Selma to Montgomery

Answer 37

Martin Luther King and protestors assaulted by State Troopers on Edmund Selma Pettus bridge in Selma (1965)

Question 38

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Answer 38

Banned discrimination in voting, made the 15th Amendment actually applicable.

Question 39

Malcolm X

Answer 39

Favored violent protests instead of nonviolent, separationist.

Question 40

Long, hot summer

Answer 40

1967 riots across America

Question 41

Black Panther Party Kerner Commision

Answer 41

Black Panther- Empowering black community, militant Kerner Commission- to investigate the 1967 riots, police brutality, racist laws and inequality.

Question 42

As the postwar alliance between the U.S.S.R. and Western Democracies dissolved, how did the United States develop a foreign policy based on collective security and a multilateral economic framework that bolstered non-Communist nations?

Answer 42

Concerned by the increase of Communism, and plagued with fear of Communists, the US implemented a containment policy, that focused on diminshing and eradicating the spread of Communism to other countries, especially Turkey and Greece. They funded the countries that were willing to make political reforms and whom also accepted "certain outside controls", as according to the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine. This attempt at connecting with other countries in a militant version of globalization formed international alliances and a much stronger collective security between all nations involved.

Question 43

How did the United States seek to “contain” Soviet-dominated communism through a variety of measures, including military engagements in Korea and Vietnam? (development of the hydrogen bomb, massive retaliation) What drove the United States to do so?

Answer 43

The United States sought to contain Soviet-dominated communism through both military and non-military strategies. The nuclear arms race showed the U.S. was determined not to appear weak against the Soviet Union. After the Soviets tested their first atomic bomb in 1949, the U.S. responded by developing the more powerful hydrogen bomb in 1952. The policy of massive retaliation meant that the U.S. was prepared to respond to any Soviet attack with overwhelming nuclear force. The NSC-68 policy pushed for a major increase in U.S. military spending to contain communism globally, especially in Asia. When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, the U.S. led a UN-backed “police action” to defend South Korea, seeing it as a key test of containment. In Vietnam, the U.S. first sent military advisors to help South Vietnam resist the communist Vietcong. Over time, this escalated into a full-scale ground war. Although there was no clear military objective, the main goal was to prevent the spread of communism to South Vietnam, in line with the Domino Theory, which warned that if one country fell to communism, others nearby would follow.

Question 44

Although the Korean War produced some minor domestic opposition, the Vietnam War saw the rise of sizable, passionate, and sometimes violent antiwar protests that became more numerous as the war escalated.

Answer 44

While the Korean War did not provoke widespread protest at home, the Vietnam War sparked intense domestic opposition that grew stronger as the conflict escalated. Unlike Korea, the Vietnam War involved a military draft, which led to growing frustration among Americans—especially young men who were sent to fight in a war that many believed lacked clear objectives. The public became increasingly disillusioned, especially as veterans themselves began speaking out. Groups like Vietnam Veterans Against the War protested at the Pentagon, famously throwing away their medals as a symbolic rejection of the war. At the same time, the rise of counterculture movements, including the hippie movement, reflected broader public dissatisfaction. The media also played a major role, as nightly television coverage brought graphic images of the war—such as injured civilians and suffering children—into American homes. This constant exposure further fueled the belief that the war was unjust and unwinnable.

Question 45

Following World War II, how did civil rights activists utilize various strategies — legal challenges, direct action, and nonviolent protest tactics — to combat racial discrimination? (Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, John Lewis, Thurgood Marshall)

Answer 45

After World War II, civil rights activists used a mix of legal challenges, nonviolent protests, and direct action to fight racial discrimination. Thurgood Marshall, as a lawyer for the NAACP, won key court cases like Brown v. Board of Education, which ended segregation in schools. Martin Luther King Jr. became a leader of peaceful protests, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, inspiring many with his message of nonviolence and equality. Fannie Lou Hamer worked to secure voting rights, sharing her experiences with voter suppression at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. John Lewis helped organize protests like the freedom rides and led the famous Selma to Montgomery march, where activists faced violent opposition. These combined efforts pressured the government to pass important laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which helped end segregation and protect voting rights.

Question 46

How did decision-makers in each of the three branches of the federal government use measures, including desegregation of the armed services, Brown v. Board of Education, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to promote greater racial justice?

Answer 46

Decision-makers in all three branches of the federal government played important roles in promoting racial justice during the civil rights movement. In the executive branch, President Harry Truman took a major step by desegregating the armed services in 1948 through an executive order, ending racial segregation in the military. In the judicial branch, the Supreme Court made a landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), ruling that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This ruling challenged the “separate but equal” doctrine and pushed the country toward desegregation. In the legislative branch, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places, schools, and workplaces. This law was a major victory for the civil rights movement and helped enforce equal rights across the country. Together, these actions from all three branches helped advance racial justice in the United States.

Question 47

How did continuing white resistance slow efforts at desegregation, spark a series of social and political crises across the nation, while tensions among civil rights activists over tactical and philosophical issues increased after 1965?

Answer 47

After 1965, many white Americans, especially in the South, resisted desegregation efforts. This resistance included refusing to obey laws, protests against integration, and sometimes violent attacks on civil rights workers and African Americans trying to access equal rights. Because of this, progress toward racial equality was slower than activists hoped. This opposition led to social and political crises, including urban riots and unrest in several cities. These events highlighted the ongoing frustration with poverty, police brutality, and discrimination. Meanwhile, civil rights activists disagreed on how to respond. Some, like Martin Luther King Jr., continued to support peaceful protests, while others believed stronger, sometimes more confrontational methods were needed. These disagreements created divisions within the movement, making it harder to maintain a unified front.

Question 48

How did liberalism reach its zenith with Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society efforts to use federal power to end racial discrimination, eliminate poverty, and address other social issues while attacking communism abroad?

Answer 48

Liberalism reached its peak during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society programs in the 1960s. Johnson used the power of the federal government to fight racial discrimination by pushing laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which helped end segregation and protect voting rights for African Americans. At the same time, the Great Society aimed to eliminate poverty through programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and education funding to improve healthcare and schools for poor Americans. Johnson believed the government should play an active role in solving social problems. While working on these domestic issues, the U.S. also continued to fight communism abroad during the Cold War, balancing efforts at home with concerns about global security. Johnson’s Great Society represents the high point of liberalism because it expanded the federal government’s role in promoting equality, economic opportunity, and social welfare.