Unit 8 Vocab Flashcards
● The struggle between the Communist world led by the Soviet Union and the noncommunist world led by the U.S
● A war of words and influence that lasted from 1945 to 1991
The Cold War
● Nations that influence or control less powerful states
● Countries that control global affairs because of size, economic strength, military power, and ability
Superpowers
● An economic system in which individuals and private businesses make most of the economic decisions
● Also called free-enterprise system
● Used in U.S./Western Europe
Capitalism
● A type of system characterized by single-party rule of politics and government control of the economy
● Government/Economy of the USSR and Eastern Europe
Communism
● He developed the first successful inactivated polio vaccine
● By 1960, the widespread distribution of his vaccine and an oral vaccine developed by Albert Sabin had nearly eliminated the disease
Jonas Salk
● A new international peacekeeping organization formed after WWII
● Discussed at the Yalta Conference
● The major goal was to prevent future world wars or events such as the Holocaust
● Located in New York City
United Nations
● A treaty designed to expand world trade by reducing tariffs
● Between its signing and 1993, average tariffs dropped from 40 to 5 percent
General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT)
● Evangelist Christian preacher who attracted millions to religious revivals that he held around the nation
● He was outspoken in his opposition to Communism and supported American Cold War policy
Billy Graham
● Under him, the Allies successfully ended World War II; tensions with the Soviet Union increased, marking the start of the Cold War
● President during the Korean War
● Passed an executive order to desegregate the military (most units were desegregated by 1951)
Harry S. Truman
● July 1945–The U.S. (Truman), Britain (Atlee), and the USSR (Stalin) meet to work out the final plans for Germany
● Truman continues to press for free elections in Europe
● Formalized the decision to divide Germany into 4 zones
● Recognized the USSR’s right to ask for reparations
Potsdam Conference
● Symbolized the growing geographic and political divisions between Communist and Capitalist (democratic) nations in Europe
● Imaginary “curtain” both physical and ideological, blocked people from crossing to non-communist countries and stopped ideas
Iron Curtain
● Based on ideas of George F. Kennan
● The restriction of Soviet expansion and communism
● The goal was not to overthrow communism where it already
existed, but to PREVENT communism from spreading further to other countries
Containment
● President Truman’s promise to aid nations struggling against communist movements in 1947
● Set a new course in American foreign policy
Truman Doctrine
● American rock ‘n’ roll singer, known for his distinctive throaty tone in songs such as “Hound Dog” and “All Shook Up”
● Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, is often referred to as “the King of Rock and Roll”, or simply, “ the King”
Elvis Presley
● Massive monetary aid program proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall
● Money to be given to the countries of war-torn Europe to rebuild economies to prevent the spread of communism
● Money was to be spent on goods made in the U.S.
● Successful and created goodwill towards the U.S.
Marshall Plan
● The airlift was a joint effort by the U.S. and Britain to fly food and supplies into West Berlin
● High point in the Cold War, was an attempt by the USSR to starve out the Allies in Berlin in order to gain supremacy
● Soviet Union had placed a blockade of (democratic) West Berlin by closing all highway and railroad links in June 1948
Berlin Blockade/Airlift
● A system in which a group of countries commit to jointly dealing with a nation that threatens the peace or security of any one of the countries
● Countries pledge to defend every other country in “group” if attacked
● (NATO vs Warsaw)
Collective Security
● 1949 alliance of North American and Western European nations that agreed to band together in the event of war and to support and protect each nation involved
● Each member pledged to defend every other if attacked
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
● Military alliance between the Soviet Union and nations of Eastern Europe, formed in 1955
● Formed in response to NATO
Warsaw Pact
● 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961
● Became President at the end of the Korean War
● Would continue Truman’s anti-communist Cold War policies as well as create his own
Dwight D. Eisenhower
● A genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s
● Primarily from a combination of African- American genres together with western swing and country music
Rock - and - Roll
- A group of American post - World War II writers who came to prominence in the 1950’s
- Central elements of “Beat” culture: refused to conform to accepted ways of dressing, thinking, and acting as well as criticizing the materialism of middle- class America
- Ex: Jack Kerouac’s “ On the Road”
Beat Generation/ Beatniks
● American real-estate developer
● In his position as president of Levitt & Sons, he was widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia
● He created Levittown, the first “cookie cutter” suburb by mass-producing houses in residential neighborhoods
William J. Levitt
● Signed by Eisenhower to authorize funds to build 41,000 miles of highway that would connect the nation’s major cities
● This would carry the nation’s growing traffic, boost economic prosperity and provide a valuable transportation network to strengthen national defense
Interstate Highway Act
