PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Unit 6a Vocab
11 Mike Jiang
GI Bill:
Was also known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act. This act provided one year of employment benefits and paid for college for returning veterans of World War II in the United States.
Baby Boom:
A massive increase in birthrate during the 1950s. Caused by husbands returning from World War II and confidence in the nation's economy. This created the largest generation in the nation's history.
White Collar:
Jobs in areas like sales, advertisements, and management. These types of jobs became popular in the 1950s as fewer people had blue-collar jobs.
Conformity:
Conformity is behavior in accordance with what society accepts, and Americans during the 1950s tried to fit in with one another by doing everything everyone else did.
Rock and Roll:
A new style of music that became very popular during the 1950s that originated from African American rhythm and blues.
Cold War:
The tension between the United States and the Soviet Union due to their differences in ideas and distrust of each other's nuclear arsenal. This conflict divided the world from 1945-1990.
Iron Curtain:
Said by Winston Churchill during a speech and was meant to symbolize the division of Europe between Western Democratic nations and Eastern Communist nations.
Containment:
The policy of containment was created by George Kennan in order to keep communism from spreading by all means.
Marshall Plan:
The plan that gave Western Europe economic aid after World War II. This plan helped rebuild war-torn nations and as a result, weaken the appeal of communism in those nations.
Korean War:
Conflict during the Cold War between the Communist North and Democratic South. The Soviet Union and China eventually joined as well as the United States on their respective sides.
NASA:
The United States formed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for space research and exploration in response to the Soviet Union successfully launching the Sputnik into orbit.
Capitalism:
The economic system in the United States where business and property are owned by private citizens. This system is the direct opposite of Communism, which lead to the Capitalism Vs. Communism Cold War in the mid-20th century.
Communism:
The Economic system where everything is state-owned. This system was used by the Soviet Union and is the direct opposite of Capitalism.
U-2 Affair:
During the Cold War, America was caught spying on the Soviet Union when one of their U-2 spy planes was shot down by the Soviet Union.
Truman's Fair Deal:
A set of proposals by President Harry S. Truman that increased the minimum wage and expanded social security.
Truman Doctrine:
Proposed by President Harry S. Truman, stated that the United States provides aid to countries whose freedoms are being threatened.
Fallout Shelter:
Underground bunkers that Americans built during the Cold War which would protect them from a nuclear attack. This was caused by the fear of a Soviet attack on the United States with their nuclear arsenal.
House of Un-Ameican Activities Committee (HUAC):
The government agency was created during the Cold War that investigated on disloyalty and suspicion of having Communist ties in private citizens.
2nd Red Scare:
This was the fear of communism in American politics, culture, and society during the 1950s, the beginning stages of the Cold War.
Sputnik:
The first man-made satellite in space launched during the Space Race by the Societ Union.
General Agreements for Tariffs & Trade (GATT):
The purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or trade barriers such as tariffs.
Taft Harley Act:
A law that restricted the power of labor unions. It was enacted by the 80th United States Congress over the veto of President Harry S. Truman.
NATO:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed by the United States during the Cold War in order to stop the spread of Communism by declaring that an attack on an allied country is an attack on all NATO countries (We hate communism club).
Warsaw Pact:
An alliance formed by the Soviet Union with its allied countries as a response to the formation of NATO during the Cold War (We love communism club).
Federal Highway Act:
Ordered the construction of 40,000 miles of interstate highway in the United States. The original goal was to improve the transportation of military supplies during times of crisis.
SEATO:
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization:
created by the United States during the Cold War in order to strengthen the defense against communism in Southeast Asia.
Joseph Stalin:
The communist leader of the Soviet Union from 1923 to 1953. Was originally an ally of the United States but tension rose up as the two countries had different economic and political policies in addition to the threat of nuclear war.
Harry Truman:
The President of the United States during the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. He attempted to veto the Taft Hartley Act but the act but Congress overrode his veto.
Dwight Eisenhower:
The President of the United States that used the policy of brinkmanship and threatened to declare war against China to end the Korean War.
The Rosenbergs:
Husband and wife who was sentenced to death after they were convicted of espionage.
Joseph McCarthy:
The U.S. Senator who accused people of being a communist based on little to no evidence. Lead a massive witch hunt of communists in the government during the Cold War.
Jonas Salk:
An American medical researcher that developed the first vaccine for polio.
Elvis Presley:
Known as the King of Rock and Roll for his performances. Many parents thought that he was a bad influence on children because of his style of music and dance.
Douglas MacArthur:
The American Navy General in the Pacific who wanted to Nuke China and disagreed with President Truman. He was later fired for insubordination.
William Levitt:
Housing developer that produced houses using an assembly line method and created low-costing suburban homes to match the demand for houses in the 1950s.
Hollywood 10:
A group of ten writers and directors who refused to give names to communists in Hollywood. They were blacklisted which ruined their careers because it was difficult for them to get a job.
