US History EOC Power Review

Emergence of the Cold War

1945-1960

Failing American/Soviet RelationsAtomic bomb on Nagasaki Aug. 9, 1945 – Japan surrenders, WWII ends

October 1945 - The United Nations officially founded

Nuremberg Trials (1945-46) - International Military Tribunal created to try 23 Nazi war criminals.

1946 - Winston Churchill gives his “Iron Curtain” speech at a speaking engagement in Fulton, Missouri– referred to Soviet influence in Eastern

Europe

July 1947 – Soviet expert George Kennan advises a counter-force to communist expansion around the world; becomes known as the U.S. “containment policy” vs. communism

Emergence of the Cold WarMarch 1947 –Truman asks Congress for $400 million in military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey– Truman Doctrine. “The US must support free

states who were resisting communist domination.”

Marshall Plan – proposed by Sec. of State George C. Marshall as a plan to help rebuild Europe after the war– Gave $12 billion in aid to European nations

Berlin Airlift (June 1948 - May 1949)– June 1948 - USSR cuts off non-Soviet contact

to West Berlin in the Soviet controlled nation of East Germany

– A coalition force flew 200,000 flights, delivering 4,700 tons of food & fuel to the people of Berlin daily

– Stalin agreed to end the blockade May 1949

April 1949 – NATO formed (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)– The US and 14 other nations signed

the alliance– 1955 - USSR forms Warsaw Treaty

Organization to counter NATO

June 1950 – North Korea invades South Korea.– Truman sends US forces commanded

by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to support the S. Korean government as part of a UN military action

– Chinese reinforcements pushed the US forces south of the 38th parallel by Dec. 1950, but by Spring 1951 the front line was recovered

– June 1953 – armistice is signed dividing Korea along the 38th parallel

– Cease-fire only, the war never officially ended

Red Scare/McCarthyism– 1950 – Julius & Ethel Rosenberg charged

w/ giving atomic secrets to Soviets; both executed in 1953

– 1950 – Sen. Joseph McCarthy claims to have a list of known Communists working in the US government

– 1952-54 – McCarthy leads communist “witch hunts”, finally censured & discredited in 1954

1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower elected president– Sec of State John Dulles emphasized more

aggressive foreign policy beyond “containment”

– “Massive Retaliation” emphasized nuclear deterrents to avoid conflict

– “Domino Theory” – belief that if one Asian nation fell to communism, others would follow like dominoes

Foreign policy at this time led to the “arms race”

1952 - US tests the first Hydrogen bomb– USSR tests its first H-bomb

in 1953

1957 - USSR launches first unmanned satellite “Sputnik 1”– Begins the “space race”– Eisenhower establishes

NASA in October 1958

May 1960 - U2 Incident– American spy plane is shot

down over the USSR & the pilot is captured

Civil Rights in the 1950sPresident Eisenhower finalized integration of the armed forces & appointed a Civil Rights Commission

1954 - Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka– Thurgood Marshall challenged the doctrine

of “separate but equal”– Court declared separate educational

facilities were inherently unequal– 1955 – the Court ordered states to

integrate

Dec. 1, 1955 – Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, AL– leads to Montgomery Bus Boycott

Sept. 1957 – Eisenhower sent 10,000 Nat’l Guard to control mobs & allow black students to enroll in Little Rock, AR

1950s Society & Culture1959 - Alaska becomes 49th state, Hawaii becomes 50th state

The average work week shrank from 6 days to 5

1947-60 - middle class grew from 5.7 million to 12 million

Suburbs grow 6x faster than cities– William Levitt pioneers mass-produces suburban housing, builds

10,600 homes on Long Island (Levittown)

TV becomes the dominant form of entertainment– Leave It to Beaver, The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand– 21 – quiz show scandal made

1954 – Alan Freed starts playing “Rock n’ Roll”– 1955 – Elvis Presley is a national figure and by 1959 is the biggest

selling artist of the entire decade

The 1960’s

JFK’s Military PolicyElected in 1960: America’s youngest president, Catholic, defeated candidate Richard Nixon after a series of first-ever televised debates

Kennedy built up the conventional and nuclear weapons systems to deter the USSR and to close the missile gap with the Soviets

The Special Forces or Green Berets were created

Kennedy expanded the CIA

Fidel Castro had taken over Cuba and created Communist government there

Before JFK took office, there was a plan to overthrow Castro

Bay of Pigs InvasionCIA secretly trained a group of exiled Cubans called La Brigada to invade CubaKennedy sent them to land at the Bay of Pigs, but their boats hit coral reefs and Kennedy cancelled the air support because he wanted to keep US involvement secret Bay of Pigs was a disaster – exposed American plot to overthrow Castro and made US look weak & disorganized

Southeast AsiaKennedy sent in hundreds of Green Berets when the Vietcong Communist Guerrillas attacked South, Vietnam and the US supported Ngo Dinh Diem

By 1963 16,000 US troops had been sent to South Vietnam

Diem lost the support of the people and protest erupted (Ex. Buddhist Monks)

Upon approval from the CIA, Diem was assassinated by his Generals

Americans witnessed the protests through TV, US causalities increased

The Berlin CrisisIn 1961 Khrushchev and JKF met in Vienna, Austria

3 million East Germans had fled to West Berlin since the end of WWII (to escape communism)

JFK told Americans we stay in Berlin

August 13th, 1961 Khrushchev responded by allowing East Germany to construct The Berlin Wall

The Cuban Missile CrisisIn the summer of 1962 Khrushchev began shipping Soviet Offensive Nuclear Missiles to Castro In Cuba

The US had Offensive Missiles in Turkey

In October 1962 U-2 Spy planes took pictures of the weapons that could reach the US in minutes and destroy American cities

US set up naval blockade around Cuba

Days later Khrushchev pledged to remove the missiles if we pledged not to invade Cuba, and secretly months later we removed our missiles from Turkey

JFK looked stronger but was criticized for his use of BRINKMANSHIP

Kennedy AssassinatedThen JFK and his wife traveled to Dallas, TX

On November 22, 1963, JFK was shot in his motorcade and died at a nearby hospital

Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of killing JFK (was a suspected Communist)

Oswald himself was assassinated by Jack Ruby 2 days after JFK

Lyndon B. Johnson became the next president and pushed bills through Congress– Civil Rights– Tax Cuts– Great Society (Medicare, Welfare, Anti-Poverty)

Civil RightsSNCC sent volunteers into the South to register black voters thereBus riders were sent to the south to highlight segregated bus travel (FREEDOM RIDERS)March on Washington, 1963: MLK and demonstrators pressure Congress to pass a new civil rights law. MLK gave “I Have a Dream” speechCivil Rights Act was proposed by President John F. Kennedy on June 6, 1963 in a civil rights speechSigned into law by President Lyndon Johnson July 2, 1964Goal was to guarantee equal treatment of every American regardless of race.Voting Rights Act was signed into law by Johnson in 1965 (poll taxes and literacy tests permanently banned)

President Johnson and the War in Vietnam

August 1964: US Navy ships had been patrolling North Vietnamese coastIn Gulf of Tonkin Incident, Vietnamese fired on these ships (details of if this really happened are still unclear)Congress passed GULF OF TONKIN RESOLUTION: Gave president full powers to use whatever force he saw necessary in VietnamIncreased troops and bombing raids of North Vietnam (troops sent to South Vietnam to search out and destroy the Viet Cong or the VC)Ho Chi Minh Trail used by VC to transport troops and supplies to South.Agent Orange and napalm used by U.S.

Vietnam VexationsPublic opinion increasingly swayed against US involvement in VietnamPROTEST: Anti-war demonstrations, teach-ins, resistance to military draftWar seemed costly and futileJohnson kept assuring that North Vietnam was getting weaker but this was proved incorrect by the TET OFFENSIVE ---- North Vietnam led surprise attacks during a cease fire for Tet (Vietnamese lunar New Year)Although technically a U.S. victory, Tet Offensive proved that the enemy was a skillful and worthy foeMarch 1968 Johnson announced he would not run for re-election. Republican Richard Nixon won.

• “Now let us say that we are not advocating violence…The only weapon we have in our hands is the weapon of protest.” –MLK, Jr.

• MLK did urge African Americans to work with whites

• “Concerning nonviolence: It is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself, when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks. It is legal and lawful to own a shotgun or a rifle. We believe in obeying the law.“

---Malcolm XUrged African Americans to separate themselves from whites

Both MLK and Malcolm X were assassinated.

KING AND MALCOLM X

Space Race1961, Yuri Gagarin, Soviet astronaut, becomes 1st person to orbit earth

Again, USSR beat US in space race

Kennedy wanted US to be 1st to put man on moon

1962, John Glen – 1st American to orbit earth

July 16, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins lifted off; July 20, 1969, Armstrong became 1st human being to set foot on moon

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Folk music (Bob Dylan) about political idealism and then rock and roll (The Beatles) took America by storm.

Mainstream (hard working, traditional, suburban, religious Americans) vs. Counter Culture (white, middle-class teens who rebelled against tradition, experimented with drugs, “free love”)

Counter-culture also referred to as hippies.

America in the 1970s

Foreign AffairsVietnam WarNixon invades Cambodia= sparks protests on US college campuses= Kent State massacre.

The Pentagon Papers/Daniel Ellsberg – documents showed that politicians had lied about the war.

1972 Christmas Bombings- Nixon ordered B-52’s to drop bombs on North Vietnam for 11 days to force Vietnamese back to negotiate peace.

Jan. 1973- peace agreement settled to end Vietnam War

March 1975- North Vietnamese invaded South Vietnam; captured Siagon (renamed Ho Chi Minh City).

1973 War Powers Act- president must notify Congress within 48 hours of using force.– ** Effects of the Vietnam War: Americans grew more

isolationist, Americans more distrustful of politicians.

Domestic AffairsFeminism: Betty Freidan -The Feminine Mystic; CO-FOUNDER OF NOW (NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN).

Title IX: prohibits schools from discriminating against women in admissions to athletics- schools must provide access to sports activities.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Affirmative Action: executive orders and federal policies that encourage companies doing business with the US government to actively recruit African-Americans.

1978 University of California Regents v. Bakke - reverse discrimination case;

Supreme court ruled that university had violated white student Allen Bakke’s rights; school can use race as a criteria but may not use quotas.

Domestic AffairsThe Environmental Movement:

Rachel Carson- Silent Spring – detailed the dangers of chemical pesticides on the environment; 1962 marks beginning of modern environmental movement.

Love Canal Incident – land was used to dispose of 22,000 tons of toxic waste, then sold to the local school board in 1953– Investigated in 1976 and evacuated in 1978

Earth Day- April 1970 unofficial beginning of environmental movement.

Environmental Protection Agency- created by Nixon, federal government agency that sets and enforces pollution standards.

Clean Air Act 1970- set emission standards for factories and autos.

Clean Water Act 1972- restricted discharge of pollutants into lakes and rivers.

Three Mile Island Incident- no new nuclear power facilities built since 1973 due to fear and questions.

Domestic AffairsHispanic’s Organize: problems faced- prejudice limited access to education, housing, and employment.

Cesar Chavez: organized United Farm Workers (UFW)

Bilingual Education Act - directed schools to set up classes for immigrants in their own language as they learned English.

The “Me” decade

New Age Movement - citizens embraced idea that people were capable of everything from self-healing to creating the world.

FAMILIES: 60% OF WOMEN aged 16 to 24 worked outside the home, smaller families, divorce rate doubled.

Music: disco

Fads: running, Aerobics

The PresidentsRichard Nixon

Nixon and the Cold War

1972 China visit - Nixon and Chinese leaders agree to establish “normal” relations; Nixon hoped to get the Soviets to pursue diplomacy with the US BY VISITING China.

Détente - called for relaxing of tensions between US/Soviet Union/China– First president to visit Soviet Union.

SALT I Treaty 1969 - US & Soviets agree to destroy certain nuclear weapons, share scientific info, increase trade.– Neither side anted to seriously lower # of nuclear weapons, for fear of

the other country’s power

Watergate scandal - Nixon cover-up (ordered CIA to stop FBI’s investigation of Watergate burglary).

“Saturday Night Massacre”- Nixon ordered the Attorney-General to fire the prosecutor; Attorney-General & Asst. Attorney-General REFUSE to fire the prosecutor and resign in protest.

Executive privilege - Nixon refused to turn Whitehouse tapes over to the prosecutor because he claimed Oval Office conversations were part of national security and personal.

US vs. Nixon Supreme Court case - the Court orders Nixon to turn Whitehouse tapes over to the prosecutor.

April 1974 - House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach Nixon

August 9, 1974 - Nixon 1st president to resign.

Gerald FordStagflation- key economic problem of the 1970’s (mix of inflation and economic recession).

WIN (Whip Inflation Now)- ineffective programs to deal with stagflation.

Pardoned Nixon soon after taking office= popularity ratings go down.

Helsinki Accords (1975) - 35 states (including the USA, Canada, & most European states) signed the declaration in an attempt to improve relations between the Soviet Union and the West.– Since it was not a treaty, the agreement between nations

was not binding

Jimmy Carter

Wanted to address America’s energy crisis.– created Department of Energy- to explore alternative

energy sources.

Appointed first African-American to United Nations- (Andrew Young).

Camp David Accords (1978) - peace agreement brokered by Carter between Egypt and Israel; most other Arab nations opposed the treaty.

Iranian Hostage Crisis: US Embassy in Iran taken over; 52 US hostages taken; held 444 days; Carter’s secret military rescue attempt fails miserably.

America in the 1980s

Reagan EraPresident Ronald Reagan 1980-1988 “The Reagan Revolution”

Reaganomics - keep interest rates high while cutting taxes– Huge budget deficits result from Reagan’s tax

cuts and increased military spending– Cuts to government programs like food

stamps

Deregulation- cut rules on oil and gas companies

Reagan Era continued

Sandra Day O’Conner - 1st woman appointed to Supreme Court

“Peace through strength”- Reagan’s massive military buildup

Iran-Contra Affair - US dealt weapons to Iran in exchange for hostages. The money was then illegally funneled to Nicaraguan rebels in an attempted overthrow of the Nicaraguan communist regime

Reagan gave speech in Europe where he demanded Soviet leader Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” in reference to Berlin wall

1980’s Culture MovementsYuppies – “young urban professional”– Phrase that was born to describe Americans in their

20’s and 30’s that worked in corporate jobs, spend money on fancy clothes/cars, and were the consumer generation

CNN, MTV, Rap music, Video games, E.T., Thriller

1981- Macintosh introduced, mouse, icons

Bill Gates founds Microsoft

Internet & WWW developed, growth of “.com”

80’s culture continuedHIV/AIDS epidemic- the public understands how diseases is spread.

Sally Ride becomes first woman in space

Challenger accident - Shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff, killing seven member crew on TV

Texas v. Johnson - Supreme Court ruled that flag burning used as political protest was covered under 1st amendment free speech

Immigration movement to U.S. of Hispanic and Asian people

Late 80’sGeorge Bush Sr. (R) elected U.S. president 1988– “read my lips, no new taxes”– He breaks promise when in office

May 1989 - Tiananmen Square Incident- Chinese students held demonstrations for democracy in Beijing; many people were killed or arrested as the Chinese army was brought in to stop the protests

Nov 1989 - East German guards open Berlin Wall gate; days later the Berlin Wall is torn down

America in the 1990s and 2000s

Early 1990sEnd of the Cold War (fall of Berlin Wall in 1989; collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991)

Persian Gulf War (1990)– Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait– Bush: “This aggression will not stand”– Large coalition of UN Nations, led by the United

States, liberate Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm.

– Hussein remains in power in Iraq; Bush has 91% approval rating.

Bush breaks “no new taxes” pledge and raises taxes to reduce the expanding debt.

Election 1992George H.W. Bush really popular in 1991; many prominent Democrats refuse to challenge him.

Bill Clinton runs for the Democratic nomination.– Overcomes his womanizing past to win.

Ross Perot runs as a third party candidate.

Economy enters a recession (the first in over a decade) and Bush’s popularity plummets.

Clinton wins with a plurality of the popular vote and a majority of the electoral vote (370).– Becomes first baby boomer president.

Clinton’s Early YearsClintons 1993 budget raised taxes and planned to reduce the budget deficits.

Family Medical Leave Act: gave workers 12 weeks per year of unpaid family leave for birth of child, adoption, or illness of a family member.

AmeriCorps: like the Peace Corps, but here at home.

Brady Bill: imposed a waiting period before people could buy handguns, background checks required.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): eliminated tariffs between US, Canada, and Mexico.

Clinton Almost Loses It1993-1994: tries to pass comprehensive health care reform in the Democratically controlled Congress– Republicans, and many conservative Democrats,

fight it. It proved to be unpopular among the American public.

– Bill finally dies without ever having been voted on.

Contract with America: Newt Gingrich and the Republicans proposed changes like lower taxes, welfare reform, balanced budget, etc.

1994 Midterm Elections: Republicans takes control of both houses of Congress for first time in 40 years.

Clinton: The Comeback KidWelfare Reform Act: limited people to no more than two consecutive years on welfare and required them to work to get welfare benefits.

The government shut down twice over budget disagreements. Clinton came out on top as the public blamed the Republicans.

1996 Election: Clinton defeats Bob Dole with 379 electoral votes. First Democrat to be reelected since FDR.

Foreign CrisesBosnian Crisis: 1991, a civil war broke out in Bosnia.– Serbs (Christian) began an ethnic cleansing of

Muslims; NATO led by US bombed the Serbs.

1996 Dayton Accords: peace plan to end civil war

Kosovo, 1998: Wanted to separate from Bosnia; another civil war.– NATO and US stop the fighting with military

action.

Terrorism: 1993 bombing of World Trade Center; 2000 bombing of USS Cole.

Impeachment!Clinton had an inappropriate relationship with Monica Lewinsky.– Lied about it to a grand jury (perjury)– The Republican controlled House voted to

impeach him.– Remained popular with the public (above

60%)– Republican controlled Senate did not remove

him from office (1999).

Clinton presidency virtually over; 2000 election begins.

2000 ElectionAl Gore (Democrat) was Clinton’s Vice President for eight years.

George W. Bush (Republican) was governor of Texas and son of former president George H.W. Bush

Close election:– Gore won the popular vote by 500,000– Florida was contested: whoever won Florida would win the

election.– Recount led to a legal battle that went to the Supreme

Court (Bush v. Gore)– Supreme Court stopped the recount and Bush was

declared the winner.

Later recounts declared Bush the winner anyways; still controversial.

Bush’s First Few MonthsHis priority was to cut taxes to jump start the economy.– Economy was in a slight recession after the

booming 1990s (had a budget surplus from 1998-2000)

No Child Left Behind: proposed standardized testing in reading and math grades 3-8 in all states; all groups of students must show improvement.– Critics argued that it emphasized testing too

much and penalize schools who otherwise meet goals.

– Still controversial today.

September 11, 2001Terrorists (al-Qaeda) hijacked commercial airliners and crashed them into the two World Trade Center towers (both collapsed) and the Pentagon. Fourth plane, headed for Washington D.C., crashed in Pennsylvania when the passengers fought the hijackers. (thousands were killed)– Osama Bin Laden was behind the attacks.

War on Terror: Congress voted to give use of force to fight terrorists and billions to improve homeland security.

War on TerrorOctober 2001: US invaded Afghanistan to attack the Taliban and al-Qaeda bases.– War is still going on there; troops should leave

beginning this year and ending next year.

Department of Homeland Security created

2001 Patriot Act: permitted secret government searches of suspected terrorists and supporters with one nationwide search warrant; easier to wiretap and track internet communications; controversial.

Iraq WarBush Doctrine: preemptive invasion or attack if US feels nation is a threat.

Claimed Iraq was creating weapons of mass destruction and must be stopped. – Evidence at the time looked like it was true; later

to be proved false.– Congress authorized Bush to use force

March 2003: War in Iraq began– Saddam Hussein toppled.– Insurgency makes war hard and unpopular;

costs Republicans Congress in 2006.

Iraq War2007: Bush orders a surge in troops to stop the insurgency and stabilize the country.– “The Surge” works and the United States planned

to leave.

2010: Under President Obama the last troops leave Iraq.

Like Afghanistan, the war began popular and became more unpopular with each passing year.

Almost 5,000 American troops have died in both wars.

2008 ElectionWar on Terror and economic collapse of the housing industry and finance sector the top issues.

Democrat: Barack Obama (first term senator from Illinois)

Republican: John McCain (long-time senator from Arizona)

Bush’s unpopularity hurt the Republicans; outcome never in doubt

Obama won with 365 electoral votes and 53% of popular vote

January 20, 2009: becomes first African-American president.