1. The Early Cold War and America after WWII Mrs. Sinacore, 2015
U.S. Regents Review Part 12
The Early Cold War and America after WWII
Mrs. Sinacore, 2015

2. 1. How did the Nuremberg Trials set a precedent for world leaders?
24 high-level Nazis were tried for “crimes against humanity” and the precedent was set that soldiers, officers, and national leaders could be held resposible for such brutal actions.

3. 2. What is the COLD WAR?
The long period of tension between the world’s superpowers after WWII (The USA and capitalist allies vs. the USSR and communist allies); s

4. 3. What is “containment”?
America’s post-WWII foreign policy that focused on stopping communism from spreading so that it would die out all together.

5. 4. Explain how the following attempted to contain communism in the early Cold War?
Berlin Airlift – In June 1948, the Soviet union cut off all ground access to their section of Berlin; the Americans, British, and French did not back down and airlifted supplied into the city for about a year; the USA was resisting the spread of communism.

6. 4. Explain how the following attempted to contain communism in the early Cold War?
Truman Doctrine – In 1947, the USA announced that it would provide $400 million to Greece and Turkey to help them rebuild; the USA did not want those nations to be vulnerable to being taken over by the USSR

7. 4. Explain how the following attempted to contain communism in the early Cold War?
Marshall Plan – Between 1948 and 1952 the USA provided about $13 billion in economic aid to European nations who needed to rebuild after WWII; the USA did not want these nations to be vulnerable to falling to the communism.

8. 4. Explain how the following attempted to contain communism in the early Cold War?
Korean War – US forces, fighting as part of a United Nations peace-keeping force, fought to push communists north of the 38th parallel in Korea; there were some (like General Douglass MacArthur) who wanted to go further into communist China and even use another atomic bomb; the General and President Truman publically disagreed and MacArthur was fired

9. 5. Describe/Define:
NATO – (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) – a collective security agreement between the USA and capitalist allies in western Europe; and attack on one was considered an attack on all

10. 5. Describe/Define:
Warsaw Pact – the Communist version of NATO led by the USSR

11. 5. Describe/Define:
McCarthyism – the term used to describe a period of “witch-hunting” in the early Cold War; people’s reputations were ruined with accusations related to communist affiliation, usually with little or no evidence.

12. 5. Describe/Define:
HUAC – (House on UnAmerican Activities Committee) – a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives that led investigations and held hearings of suspected communists.

13. 5. Describe/Define:
Black lists – this term refers to what happened to the reputations of suspected or accused communists; it was difficult or impossible to find work.

14. 5. Describe/Define:
Arms Race – The stockpiling of nuclear weapons by the US and USSR during the Cold War

15. 5. Describe/Define:
Cuban Missile Crisis – In October 1962, the Soviet Union began installing nuclear missiles on Cuba (90 miles off the coast of the USA); President Kennedy would not tolerate this; after a two-week stand-off, the Soviets abandoned the idea and the Americans removed ICBMs from Turkey.

16. 6. Explain how the following impacted American society after WWII:
GI Bill – Provided money for college, to start businesses, and buy homes to returning veterans.

17. 6. Explain how the following impacted American society after WWII:
Baby Boom – This terms refers to the dramatic increase in birth rate in the USA after WWII ( ); because of this, there was a dramatic increase in demand for housing and schools, and today there is an increase in the demand for healthcare for this aging population.

18. 6. Explain how the following impacted American society after WWII:
Interstate Highway Act – This law provided federal money to build in interstate highway system; these highways were used to connect cities to each other, connect cities to growing suburbs, and to make sure that cities could be defended