Period 8 and Period 9 1945 to Infinity
YOU AND THE DECADES: A TIME OF WONDER AND AMAZEMENT Using the textbook and your massive brains, spend time perusing the decades of the mid-20 th century. It is a tremendous time in US history that would love for you to learn more about it, even more than you will learn in class. Spend a few minutes each night knocking out a few questions and packing in some very solid information. It s a good chance for you and the decades to get to know each other better. Remember waiting until the last minute will not allow you to build the relationship that the decades desire, so be diligent and be the wonderful students that I know you to be. Please note that some questions are asking for your opinion, use that young mind of yours to support those opinions with knowledge. Knowing is half the battle. The other half is not procrastinating. FOCUS ON THE FIFTIES 1. What was McCarthyism? Why did it emerge in the early 1950s? 2. What event brought about McCarthy s downfall and why? 3. How did the United States become involved in the Korean War (1950-53)? Who did we fight against? How was the war resolved? 4. Did President Truman make the right decision to fire General MacArthur in 1951? Why or why not? 5. Who was John Foster Dulles and why was he significant? (besides having an airport named after him) 6. What was Eisenhower s New Look defense policy? What were the goals of this policy? 7. Is the doctrine of massive retaliation (or MAD) a good idea? Why or why not? 8. Why is the Suez Crisis significant in world history, as well as American history? 9. What were the Geneva Accords and how did they pave the way for U.S. entry into the Southeast Asian conflict? 10. What was Eisenhower s greatest domestic achievement that was also a great example of dynamic conservatism? 11. Explain the significance of John Kenneth Galbraith s The Affluent Society and Michael Harrington s The Other America? 12. What two U.S. government initiatives resulted from the Sputnik launch in 1957? What were they designed to do?
FOCUS ON THE SIXTIES 1. Who were the major candidates for president in 1960 and why did the election represent a turning point in American political history? 2. Why did the Democrats fail to retain the presidency in the 1968 election? Identify at least two major reasons. 3. What is the Peace Corps and how did it fit with JFK s new approach to the Cold War? 4. What was the result of the Berlin Crisis of 1961? 5. What was the significance of the Bay of Pigs in 1961? How did it contribute to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962? 6. What was the Tet Offensive of 1968? How did it mark a turning point in the Vietnam conflict? 7. What was the New Left movement? Why did it gain ground in the late 1960s? 8. What were three major achievements of LBJ s Great Society? 9. What were the two major legislative achievements of the civil rights movement? 10. What was the Black Power movement? Why was it significant? FOCUS ON THE SEVENTIES 1. What was the Republican Party s Southern Strategy? Did it work? 2. What was the Watergate scandal and why did it lead to President Nixon s resignation in 1974? 3. What was the Nixon Doctrine and how did it compare to the Truman Doctrine?
4. Why did Nixon order the invasion of Cambodia in 1970? What was the result at home? 5. What was détente and what were some of the results of this policy during Nixon s presidency? Was it a smart approach? 6. What was Jimmy Carter s greatest foreign policy achievement? 7. What were his two greatest foreign policy challenges and why? 8. What is stagflation? How did it challenge Keynesian thinking? 9. What was the significance of Roe v. Wade and the ERA movement? 10. What was the significance of the Love Canal and Three Mile Island incidents? FOCUS ON THE EIGHTIES 1. Why did Ronald Reagan s presidential election victory in 1980 represent a transformation in modern American politics? 2. What was the Moral Majority and what impact did it have on American politics? 3. What is Reaganomics? Describe at least two outcomes of this set of policies. Was this approach a good one for the U.S. economy? 4. What was the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and how did it play a role in the Cold War? 5. What was the Reagan Doctrine? How does it differ from the Truman Doctrine? Identify two cases where it was applied. 6. How did Reagan s approach to the Soviet Union change after 1984? Why? What were two concrete results of this change?
America in the 1950 s -- Station Guide Post-World War II Domestic Issues What were some of the advances made during WWII that would affect post-war America? What were some of the hindrances to returning to normal life after the war? The Postwar Economy In what ways did WWII contribute to the end of the Depression? (give details) What factors affected the US economy in the years immediately after WWII? What impact did they have on the economy? The Late 1940s What were some adjustments Americans made to adapt to the post WWII era? The Housing Boom Explain the provisions of the GI Bill and how they played out in the post-war economy. Describe the Levittown living experience? Do you think it played a role in creating the America you know today? The Age of the Automobile What was the effect of developments in automobiles and transportation in the late 40 s and early 50 s? Truman s Admin istrat ion Describe some of the successes and failures of the Truman Administration. What do you think was the reason behind and the effect of the Taft-Hartley Act? The 1948 Election What were some of the challenges Truman faced in his bid for re-election in 1948? What factors do you think led to Truman's victory in 1948? What were the major developments of Truman s second term?
The 1950 s Give examples supporting the claim that the 1950 s were a decade of both stability and change. The Eisenhower Years What were some challenges Eisenhower faced as he entered office in 1952? Describe some of the changes that took place in America during the Eisenhower years. Women s Roles During WWII women were encouraged to participate in the workplace and over 200,000 even joined the military. What has changed by the 1950 s in the expectations for women? Why do you think these expectations changed? The Late 1950 s What international developments shook America s sense of stability in the 1950 s? What steps did America take to respond to these international challenges? Briefly describe the good and the bad of life in America in the 1950 s
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Guiding Questions Most history books say that the United States war in Vietnam began in 1964, after Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. However, it is no secret that the United States had been very involved in the region for at least a decade before. By the time JFK was assassinated in 1963, the United States had 16,000 military troops in Vietnam. Today we are going to try to answer the question: Was the U.S. planning to go to war in Vietnam before August 1964? Document A According to this document, what did the North Vietnamese do? Why did the United States feel compelled to respond at this point? According to this document, was the U.S. planning to go to war in Vietnam before August 1964? Explain your answer. Document B When was this document written? Who wrote it? What did Bundy suggest to the President? What are three reasons why Bundy made this recommendation? According to this document, was the U.S. planning to go to war in Vietnam before August 1964? Explain your answer. Document C When was this document written? Who wrote it? How did Rusk feel about the South Vietnamese govt s ability to fight the Communists? Support answer with evidence. Why did Rusk think attacking the North Vietnamese is not a smart idea? According to this document, was the U.S. planning to go to war in Vietnam before August 1964? Explain your answer. Document D What type of document is this? How trustworthy do you think this type of document is? What is the dilemma facing President Johnson? According to this document, was the U.S. planning to go to war in Vietnam before August 1964? Explain your answer. Using the docs, on the back of this page write a paragraph in response the question: Was the U.S. planning to go to war in Vietnam before August 1964?
Civil Rights in the 20 th Century Group Challenges Faced Leaders & Organizations Strategies Accomplishments Deficiencies Women African-Americans
Civil Rights in the 20 th Century Group Challenges Faced Leaders & Organizations Strategies Accomplishments Deficiencies Native American Latino
Major Events in 1968 Event Define/Explanation Significance/Consequences Tet Offensive Johnson s Decision not to seek 2 nd Term Assassination of Marin Luther King, Jr. Assassination of Robert Kennedy Violence at the Democratic National Convention American Independent Party Soviet suppression of Czech Rebellion
US History Period 9 Presidents Name: Directions: Using your book, find information and events that fit in the appropriate boxes. Be sure to give specific details on each individual event that you use. Be thorough and be sure to include details. You ll need them. Years in office President Domestic Policies/Events Foreign Policies/Events Political Economic Social Ronald Reagan Political Party: Vice-President(s): George H. W. Bush Political Party: Vice-President(s): William Clinton Political Party: Vice-President(s): George W. Bush Political Party: Vice-President(s): Barack Obama Political Party: Vice-President(s):
THE COLD WAR: 1945-1991 Roots of the Cold War U.S. had tried to defeat Bolshevik revolution by invading Russia at Archangel in 1918. Communist and democratic/capitalistic ideology non-compatible Failure of Allies to open 2nd front against Germany in 1943 angers Stalin U.S. failure to inform Stalin of A-Bomb until July, 1945 angers Stalin U.S. termination of Lend-Lease to Soviets (while Britain continued to receive aid) angers Stalin Stalin promises free elections for E. Europe at Yalta. 1945 Stalin refuses free elections for E. Europe at Potsdam, 1945 (angers Allies) Stalin refuses to give E. Germany back (angers Allies) Churchill s Iron Curtain speech (1946): wake up call to Americans vis-à-vis Soviet threat Cold War -- Truman Truman Doctrine, 1947 U.S. pledges to help oppressed people s fight communism; Greece and Turkey are given money and both countries become democracies. Marshall Plan, 1947 Sought to create European economic recovery to prevent communism from taking hold in Europe. Berlin Airlift, 1948-49 U.S. thwarted Soviet blockade of Berlin NATO, 1949 Collective security organization to protect Europe of Soviet threat. Fall of China, 1949; Mao Zedong defeats Chang Kai-shek who flees to Taiwan. Soviets detonate A-Bomb, 1949 Korean War, 1950-53 UN forces led by U.S. prevent communist takeover of South Korea. Cold War--Eisenhower's policies Secretary of State John Foster Dulles: Massive Retaliation ; brinksmanship Soviets develop Hydrogen Bomb in 1953 (U.S. in 1952) End to massive retaliation? Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) CIA overthrows Moussadegh in Iran, 1953; returns Shah to power (friendly to U.S.)/CIA overthrows leftist leader in Guatemala, 1954 Domino theory : provides aid to France in Vietnam (later to South Vietnam) /Dien Bien Phu, 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954: Vietnam temporarily divided into North and South Dulles forms SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization); only a few countries join Ho Chi Minh (leader of Vietminh) vs. Ngo Dinh Diem (leader of S. Vietnam) Peaceful Coexistence with Soviets (Khrushchev); Geneva Summit, 1955 Cold War in Middle East/ U.S intervenes in Suez Crisis, 1956 (along with Soviets)/U.S. troops sent to Lebanon, 1958 Sputnik/ National Education Act (in response to Sputnik) /Space race begins/ NASA (in response to Sputnik) increased arms race U-2 incident: : U.S. spy plane shot down over USSR; Paris Summit breaks down. Plans to overthrow Castro Cold War Kennedy Secretary of State Robert McNamara/Flexible Response Bay of Pigs, 1961 CIA-sponsored invasion by Cuban exiles fails Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 Krushchev agrees to remove missiles; U.S. agrees not to invade Cuba and remove its missiles in turkey. Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, 1963 Kennedy increases military advisors in S. Vietnam: 1961-1963/Kennedy tacitly approves assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, 1963
Cold War Johnson: Vietnam War Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, 1964 Congress allows LBJ to widen the war in Vietnam. Operation Rolling Thunder Escalation under Johnson: 1965-1968; 500,000 men in Vietnam by 1968 U.S. Army led by William Westmoreland; body counts ; search and destroy missions; napalm Tet Offensive, 1968: Americans believe war can t be won (begins the end of U.S. involvement) Cold War -- Nixon Secretary of State Henry Kissinger Vietnam War: o 1969, Nixon announces secret plan to end the war but it continues 4 more years/ Vietnamization o 1969, Nixon begins secret bombing in Cambodia, Laos, & N. Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh Trail) o 1970, Nixon announces invasion of Cambodia; mass protests result: Kent State, Jackson State o 1972, Paris Peace Accords result in agreement for ending the war (not accepted until 1973) _ Vietcong retained large areas it gained in South Vietnam; U.S. POWs to be returned in 60 days. o 1973, U.S. pulls out of S. Vietnam/ 1975, communists overrun Saigon and unify Vietnam under communism _ Détente: Nixon (and Ford and Carter) o Kissinger used realpolitik in dealing with Soviets; replaced ideology with practical politics. o Nixon visits China, 1972: Opens new era of improved relations with China. o Nixon visits Moscow, 1972: Plays the China card and gets USSR to help convince North Vietnam to negotiate. o ABM Treaty limited U.S. & USSR to only a few anti-ballistic missiles, o SALT I, 1972: U.S. and USSR agreed to stop making nuclear ballistic missiles and to _ reduce the number of antiballistic missiles to 200 for each power. o Helsinki Conference, 1975: Ended WWII and recognized USSR borders in E. Europe; USSR pledged to improve human rights & increase communication between East & West. o Détente ends with Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 (during Carter s presidency) _ U.S. boycotts Olympic Games in Moscow, 1980 _ Soviets boycott Olympic Games in Los Angeles, 1984 Cold War: 1980s Reagan (and Bush) _ Reagan begins massive arms build-up _ Economic sanctions on Poland, 1981 In response to communist crackdown on Polish Solidarity movement. _ Star Wars, SDI, 1983: Reagan announced plan to build an anti-missile defense system; _ Soviets became concerned they could not keep up with the arms race _ Evil Empire speech, 1983: -- Justified his military build-up as necessary to thwart aggressive Soviets. _ U.S. aid to Nicaraguan Contras: Sought to overthrow Sandinistas (communists) _ U.S. troops sent to Grenada, 1983: Small Marxist gov t removed by U.S. forces. _ Geneva Summit, 1985 Reagan & Gorbachev meet for first time and lay foundation for future talks. _ INF Treaty, 1987: Banned all intermediate-range missiles from Europe. _ Fall of communism in 1989 in Eastern Europe _ Fall of Soviet Union, 1991