APUSH Period 8: 1945-1980

• Period 8 spanned from 1945-1980.
• It was marked by heavy US involvement in global affairs, particularly regarding Communism.
• It also saw significant participation in American politics by a young generation protesting racism, poverty, and inequality.

Key Ideas of Period 8

• Government activism in global affairs, specifically the Cold War, efforts to check the spread of Communism, involvement in the Vietnam and Korean Wars, engagement in Third World affairs, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• Social divides in the public between conservatives, progressives, and segregationists.
• Increased political participation through the New Left and protests against involvement in the Cold War.
• Flourishing of cultural movements including the Civil Rights Movement, Feminism, Native American voting rights, the Counterculture, and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

President Harry S. Truman (1945-1952)

• The Cold War began at the end of WWII due to differences in American and Soviet ideologies.
• WWII left many European nations destroyed, enabling pro-Communist groups to take over in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.
• The Truman Doctrine aimed to contain Soviet expansion into Europe by assisting nations resisting subjugation by outside groups.
• The US avoided direct fighting, choosing to defend rather than attack.
• The Marshall Plan involved US loans to European nations to help them rebuild and resist Communist takeover.
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was an alliance between America, Canada, and several European nations.
• This marked the first permanent alliance of its kind, despite historical warnings against such alliances.
• The Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Wall symbolized rising tensions between American democratic views and Soviet communist ideologies in Germany.
• Communists took over China, exiling the democratic government to Taiwan.
• The US took possession of Japan and the southern half of Korea, while the Soviets controlled the northern half.
• Truman aided the French against Vietnamese independence efforts.
• With the Cold War, the Red Scare intensified in America due to fears of Russian spies.
• Joseph McCarthy capitalized on this fear, falsely accusing government officials of being Communists, destroying their careers.
• Post-war, unemployment and inflation rose as factories laid off workers and veterans sought jobs.
• A conservative Congress hindered Truman's ability to pass federal proposals to help those struggling.
• A strike in the coal industry led Truman to seize the mines and force strikers back to work, diminishing his popularity.
• The President's Committee on Civil Rights promoted desegregation and anti-lynching laws, advancing black civil rights but making Truman unpopular within his own Democratic party.
• A Republican-controlled Congress opposed Truman, attempting to undo his civil rights efforts, weaken unions, and reduce aid to farmers, schools, and the elderly; this ultimately led to the Republican party's loss of popularity and Truman's reelection.
• Soviet-backed North Korea invaded US-backed South Korea, leading Truman to support the South in an attempt to reunify Korea; however, Communist China intervened, restoring the original divide.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1960)

• Eisenhower prioritized military spending to support troops during the Cold War, despite attempting to balance the federal budget to aid Americans post-war.
• The Interstate Highway System was built to facilitate troop transport but also promoted tourism.
• Eisenhower aimed to terminate land reservations and federal support for Native Americans so they would be subject to state law.
• Native American protests prevented the full implementation of Eisenhower's plan, but it still caused poverty for many tribes.
• Eisenhower strongly supported the Civil Rights Movement, with significant progress for blacks during his presidency.
• Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka was a Supreme Court case that overturned the separate but equal doctrine.
• The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a peaceful protest against Jim Crow laws on buses, resulting in the desegregation of buses.
• The Greensboro, North Carolina Sit-In inspired a nationwide sit-in movement against segregation in diner seating.
• Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 were enacted.
• Eisenhower employed deterrence, using the threat of mass destruction to prevent the Soviets and Americans from initiating an attack.
• Both powers continued developing stronger bombs and nuclear technology in the Arms Race.
• After the Soviet launch of Sputnik, America created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• Eisenhower defended Taiwanese islands against bombing by Communist China, alluding to potential mass destruction.
• As European powers weakened, their African colonies gained independence, forming the "Third World," unwilling to align with the US or the Soviets.
• America tried creating alliances, but its history of slave trade and expansionism led potential allies to be suspicious; the CIA was used to influence politics and business in these countries.
• Eisenhower's Farewell Statement warned that the alliance between America's military and businesses profiting from the Cold War could become overly powerful and contradict public opinion.

President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

• After Communists overthrew the US-friendly Nationalist government of Cuba, Fidel Castro allied Cuba with the Soviets.
• The US attempted to overthrow Castro with the Bay of Pigs (BOP) invasion, but it failed and antagonized the Soviets.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis was triggered by spy planes detecting Soviet missiles being built in Cuba, escalating tensions.
• Public negotiations led to the Soviets agreeing to remove missiles if the US promised not to invade Cuba again.
• Behind the scenes, the US also agreed to remove missiles from Turkey.
• The Peace Corps aimed to help Third World countries with infrastructure, agriculture, and health.
• It promoted American-like progress in these nations.
• Kennedy supported the Equal Pay Act, ensuring equal pay for men and women in equal jobs.
• He supported women's rights and worked to increase female participation in social aspects.
• He worked for the desegregation of the University of Mississippi.
• He worked for legislation to remove segregation in all areas.
• Lyndon Johnson later passed this legislation.
• Martin Luther King created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and continued peaceful protests like boycotts and sit-ins.
• Police brutality against these peaceful protests was televised, galvanizing the movement among Americans.

President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1968)

• Johnson quickly pushed through the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination based on skin color, gender, or religion.
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 enforced the 15th Amendment in states that prevented blacks from voting.
• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforced the removal of discrimination in employment.
• Johnson also banned discrimination in housing and extended voting rights to Native Americans.
• The Economic Opportunity Act allocated federal funds for poverty relief.
• The Job Corps trained individuals for better employment opportunities.
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development aided low-income individuals renting apartments.
• "Great Society" was the term for Johnson's extensive changes across government and society.
• Expanding economy supported his plans and did not hurt taxpayers.
• Expanding government and the successes of the Civil Rights movement faced criticism.
• Chief Justice Earl Warren expanded the civil rights agenda by prohibiting prayer in public schools and ensuring representation in congressional districts.
• The Warren Court also promoted the guarantee of a lawyer to anyone convicted of a felony and the statement of Miranda rights during arrests.
• The KKK burned down black churches and homes.
• Police prevented blacks from voting and treated protesters with brutality.
• Malcolm X urged blacks to claim their rights rather than waiting for them to be peacefully given.
• The movement fragmented after King's assassination, with some groups advocating for peaceful change and others for more abrupt changes.

The Surge of Participation in Politics

• The New Left consisted of progressive individuals on college campuses aiming to end poverty, racism, and American involvement in the Cold War.
• The Free Speech Movement began when college campuses shut down New Left groups.
• The National Organization of Women (NOW) was formed when New Left groups excluded women, leading to feminist movements.
• NOW fought for abortion rights in the Supreme Court.
• The Stonewall Riots marked the beginning of the gay-rights movement.
• The Counterculture consisted of "hippies" who opposed customs and standard culture by growing their hair long and wearing counter-fashion.
• All of these groups opposed American involvement in the Cold War.

American Involvement in Vietnam

• After helping defeat the Japanese in WWII, Vietnam expected liberation from European power and drafted its declaration of independence.
• France tried regaining control, and America denied Ho Chi Minh (leader of Communist Vietnam) help, supporting their French allies instead.
• France controlled Nationalist South Vietnam, while Ho controlled Northern Communist Vietnam.
• The US assassinated South Vietnam's leader and replaced him with Ngo Dinh Diem, who proved vicious and dictator-like.
• The US continued supporting South Vietnam to avoid hypocrisy.
• The US assassinated Diem and his brother, and President Johnson took over.
• Johnson increased American troops in Vietnam, believing the war could be won.
• The drafts of Americans got longer and more numerous, causing public outrage.
• News of American soldiers torturing the Vietnamese increased public outrage and protests against the war.
• In 1968, Johnson announced peace discussions with North Vietnam.

President Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

• A Conservative tendency rose among people seeking a return to peaceful American life.
• Nixon won the election with their support.
• Nixon promised to end involvement by handing over the war to the Southern Vietnamese.
• Nixon continued to bomb Cambodia to root out Vietcong armament sources.
• The war continued until 1973, when America's Secretary of State negotiated a treaty with Northern Vietnam.
• Northern Vietnam eventually gained control of the South.
• Nixon negotiated trade agreements with Communist China, using them to increase trade with the Soviet Union.
• Détente was Nixon's peaceful approach in which the Soviet Union and the US would cooperate and respect each other's differences.
• Relations eased between the US and USSR.
• The Nixon Doctrine stated the US would reduce troops overseas and check the spread of communism through alliances rather than military might.
• The American economy continued to worsen.
• American society was divided between Progressives who wanted to go against racism and poverty, and America's Conservatives who preferred a peaceful nation.
• The Pentagon Papers revealed government dealings with the Vietnam war, including disgraceful involvements and lies told to the public.
• Nixon mobilized the "plumbers" to prevent future leaks of top-secret government information, who broke into Democratic Party headquarters for information.
• The White House tried to cover up the scandal after the plumbers were arrested.
• Nixon's closest advisors were charged, and it was revealed that Nixon had tapes of every conversation in the White House.
• The Supreme Court ordered Nixon to hand over the tapes.
• Nixon resigned to escape impeachment hearings.

President Gerald Ford (1974-1976)

• Ford replaced Nixon's Vice President and took over when Nixon and Spiro Agnew resigned.
• Ford instantly granted Nixon a presidential pardon to prevent any trials against him.
• Controversial pardon, economic problems, rising gas prices due to the Arab oil embargo, and unemployment led to Ford losing the election in 1976.

President Jimmy Carter (1977-1980)

• Carter took over the weakening economy but failed to balance the federal budget to help.
• Carter increased funds for nuclear energy research due to rising petroleum costs.
• Carter helped issue a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.
• He created an arms agreement with the Soviet Union.
• American hostages were taken by Iran.