PERIOD 8
Periodization:
After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, all countries involved with WW2 wanted to prevent another world war. There were countless Wartime Conferences prior to the end of WW2, most importantly the Yalta Conference, in which Great Britain, the US, and the USSR decided to split Germany and Berlin into 4 parts of occupation for each Allied force. The USSR took control of numerous satellite countries, creating an Iron Curtain over Eastern Europe. To replace the failed League of Nations, United Nations is created, which the US joins. Other alliances were created during this time, including the National Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact (which was the USSR's response to NATO). The Truman Doctrine is also created, which served as a way to combat communism from spreading. Another way to prevent the Domino Theory was the Marshall Plan, which essentially consisted of the US buying influence over nations. The US's fear of communism and their actions against communism led to the USSR backlash, resulting in the Cold War, Arms Race, and Space Race. During the Cold War, McCarthyism became a major part of American life, and the Second Red Scare began. The Red Scare and McCarthyism only fueled the Cold War, because it made the USSR feel threatened that the US would try to overthrow their government. As a result, the USSR and the US fought each other using other countries, like Cuba, Korea, and Vietnam. Outside of the foreign policy realm, this period is known for the incredible strides it took in civil rights. There was a big push by activists like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem to pass the Equal Rights Amendments, as they had played a major role during both World Wars and the Cold War. However, keeping with Republican Motherhood, activists like Phyllis Schlafly did everything in their power to stop the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) from passing. While the ERA ended up not being ratified, there were other successes in the feminist movement, like Roe v. Wade, Title IX, and the Feminine Mystique. Following the invention and widespread use of television, the counterculture movement began as more Americans saw how terrible war as they could now see it on TV. Members of this counterculture movement, often referred to as Hippies, were against US involvement in Vietnam and advocated the use of LSD. The counterculture movement died out as hippies got older and had to settle down after having kids, and especially after the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. Hippies and women weren't the only people to encourage social change. Native Americans created the American Indian Movement (AIM), demanding parchment of the land that was stolen from them. They started their own protests, most famously the Occupation of Wounded Knee. Latinos, specifically Mexican Americans, formed the United Farm workers to increase quality of their working conditions and increase their wages. The LGBTQ+ community also rose to prominence, especially after the Stonewall Inn Riots in NYC and Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician to hold a public office.
Documents and political cartoons:
Turning points:
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Parallels/Synthesis:
Women's RightsDuring this period there was the a wave of feminism and a push for an Equal Rights Amendment, similar to in the early 20th century when women gained the right to vote.
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Assembly LineJust a Henry Ford came up with a new way of car/technological production, McDonald's used the method of an assembly line to reduce costs and increase speed of production, like how the assembly line reduce costs and increased speed of production of cars.
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DententeThe US became less involved in foreign affairs after SALT 1 to help prevent conflict, just like how Washington urged a lack of foreign involvement after his presidency after the Revolutionary War.
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