The Cold War and Civil Rights (1945-1980) Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of The Cold War and Civil Rights (1945-1980) distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

PiqCue — piqcue.com/cold-war-civil-rights/cheatsheet

Quick Reference

Containment

The U.S. Cold War strategy of preventing the spread of communism through a combination of military, economic, and diplomatic tools, first articulated by George Kennan and implemented through the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and NATO.

Civil Rights Movement

A mass movement of the 1950s-60s that used legal challenges, nonviolent direct action, and political organizing to dismantle legal segregation and secure voting rights for African Americans.

Great Society

President Lyndon Johnson's ambitious domestic program (1964-68) that created Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and the War on Poverty, representing the largest expansion of the federal safety net since the New Deal.

Vietnam War Escalation

The gradual expansion of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam from advisory roles under Eisenhower and Kennedy to over 500,000 combat troops under Johnson, authorized by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution rather than a formal declaration of war.

McCarthyism and the Red Scare

A period of intense anti-communist suspicion in the early 1950s in which Senator Joseph McCarthy and others used unsubstantiated accusations to blacklist, fire, and intimidate Americans suspected of communist sympathies, suppressing political dissent and civil liberties.

Counterculture and Social Movements

A broad set of movements in the 1960s-70s that challenged traditional authority, including the antiwar movement, women's liberation, environmentalism, the Chicano movement, the American Indian Movement, and gay rights activism.

Watergate and the Crisis of Confidence

The political scandal stemming from the Nixon administration's break-in at the DNC and subsequent cover-up, which led to Nixon's resignation and a broader erosion of public trust in government institutions.

Stagflation and the Energy Crisis

The economic crisis of the 1970s combining stagnant growth, high unemployment, and high inflation, exacerbated by OPEC oil embargoes that quadrupled energy prices and exposed American dependence on foreign oil.

Key Terms at a Glance

Containment:The central U.S. Cold War strategy of preventing the spread of communism through military, economic, and diplomatic means, first articulated by diplomat George Kennan in 1947.

McCarthyism:The practice of making accusations of communist sympathies without proper evidence, named after Senator Joseph McCarthy. It created a climate of fear, blacklisting, and suppression of political dissent in the early 1950s.

Desegregation:The process of ending the legal separation of racial groups in public facilities, schools, and institutions, advanced by court decisions like Brown v. Board and federal legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Nonviolent Direct Action:A strategy of challenging unjust laws through peaceful but confrontational methods such as sit-ins, boycotts, marches, and civil disobedience, central to the civil rights movement's approach under leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.

Great Society:President Lyndon Johnson's domestic program (1964-68) that created Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and the War on Poverty, representing the most ambitious expansion of federal social programs since the New Deal.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:A 1964 congressional resolution granting the president authority to use military force in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war, enabling the massive escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Tet Offensive:A January 1968 coordinated surprise attack by Viet Cong forces on over 100 South Vietnamese cities that, despite being a military failure, shattered American public confidence in the Vietnam War.

Detente:A period of relaxed tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Nixon administration, marked by arms control agreements (SALT I), trade deals, and Nixon's historic visit to China (1972).

Watergate:A political scandal involving the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and President Nixon's systematic cover-up, leading to his resignation in 1974 and a crisis of public trust in government.

Stagflation:The simultaneous occurrence of economic stagnation, high unemployment, and high inflation in the 1970s, worsened by OPEC oil embargoes and contradicting conventional economic theory.

Get study tips in your inbox

We'll send you evidence-based study strategies and new cheat sheets as they're published.

We'll notify you about updates. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.