American War and Diplomacy (1860-1991)
About this set
Created by:
neonpeon on April 26, 2010
Subjects:
Civil War, World War I, World War II, Cold War, Gulf War
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17 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Spanish-American War | Conflict lasting from April to August 1898 when the U.S. aided Cuban revolutionaries against Spain; Primarily an imperialistic war and caused largely by yellow journalism |
| USS Maine | U.S. Battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898; Evidence suggests an internal explosion, however Spanish military was framed by Yellow Journalism; The incident was a catalyst for the Spanish American War |
| Cold War | The ideological struggle between communism (Soviet Union) and capitalism (United States) for world influence; Also closely related to the space race and nuclear power; The Soviet Union and the United States came to the brink of actual war during the Cuban missile crisis but never attacked one another; Took place from late 1940s until 1989 |
| World War I | European War (1914-1918) started by a small, regional conflict and exponentiated because of entangling alliances; U.S. only involved from 1917-1918; Woodrow Wilson sought to employ legitimate solutions in order to prevent a repeated event |
| World War II | War fought Between Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and Allied Powers (U.S., France, U.S.S.R., and U.K.); Single largest war in the history of U.S.; Introduced Age of Nuclear Weapons; New system of international diplomacy developed as a result; 1939 to 1945, but U.S. involved from 1941-1945 |
| Korean War | A "Police-Action" taken by the U.N. in order to contain the Communist Regime of North Korea; Still in Ceasefire, though spark have again begun to fly; Primarily a war to honor the containment policy laid out by Truman; Started in 1950 and ceasefire called in 1953 |
| Vietnam War | A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States; An example of the containment policy in action; Major Loss for the U.S. |
| Gulf War | A War (1990-1991) that took place between Iraq and the U.S./Kuwait started by Iraq invading Kuwait; First non-containment based war since WWII; Often referred to as Operation Desert Storm; Primarily an aerial war (huge amounts of missiles and bombs) in the first stages, followed by an infantry march that pushed Iraqi forces back into Iraq |
| D-Day | The Allied invasion of France; Largest Amphibious assault in history; Used to get foothold on European mainland and liberate France; Major stepping stone in the defeat of the Nazis in Europe; 6 June 1944 |
| Containment Policy | Policy introduced by Harry S. Truman after WWII that said the duty of the U.S. was to stop the spread of Totalitarianism (implying Communism); Defined the foreign policy for the period after WWII until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 |
| League of Nations | an international organization formed in 1920 to promote cooperation and peace among nations; Suggested by Woodrow Wilson, though the U.S. never joined; Precursor to the United Nations |
| 14 Points | A plan created by President Woodrow Wilson that tried to state that World War I should never be repeated and laid out steps to prevent a repeat occurrence; Became the basis for the terms of Germany's surrenders |
| Red Scare | Fear of Communist Activism in the U.S. because of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia; Americans became very paranoid of any activism (even non-communist); 1st Red Scare from 1917 to 1920, 2nd Red Scare from 1947 to 1957 |
| Isolationism | Foreign Policy adopted by U.S. in the years leading up to WWII; Entailed isolating the U.S. from European affairs and conflicts; Eventually rejected and replaced by Internationalism |
| Pearl Harbor | United States military base on Hawaii that was bombed on 7 December 1941 by Japan; Brought the United States into World War II |
| Civil War | War between the Union and Confederacy from 1861-1865; Caused because of Secession of Southern States (States seceded to preserve slavery); Bloodiest war for Americans in U.S. history; Arguably 1st modern war |
| Gettysburg | The most violent battle of the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's turning point; fought from July 1 - July 3, 1863. |
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