 | Term | Definition |
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appeasement |
The act of giving into aggression to avoid war. |
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separation of powers |
The division of a central government into two or more branches each having its own responsibilities and authorities. |
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magna carta |
This document, signed by King John of Endland in 1215, is the cornerstone of English justice and law. It declared that the king and government were bound by the same laws as other citizens of England. It contained the antecedents of the ideas of due process and the right to a fair and speedy trial that are included in the protection offered by the U.S. Bill of Rights |
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immigrant |
A foreigner who enters a country to settle there. |
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federalist paper |
series of pamphlets that support the constitution |
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checks and balances |
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power |
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iron curtain |
`, term for an invisible political line that divided Europe between Communists and Non-Communists |
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self determination |
the right for people to govern themselves |
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island hopping |
stragety of Allies in World War 2 of capturing some Japanese-held islands and going around others |
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dust bowl |
The term for the Great Plains when there was little rain and there were great storms of dust |
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political machine |
an organization linked to a political party that often controlled local government |
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suffrage |
the right to vote; major goal of women reformers |
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yellow journalism |
Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers |
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great plains |
flat tree-less landscape that stretches through the central portion of north america from texas to canada |
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emancipation proclamation |
issued by Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, it declared that all slaves in the rebellious Confederate states would be free |
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political boss |
head of a political machine |
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mccarthyism |
In 1950, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy began a sensational campaign against communists in government that led to more than four years of charges and countercharges, ending when the Senate censured him in 1954. McCarthyism became the contemporary name for the red scare of the 1950's. |
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isolationism |
A policy of avoiding alliances and other types of involvement in the affairs of other nations. |
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recall |
gave citizens a chance to remove an elected official from office before the person's term ended |
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progressive |
pertaining to the advance of a condition as signs and symptoms increase in severity |
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imperialism |
A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries poitically, socially, and economically. |
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berlin airlift |
1947-1948, The US airlifted supplies to West Berlin when the communists blockaded the roads. |
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laissez faire |
economic policy of letting owners of industry and business set working conditions without interference |
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referendum |
established a procedure by which voters cast ballots for or against proposed laws |
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vietnamization |
policy of equipping and training of the South Vietnamese to fight for themselves |
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jingoism |
extreme nationalism |
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nativism |
Favoring native-born people over immigrants |
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conservation |
taking care of natural resources. Setting up the National Park System and Adirondack Park were efforts in conservation |
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business cycle |
fluctuation in economic activity, such as employment and production |
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NATO |
An alliance that was formed due to the alarm of communist control in Eastern Europe. This alliance made the Soviets Union and Eatern Europe nations to form the Warsaw Pact. |
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detente |
French word meaning an easing of tensions between the world's superpowers during the Cold War |
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assimulation |
Merging of cultural traits, absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another |
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brinkmanship |
pushing a dangerous situation to the limit of safety in order to obtain the greatest advantage |
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affirmative action |
a policy that requires most employers take positive steps to remedy the effects of past discriminations |
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segregation |
the separation or isolation of a race, class, or group |
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desegregation |
the elimination of laws, customs, or practices under which different races, groups, are restricted to specific or separate public facilities, neighborhoods, schools, organizations, or the like. |
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internment |
Confinement under quaard, especially during wartime |
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containment |
A goal to stop the spread of communism. The US had to use military and non military actions to stop the spread. |
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warsaw Pact |
treaty signed in 1945 that formed an alliance of the Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain; USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania |
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sphere of influence |
A foreign region in which a nation has control over trade and other economic activities. |
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initiative |
allowed all citizens to introduce a bill into the legislative and required members to take a vote on it |
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vertical integration |
Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution |
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horizontal integration |
process in which copanies producting similar product merge |
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socialism |
an economic system in which the factors of production are owned by the publicand operate for the welfare of all. |
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red scare |
two periods of time, in the 1920s and 1950s, in which Americans feared the growth of communism. |
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prohibition |
ban on alcohol; 18th amendment |
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communism |
political and economic system of the USSR from 1919-1991. The government owns property and there are few personal freedom. |
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cold war |
The ideological conflict between the Communist nations of Eastern Europe, led by the USSR, and the Wester democracies, led by the USA |
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holocaust |
the organized killing of European Jews and others by the Nazis during WWII |
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blitzkrieg |
"Lighting war", typed of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland n 1939 |
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inflation |
when too much money is printed, losses value and businesses raise prices |
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civil rights |
Rights guaranteed to individuals by the government under the Constitution and other certain Acts of Congress. |
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suburbs |
communities outside a city |
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social security |
pension to elderly wage to unemployed and money to state for DA |
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satellite nations |
nations dominated by another country |
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consumerism |
The movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards |
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black power |
a call to African Americans to unite, to recognize thier heritage, build a sense of community, define own goals, etc |
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baby boomers |
The generation of children born between 1946 and 1964 |
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draft |
law that requires nem between 18-35 to serve in the army |
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