The document summarizes major events and developments related to the United States' involvement in World War 2 and the postwar period up until the late 20th century. It discusses topics like isolationism giving way to involvement through acts like Lend-Lease, the establishment of wartime agencies in the U.S. like the Office of Price Administration, America fighting on two fronts in Europe and Asia, postwar conferences and strategies, the onset of the Cold War and containment policy, conflicts like the Korean War and Vietnam War, arms control agreements between the U.S. and USSR, and diplomatic events involving China and the Middle East over time.

2. Pre-war attitudes
H/O
(see Drift towards World
War II handout)

3. Isolationism
Neutrality Act (1935)

4. Gradual shift
toward involvement

5. Cash and Carry
Destroyer Deal
Lend-Lease Act
(repealed Neutrality Act)

6. Relations with Japan
Japanese fears
concerning resources,
etc.

7. Pearl Harbor
U.S. Enters War

8. The Home Front
Some important
wartime agencies

9. War Production Board
Organized and coordinated
industries to make quick, efficient
transition to production of war
materials.
No consumer autos were built during
war.

10. Office of War Information
Responsible for maintaining
morale – positive propaganda

11. Office of Price
Administration
Set prices, rationed goods,
fought inflation and black
market – assured military
needs were met

12. War Labor
Board
Settled disputes between business
and labor
Avoided strikes and maintained
morale

13. Fair Employment
Practices Committee
Prevented employer
discrimination against workers
Foundation for the civil
rights movement of the
1950s

14. Conduct of war
Two front war for the U.S.
Europe first
H/O
(See War Strategy H/O)

15. World War II Allies
Included Great
Britain, Free France,
the USSR, and
nationalist China.

16. Conferences
Casablanca, Cairo, Teheran:
Planned war strategy
Yalta: (1945) planned
post-war strategies

17. Postwar Period
Service men’s readjustment act of 1944
(GI Bill)
H/O
The United Nations Post-War
Organization favored big winners

18. The Cold War

19. The Truman Doctrine
Pledged aid to Greece and
Turkey
Containment policy
Intended to keep communism
within its original borders

20. Marshall Plan
Offered recovery assistance to
all European countries
Communist countries declined

21. Berlin Blockade
Soviets block land access
U.S. responds by air

22. NATO
Designed to block or contain
Communists, especially
Soviet, expansion
Ignored George Washington’s
advice against permanent H/O
alliances Cold War

23. Communist victory in China
Nationalists flee to Taiwan
Government there recognized as
China by the United States and the
U.N. until Nixon

24. Korean War
Communist North Korea attacks South
Korea, the U.N. responds
Armistice terms restore status
quo

25. SEATO
Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization is the Pacific
equivalent to NATO

26. France, Dien Bien Phu,
and our involvement in
Vietnam
Antiwar demonstrations and Jane Fonda

27. Hungarian Revolt
Soviets crush
Hungarian revolution

28. Aswan Dam
Soviets assist Egypt in
building the dam
U.S. and Britain offered
first but withdrew the
offer

29. Suez Canal seizure
Egypt takes
control, France, Britain and
Israel invade, U.S. and Soviets
stop them “diplomacy” at work
Superpower

30. Eisenhower Doctrine
Offers aid to Middle Eastern
countries who feel threatened
by communism

31. U-2 incident
U.S. spy plane shot down
over Soviet territory

32. Independence of
African nations
Civil Wars break out all over

33. Cuban Revolution
Castro takes over, announces
communist regime, relations
with the U.S. deteriorate

34. Bay of Pigs
Cuban refugees, backed by
the United States fail to
overthrow Castro

35. Berlin Wall
Soviets seal off East Berlin with
physical Wall

36. Cuban Missile Crisis
Soviets attempt to
place missiles in
Cuba. The U.S.
blockades

37. The “Hotline”
Direct link between U.S.
and USSR intended to
divert nuclear disaster
First used during six day war

38. Nuclear test ban treaty
Allowed only
underground testing

39. Outer Space treaty
Banned the military bases
weapons and weapons tests in
outer space

40. Nuclear
nonproliferation treaty
Banned the spread of nuclear
weapons among signatory
nations

41. 1969. Nixon’s visit to China
Communist China had already
become the U.N. member, now
President Nixon’s visit opened new
friendly relations with this huge
nation

42. Detente
1972-President Nixon visited Moscow
and signed several agreements
including the anti-ballistic missile
treaty
The Cold War eased

43. The Reagan Revolution
The West wins the Cold War
The Gorbachev influence
The I.N.F. Treaty
H/O

44. 1980 Election
Issues
Debates
Hostage crisis

45. Reagan and Communism
Evil Empire
Nicaragua
Latin America
Granada

46. 1988 Election
Candidates and issues
Bush policies
Desert Storm and Middle East policy
economics
civil rights

47. William Jefferson Clinton
All of this review to
present will be done in
the classroom