-
Holocaust
The Holocaust was a systematic murder or genocide of Jews and other groups in Europe by the Nazis before and during World War II. The Holocaust was run by Hitler after he took power in Germany. Category: Religious Differences -
American Isolationism
The Americans were trying not to go to war. Isolationism means the opposition to political and economic entanglements with other countries. A flood of books argued that the United States had been dragged into World War I by greedy bankers and arms dealers. The public wasn't happy about those allegations and they did everything they could so that they wouldn't go to war. Category: Political and Economic Differences -
Cold War
Cold War is the state of hostility, without direct military conflict, that developed between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II. The Cold War dominated global affairs and U.S. foreign policy from 1945 until the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. -
Communism
Communism is an economic and political system based on one-party government and state ownership of property. Communists wanted to put an end to private property, substituting government ownership of factories, railroads, and other businesses. Category: Political, Economic, and Social -
Baby Boom
The Baby Boom was when there was a sharp increase in the U.S. birthrate following World War II. When soldiers came home they settled into family life and it seems like they all decided to have kids. In 1957, one American infant was born every seven seconds; which was a total of 4,308,000 that year. Category: Social -
Beat Movement
The beat movement was a social and artistic movement of the 1950's stressing unrestrained literary self expression and nonconformity with the mainstream culture. The word beat originally meant "weary" but came to refer as well to a musical beat. This movement centered in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City's Greenwich Village. People involved in this movement usually shuned work and sought higer consciousness through Zen Buddhism, music, and sometimes, drugs. -
Rock 'n' Roll
Rock 'n' Roll is a form of American popular music that evolved in the 1950's out of rhythm and blues, country, jazz, gospel, and pop. The American musical form characterized by heavy rhythms and simple melodies which has spread worldwide having significant impacts on social dancing, clothing fashions, and expressions of protest. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism was the attacks, often unsubstantiated, by Senator Joseph McCarthy and others on people suspected of being Communists in the early 1950's. Basically he accused people of being Communists without providing evidence. Category: Political and Social Differences -
Segregation
Segregation was the separation of people on the basis of race. During this period black and white people would never use the same thing or go to the same places. During this period white people were really stuck up and snobby and thought they were better than black people. Category: Social, Civil Rights -
Feminism
Feminism is the belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men. Jobs during this time period were considered "men's work" and women were shut out. Women could vote and work but a lot of the jobs were for men so they wouldn't be given a chance at the job. Category: Social -
Black Panthers
Black Panters are a militant African-American political organization formed in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale to fight police brutality and to provide services in the ghetto. They were doing this because racisim was still happening and they weren't getting full employment and decent housing. Category: Civil Rights
