| A | B |
|---|
| Red Scare | 1918-early 1920s- anti-communist hysteria in the wake of Russian Revolution- Palmer Raids, Sacco/Vanzetti, bombings- in many ways a continuation of the suppression of dissent during WWI |
| Bolsheviks | The Communists in the Russian Revolution- led by Vladimir Lenin |
| communism | Political/economic philosophy based on government control of the all the means of production, no free speech/religion, and no free elections |
| Seattle General Strike (1919) | Several unions across the city of Seattle went on strike- paralyzing the city. Fueled fears of communist plot and the Red Scare |
| Boston Police Strike (1919) | The police force of the city of Boston Police Strike, Governor Coolidge firmly put it down- "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime." Led to Coolidge being named Harding's V.P. in 1920 |
| Wall Street Bombing (1920) | A bombing killed 38 in the heart of Wall Street- not conclusive as who did it- but was blamed on anarchists (Italian anarchists were the likely culprit)- fueled the hysteria of the Red Scare |
| eugenics | Greek- "Good birth"- cleansing the gene pool, was ideology the Hitler used for his "final solution" |
| National Origins Act (1924) | Allowed only 2% of the # of a nationality group living in the U.S. in 1890- significantly restricted the immigration of Eastern and Southern Europeans- in effect until new immigration laws in 1965 |
| The Birth of a Nation (1915) | Directed by D.W. Griffith (1915)- based on the book "The Clansman"- film glorified the KKK of the Reconstruction Era and led to its revival in 1915 at Stone Mountain, GA. Revolutionary in film-making techniques |
| The Second Ku Klux Klan | Revived by D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" (1915)- WASP organization that opposed modern ideas of the 1920s (ex: evolution). Supported prohibition and defended "traditional values"- actually stronger outside the South (especially Indiana) |
| "the Noble Experiment" | Nickname for Prohibition of the 1920s |
| Volstead Act (1919) | The law that actually put the 18th Amendment in effect- defined alcoholic beverages, etc. |
| Eighteenth Amendment (1919) | The constitutional amendment that enacted prohibition- only amendment to be repealed (the 21st Amendment) |
| wets vs. drys | Wets = opponents of prohibition (ex: Al Smith) Drys = support prohibition and other restrictions on alcohol (ex: WCTU and Anti-Saloon League) |
| bootlegging | The illegal production, selling, distribution of alcohol |
| speakeasies | Places, typically secret bars, where people illegally obtained alcohol during prohibition |
| Twenty-first Amendment (1933) | Repealed the Eighteenth Amendment- ended Prohibition- "the Noble Experiment" |
| Protestant fundamentalism | Protestants who literally interpret the Bible- opposed evolution, ex: Billy Sunday and Aimee Semple McPherson |
| Butler Law | Tennessee State law that prohibited the teaching of evolution- violated by John T. Scopes |
| "Return to Normalcy" | Warren G. Harding's campaign slogan in 1920 |
| trickle-down economics | Also known as supply-side economics, pro-business policies that cut taxes on the wealthy hoping the benefits will affect the lower classes- Mellon and the Republican presidents' policies during the 1920s- later supported by Reagan in the 1980s |
| Adkins v. Children's Hospital (1923) | Conservative court case declaring a minimum wage law for women to be unconstitutional |
| Teapot Dome Scandal | The most notorious of the Harding scandals- involved Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall illegally leasing oil reserves earmarked for the Navy to private corporations in return for a kickback- broke after Harding's death |
| Election of 1928 | Herbert Hoover (Republican) vs. Al Smith (D)- Hoover trounced Smith because Smith was a "wet" and a Catholic- Hoover even picked up a significant number of states in the "solid South" |
| The Solid South | Term for the Democratic Party's domination of the South from the end of Reconstruction until the 1960s- in 1928 Hoover (Rep) got votes in the South b/c Al Smith was a "wet" and a Catholic |
| welfare capitalism | Employers provided benefits such as retirement, vacations, etc. so workers would be happier and less likely to join unions- surged in the 1920s |
| McNary-Haugen Bill | Plan for the government to buy up surplus agricultural crops and then sell them when the market improved- vetoed twice by Coolidge- sought to address farmers' greatest problem- overproduction |
| assembly line | Method of production that seeks to maximize efficiency by having the product move to the workers (ex: Henry Ford and the Model T) |
| Model T. | Henry Ford's simple and low-cost automobile that was mass-produced using the assembly line |
| Federal Aid Roads Act (1916) | Federal government initiative to help states fund road construction- especially highways |
| Census of 1920 | Declared for the 1st time a majority of Americans lived in urban areas (>2,500) |
| Nineteenth Amendment (1920) | Constitutional amendment that enacted woman suffrage |
| Equal Rights Amendment | Failed attempt to ratify the constitution where men and women would have equal rights under law- another attempt in the 1970s narrowly failed |
| Sheppard-Towner Act (1921) | 1st federal law to provide funds for infant and maternity care |
| Flappers | Nickname for women during the 1920s who challenged conventional gender norms by wearing shorter skirts, short hair, drinking, smoking, and driving fast cars |
| radio | Technological development that standardized American culture |
| Black Sox Scandal (1919) | Name for the scandal where the heavily favored Chicago White Sox intentionally lost the World Series because gamblers paid them off |
| The Jazz Singer (1927) | The first motion picture with synchronous sound- the first "talkie" film |
| Hollywood | Location in Southern California that became the center of the movie industry |
| Jazz | Music form that was heavily influenced by African and European forms- strong in New Orleans and Harlem- Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington |
| The Blues | Music form that was heavily influenced by African-Americans- mainly started in the Delta of Mississippi- eventually evolved into rock 'n roll- W.C. Handy |
| Harlem Renaissance | Term for the African-American cultural revival in Harlem, New York- especially the literature of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes and the poetry of James Weldon Johnson |
| The Lost Generation | Term for the writers after WWI (Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Faulkner, Pound)- characterized by alienation and disillusionment with the consequences of the war and the materialism and conformity of the 1920s |
| Stock Market Crash (1929) | Economic collapse triggered by too much buying-on-margin and the end of the bull market- stock prices fell dramatically- the event most responsible for the Great Depression |
| bull market | Period where prices in the stock market are increasing- good for investors- what happened in the 1920s |
| buying-on-margin | Term for buying stocks on credit- there was too much with the stock market during the 1920s- helped cause the Stock Market Crash |
| Black Tuesday (29 October 1929) | The day the Stock Market collapsed |
| Hoovervilles | Term for shanty towns of homeless people during the depths of the Depression- synonymous with the POTUS who seemingly did so little and had so little compassion for the suffering of the American people |
| Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) | A program during the Hoover administration to battle the Depression by the federal government loaning money to banks, big business, etc. to revive the economy- a form of trickle-down economics |
| Bonus March/Bonus Army | Thousands of unemployed WWI vets came to Washington to peacefully urge Congress to give them their pensions early- Hoover called out the Army to disperse them- ended any hope Hoover would be reelected |
| polio | Infantile paralysis- a dreaded disease that typically affected children, often led to permanent disability and sometimes death- FDR was affected by polio and wheelchair-bound |
| Election of 1932 | Herbert Hoover (Republican) vs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D)- FDR trounced Hoover in a landslide because of the Depression and Hoover's handling of the Bonus March- in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention FDR said "I pledge to you, I pledge to the American people a new deal." |
| Dust Bowl | Term of the drought and erosion that ravaged the southern Great Plains- part man-made (reckless dry-farming) and nature- led to a migration out of the region- mostly to California |
| Okie | Term for the migrants who fled the Dust Bowl and came to California- derogatory term- their plight was chronicled in "The Grapes of Wrath" by john Steinbeck |
| The New Deal | FDR's massive program to combat the Great Depression by government spending to provide jobs for the unemployed and reform capitalism (the 3 R's)- dramatically altered the role and scope of the federal government |
| The Hundred Days | The beginning of FDR's presidency from inauguration (March) to the middle of summer 1933- likening the Depression to a national emergency FDR got support from Congress to pass an avalanche of New Deal legislation to combat the Depression |
| Keynesian economics | Economic philosophy named after British economist John Maynard Keynes that advocated deficit government spending to stimulate the economy to improve the economy- the basis behind the deficit spending of FDR's New Deal |
| fireside chats | FDR's radio addresses to the nation during his presidency- very effective in calming Americans' fears and explain how the New Deal worked |
| Bank Holiday | The first action taken by FDR during the Hundred Days- closed banks for a few days to calm people's fears about banks and prevent bank runs |
| Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) | New Deal program to provide cheap hydroelectric power and jobs in one of the poorest and underdeveloped regions of the country- critics thought it was socialistic and unfair competition for private utility companies |
| Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) | New Deal program that provided jobs to young men- known as "Roosevelt's Tree Army"- fought forest fires, refurbished parks, etc.- workers had to send most of their wages back home |
| Agricultural Adjustment Act (AA) | New Deal program that sought to combat farmers' # problem- overproduction- paid farmers NOT to farm and lower production- declared unconstitutional in Butler v. United States (1936) |
| mechanical cotton pickers | Developed in the late 1930s and 1940s- eliminated the need for sharecroppers in the Deep South because machines could pick cotton- contributed to the Great Migration |
| National Recovery Administration (NRA) | New Deal program- the "Blue Eagle"- that sought to manage the economy with minimum wage and other controls- declared unconstitutional in Schechter v. United States (1935) |
| Glass-Steagall Act (1933) | New Deal act that sought to reform banking by creating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) |
| Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) | New Deal agency that still exists to regulate the Stock Market |
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) | Created by the Glass-Steagall Act (1933) that prevents bank runs by the federal government insuring deposits up until a certain amount- still in existence today |
| Rural Electrification Act (1935) | New Deal program during the Second New Deal to promote expanding electrical lines into rural areas |
| Works Progress Administration (WPA) | New Deal program during the Second New Deal headed by Harry Hopkins to provide jobs to build roads and bridges and other public works- but also for artists and intellectuals (ex: painting murals and historians taking oral narratives from former slaves) |
| Social Security Act (1935) | New Deal program passed during the Second New Deal to provide pensions for old age, disability, and unemployment insurance |
| American Liberty League | Conservative group led by the Du Pont family who believed the New Deal was too much of an expansion of government power- believed the New Deal was too socialistic |
| End Poverty in California (EPIC) | Proposed socialist plan to fight the Depression by Upton Sinclair (candidate for Governor in California)- alternative to the New Deal |
| Share Our Wealth | Huey P. Long's proposed redistribution of wealth plan that would have supposedly promised each family an income of at least $5,000- radical alternative to the New Deal |
| Election of 1936 | FDR (D) vs. Alf Landon (Republican)- FDR won in one of the largest landslides in presidential history- took his popularity as an opportunity to alter the anti-New Deal Supreme Court |
| Courtpacking Scheme (1937) | The conservative Supreme Court had struck down various New Deal legislation (ex: AAA and NRA), FDR used the momentum of his landslide victory in 1936 to try to increase the SCOTUS by adding 1 justice for each over the age of 70 (a total of 6)- major backlash because of FDR's blatant attempt to upset the balance of power between branches- FDR backed down and had difficulty passing New Deal legislation thereafter |
| Schechter Case (1935)/"Sick Chicken Case" | The Supreme Court struck down the constitutionality of the National Recovery Administration (NRA) |
| Wagner Act (1935) | Major victory for labor as the federal government outlawed yellow dog contracts and blacklisting, and guaranteed the right of collective bargaining |
| Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) | Established minimum wage and maximum hour law at the federal level |
| Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) | Labor organization headed by John L. Lewis- broke from the AF of L because it believed in industrial unionism- organizing workers regardless of skill into unions based on the industry in which they work (ex: the United Mine Workers and United Auto Workers) |
| sit-down strikes | Tactic used by labor in the 1930s to prevent the use of scabs by non-violently conducting a sit-in (ex: United Auto Workers at GM plants) |
| Scottsboro Boys (1931) | Nine African-Americans were accused of raping a white woman in Alabama- their unfair trial highlighted the unfairness of justice in the Jim Crow South |
| Black Cabinet | FDR's unofficial cabinet of African-Americans, ex: Mary McLeod Bethune |
| Indian Reorganization Act (1934) | Part of the Indian New Deal- John Collier- reversal from the assimilationist policies of the Dawes Act (1887) |
| War of the Worlds | Famous radio broadcast of a supposed alien invasion |
| The Grapes of Wrath (1939) | Novel by John Steinbeck depicting the plight of the Okies- specifically the Joad family- made into a famous movie in 1940 |
| isolationism | U.S. foreign policy between the World Wars- commitment to returning to following Washington's Farewell Advice- ended by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor |
| Washington Naval Conference (1921-22) | Disarmament conference that sought to limit the size of navies by establishing tonnage rations (ex: the Five Power Treaty) |
| Five Power Treaty | Part of the Washington Naval Conference- limited tonnage ratios of battleships- angered Japan because they had a lower ratio than the U.S. and Britain |
| Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) | Signatories promised not to use offensive war as an instrument of national policy- incredibly idealistic because if countries promised not to attack one another there would be no war |
| Dawes Plan (1924) | U.S. plan to help Germany pay their outrageous reparations payments from the Treaty of Versailles by reducing and rescheduling payments- done because the Allies needed Germany's money to pay back the United States for their debts incurred during World War I |
| reparations | Compensation payments- Germany had an outrageous amount they had to pay Britain and France as dictated by the Treaty of Versailles |
| hyperinflation | Inflation at an unimaginable high rate- experienced by Germany in the 1920s (ex: people paying thousands of Deutschmarks for a loaf of bread) |
| Hawley-Smoot Tariff (1930) | Passed during the Hoover administration- the highest tariff in U.S. history- contributed to a marked decline in international trade as other nations retaliated with their own high tariffs- worsened the Great Depression |
| The League of Nations | Collective security organization that was championed by Woodrow Wilson because he believed it would prevent future wars- the U.S. was not a member because the Republican-controlled Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles- without the U.S. failed to stop aggression between the world wars- a paper tiger |
| All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) | Anti-war novel by Erich Marie Remarque (a German) about the horrors of World War I, probably the most famous anti-war novel of all time |
| Nye Commission (1934) | Congressional committee whose findings became known as the "merchants of death" theory- that it was the arms manufacturers and banks whose business caused the U.S. to become involved in World War I |
| Veterans of Future Wars | Pacifistic organization of college students who opposed the war and the military in general |
| Good Neighbor Policy | Policy toward Latin America where the U.S. is going to have better relations and renounce the right to intervene in Latin American affairs (a reversal of the Big Stick), initially by Hoover but FDR gets the credit (ex: pulling out of Haiti)- better relations were needed with the fear of fascism growing- Montevideo Conference |
| Lebensraum | German term for "living space"- the German desire to conquer areas of Eastern Europe for the burgeoning German population- promoted by Hitler |
| Anti-Cominterm Pact | Alliance of fascist nations (Germany, Italy, and Japan) against the Soviet Union and communism in general |
| Kristallnacht (1938) | "The Night of Broken Glass"- November 9, 1938, attacks on Jewish businesses and synagogues in Germany |
| Neutrality Acts (1935-1937) | Series of acts passed in response to fascist aggression in general, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and the Spanish Civil War- tried to keep the U.S. neutral by prohibiting the sale of weapons to nations at war and Americans from sailing on the ships of belligerent nations |
| "Quarantine the Aggressors" Speech (1937) | Ambivalent speech made by FDR- critics wondered how involved the U.S. would be in stopping fascist aggression |
| Spanish Civil War (1936-1938) | The Fascists (led by Francisco Franco) vs. the Loyalists- Fascists nations such as Italy and Germany supported Franco, the Soviets aided the Loyalists- a dress rehearsal for WWII- the Fascists won- the U.S. did nothing |
| Munich Conference (1938) | Called in response to the German invasion of the Sudetenland- Germany promised no more territorial conquests- considered to be a classic case of appeasement on the part of France and Britain (ex: Chamberlain's "peace in my hands" speech) |
| Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (1939) | August 23, 1939- Before the Germans attacked Poland they needed assurance the Soviets would not attack them- the Soviets too wanted parts of Poland- it was NOT an alliance- just an agreement not to attack one another- shocked the world because the two are mortal enemies |
| Invasion of Poland (1939) | September 1, 1939- Germany invaded Poland and started World War II because France and Britain honored their pledge to declare war on Germany if Poland was attacked- Poland succumbed quickly as Germany attacked from the west and the Soviets from the east |
| "Phony War" | A period of time from the fall of Poland to the blitzkrieg on France in the Spring of 1940 where there was little fighting between the Axis and Allies |
| Axis | Alliance of fascist nations Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II |
| Allies | Alliance of Britain, the USSR, and the U.S. during World War II |
| Blitzkrieg | German term for "lightening war"- warfare that emphasizes speed (ex: tanks) to overwhelm the enemy- effectively used by Germany during WWII- especially in the beginning of the war |
| Operation BARBAROSSA (1941) | Surprise attack launched by the Germans against the USSR- breaking the Non-Aggression Pact- initially the Soviets were overwhelmed- but Germans failed to capture Moscow and the Germans found themselves bogged down in a war of attrition on two fronts |
| Battle of Britain (1940) | Mostly an aerial battle so the Germans could invade the British Isles- Britain won and avoided being knocked out of the war- important that Britain won because otherwise the Germans could have focused their full attention on the Soviets |
| Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies | Led by William Allen White- committed to supporting Britain by all means short of war- believed it was imperative Britain was not knocked out- supported Lend-Lease |
| Bases-for-Destroyers Deal | U.S.-British deal where the U.S. would provided destroyers in return for British bases in the Western Hemisphere- helped Britain because destroyers destroy U-boats- a threatened that menaced British shipping |
| Cash-Carry | A reversal of the Neutrality Acts where the Allies could buy arms and supplies from the U.S. but they had to pay up front and ship themselves so Americans would not indebted and in danger of being sunk by German submarines |
| Lend-Lease (1941) | FDR's program to supply Britain (later extended to other Allies such as the USSR) in their fight against the Germans- the U.S. was to become "the arsenal of democracy"- controversial because it was opposed by isolationists- FDR made folksy analogy about lending a garden hose to fight your neighbor's house fire |
| Burke-Wadsworth (1940) | The first peacetime draft in U.S. History- done to ready the U.S. military in case of war |
| America First Committee | Isolationist organization led by Senator Robert Taft (Rep) and Charles Lindbergh- opposed Lend-Lease as wasteful aid to a sinking ship- believed in a "Fortress America" concept |
| Election of 1940 | FDR (D) vs. Wendell Willkie (Republican)- there was little philosophical difference between the two candidates on foreign policy- Willkie campaigned on FDR breaking the two-term precedent- FDR won easily |
| Greer and Reuben James | Two American ships sank by German U-boats in the fall of 1941 |
| Stimson Doctrine | Response to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931)- the United States would refuse to recognize territorial gains obtained through conquest |
| Panay Incident (1937) | When Japan invaded China they attacked a U.S. Navy warship in Nanking- the Panay- the Japanese claimed it was a mistake despite evidence otherwise |
| Pearl Harbor (1941) | U.S. naval base in Hawaii that was home to the Pacific Fleet- the Japanese launched a surprise attack attempting to cripple the U.S. fleet but failed because carriers were away and strategic oil reserves were not hit- galvanized U.S. popular opinion to join the war- isolationism evaporated immediately |
| War Production Board | Government agency the management of resources and the production of armaments- improved upon the similar organization in World War I- the War Industries Board |
| Willow Run | Ford factory that mass produced bombers- the assembly line was more than 1 mile long |
| Rosie the Riveter | Nickname for women workers in defense plants during World War II |
| WAACs/WAVEs | Women's units in the military during World War II- Army and Navy respectively- non-combat roles |
| braceros | Migrant Mexican workers who were used during World War II- agricultural labor in the Southwest |
| Zoot Suit Riots | Hispanic youth subculture that was seen by Anglo Americans as a bunch of slackers- riots in Los Angeles |
| Navajo "Code Talkers" | The incredibly complex Native American language was used to relay messages over the radio waves- the enemy was never able to decode the messages |
| Double Victory | Hope of African-Americans and other minorities to support the war effort and hope for civil rights advances at home |
| Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) | Civil rights organization that emerged during WWII and played a strong role in the civil rights movement after WWII- peaceful, non-violent protest |
| Executive Order 8802 | FDR's order to desegregate defense factory jobs- response to A. Philip Randolph's threatened march on Washington |
| Issei/Nisei | Japanese-Americans, Issei were born in Japan, Nisei born in the U.S- did not matter with regards to internment because "a Jap is a Jap" |
| Executive Order 9066 | Authorized the internment of Japanese-Americans |
| Korematsu v. United States (1944) | Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese-Americans |
| The Big 3 | Term for the leaders of the primary nations of the Allies: FDR (the U.S.), Churchill (Britain), and Stalin (USSR) |
| Second Front | Term for Britain and the U.S. invading France and attacking from the west- the Soviets pressed the second front to be opened as soon as possible to relieve pressure on the Eastern Front- a contentious point between the Soviets and Brits/Americans |
| Atlantic Charter (1941) | Meeting between FDR and Churchill in August 1941 (before the U.S. was involved in WWII)- outlined how the post-war world would look |
| Casablanca Conference (1943) | January 1943- Meeting between FDR and Churchill that came up with accepting only unconditional surrender from the Axis- critics claimed this made the Axis fight harder |
| Tehran Conference (1943) | November 1943- 1st meeting of the Big Three (Churchill, Stalin, and FDR)- Stalin desperately wanted a second front to be opened- Britain and the U.S. promised to open a second front in six months |
| Yalta Conference (1945) | February 1945- last meeting of the Big Three- the end of Germany was imminent and it was a plan for post-war world: 1) Free elections in Poland, 2) Creation of the United Nations, 3) the USSR would attack Japan 3 months after V-E Day, 4) Germany (and Berlin) would be divided into four zones of Allied occupation (France, U.S., Britain, and USSR) |
| ABC-1 Agreement | Decision that Germany was a greater threat than Japan and thus the U.S. would focus more resources on defeating Germany first |
| strategic bombing | Allied (especially U.S.) strategy to use air power to bomb the enemy's factories and break their will to resist- to the Soviets it was not a substitute for opening a second front- the success of strategic bombing is debatable |
| Stalingrad (1942) | Turning point of World War II in Europe- the Germans lost an entire army and slowly thereafter the Soviets pushed the Germans back across Russia, Eastern Europe, and ultimately capturing Berlin |
| V-E/V-J Day | V-E: Victory in Europe (May 7, 1945), V-J: Victory over Japan (September 2, 1945) |
| The Holocaust | Nazi annihilation of Jews and other untermenchen (subhumans)- "the Final Solution"- 10-12 million were killed |
| The St. Louis | A ship carrying Jewish refugees that was turned away by the U.S. and other nations- ultimately returned to Europe where most of them ended up dead by the end of the war |
| Battle of Midway (1942) | Turning point of World War II in the Pacific- the Japanese lost four valuable carriers that could not be easily replaced |
| island hopping | U.S. strategy to advance across the Pacific to Japan by capturing vital strategic island strongholds (ex: Iwo Jima/Okinawa) while by-passing insignificant Japanese strongholds |
| Iwo Jima/Okinawa (1945) | The two most significant battles in the Pacific Theater- strategic islands that needed to be conquered as part of the island-hopping strategy- heavily causalities on both sides |
| Kamikazes | "Divine wind"- term comes from Japan being saved from Mongol invasion by a storm- Japanese plans who intentionally crashed their planes into American warships |
| The atomic bomb | A weapon of unimaginable power- race between the Axis and Allies who would get there first- the Manhattan Projected developed the U.S. bomb- 1st detonated in Alamogordo (16 July 1945) and then used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 1945) |
| The Manhattan Project | The massive government program to develop the atomic bomb- research facilities all over the country- led by scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer (scientist) and General Leslie Groves |
| Potsdam Conference (1945) | July 1945- meeting between Truman, Churchill, and Stalin- Truman knew of successful a-bomb test- ultimatum to Japan to "surrender or else"- Japan ignored the threat |
| Hiroshima/Nagasaki (1945) | August 6, 9, 1945- the cities that Truman dropped the atomic bomb on- forced Emperor to realize the futility of continuing the war and urged the Japanese people to "endure the unendurable of defeat" |
