History -Topic 1

The constitution

• sets up a federal government system
• Dividing powers between national,state and local governments
• Separating powers designed to restrict government power and prevent its abuse
• system of checks and balances

The Branches

• Executive-enforces law & symbolised by office of the president of the US
• Legislative-makes laws & symbolised by the US congress
• Judicial-Interprets laws and decides whether they are compatible with the constitution & symbolised by the supreme court

The supreme Court-the highest federal court in the USA

North Korea invaded south korea

Warsaw pact-the arm alliances between eastern bloc powers

constitution-the rules under which the country is governed

NATO-the arm alliance between the western powers

Berlin blockade-occured in june 1948

Marshall plan-set up by the US government to give millions of dollars to European countries

Congress-the Us equivalent of parliament,split into two parts. the senate and the house of representatives

• Effected government policy as many people believed the soviet union was working secretly inside the USA to overthrow the government
• HUAC =House comitee on Un-American activities-set up by government to question more people in search for soviet agents

Alger Hiss

• in 1948 was accuse of being a communist(he had been accused before)
• but this time HUAC accepted the evidence against him and he was sent to trial
• during the trial soviets tested they're first atomic bomb causing confusion and complication in his trial
• he was found guilty of lying to the court and sentenced to 5years imprisonment(not for spying)

McCarran act

• to  the places where communists could be employed and denied them US passports.All communist organisations had to be registered and their numbers were investigated.

Ordinary people

• became more and more suspicious of their neighboures
• became less willing to be critical of the government-or even talk pokitics at all
• HUAC investigations meant regardless of whether you were found guilty or not you had a black mark next to your name

McCarthyism

• October 1948 china became communist-a big blow to capitalist west
• Joseph McCarthy-senator for wisconsin claimed to have 205 names of working communists within the state department
• the next day the figure changed to 57 then ten days later to 81
• at first 25 US states brought in Anti-communist laws and highly supported McCarthy and his ideas

Rosenburg case

• 18th July the Rosenbergs(Julius and Ethel) were arrested regarding atomic bomb secrets being passed on to the soviets.
• Evidence against them was not clear-depended on evidence of others arrested and decoding names in the soviet telegraph
• war broke out in Korea increasing tensions -the Rosenbergs were found guilty and sentenced to death

• McCarthy promised to prove there were hundreds of communists working for the American government
• the tidings comitee heard his evidence-three of these members signed a statement 20th July 1950 that called McCarthy's charge'a fraud and a hoax'
• McCarthy mad more ridiculous accusations against his personal political enemies
• January 1953 new president Eisenhower set up investigation into communist beliefs among government workers
• September 1953-McCarthy began to investigate possible communists in the army.These hearing were on TV people witnessed him bullying many people including a hero from the WW2. McCarthy's popularity fell sharply
• 2nd December 1954-Senate vote to show disapproval against McCarthy and his actions 67 votes to 22
• 1954-communism party OFFICIALLY banned
• McCarthyism did not die out but was never as wild again