AP®︎ US History Unit 8: Notes & Study Guide
Prepare for your quiz, test, or the AP exam with a comprehensive review on Unit 8 of AP US History – Period 8 (1945–1980).
Unit 8: Period 8 (1945–1980)
This unit explores the Cold War’s impact on American foreign and domestic policy, along with major cultural and social changes. It highlights civil rights movements, economic shifts, and debates over the government’s role in society.
Begin with Topic 8.1: Contextualizing Period 8To review Unit 8, go through each of the 15 topics below.
Everything you actually need to know for your Unit 8 test, pulled directly from the AP® U.S. History curriculum.
Contextualizing Period 8
Contextualizing Period 8
- How World War II Created the Period 8 United States
- The Three Big Processes of Period 8
- Cold War Leadership and Its Domestic Consequences
The Cold War from 1945 to 1980
The Cold War from 1945 to 1980
- What Containment Was
- How the United States Built the Noncommunist World Order
- How Containment Became Militarized
The Red Scare
The Red Scare
- What the Second Red Scare Was
- Why the Red Scare Grew So Powerful
- How the Government and Private Institutions Fought Communism
Economy After 1945
Economy After 1945
- What Drove Postwar Economic Growth
- The Four Main Causes of Growth
- Baby boom
Culture after 1945
Culture after 1945
- How Postwar Mass Culture Worked
- The Main Pieces of Postwar Conformity
- The Main Challenges to Conformity
Early Steps in the Civil Rights Movement (1940s and 1950s)
Early Steps in the Civil Rights Movement (1940s and 1950s)
- How the Early Civil Rights Movement Grew After World War II
- The Federal Government’s First Steps
- The NAACP’s Legal Attack on Segregation
America as a World Power
America as a World Power
- How the United States Used Power in the Cold War World
- Latin America and Anti-Communist Intervention
- The Middle East and the Limits of American Influence
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War
- Why the United States Fought in Vietnam
- How the War Escalated Under Kennedy and Johnson
- Why the United States Could Not Win Decisively
The Great Society
The Great Society
- What the Great Society Was
- The Major Great Society Programs
- How the Great Society Expanded Federal Power
The African American Civil Rights Movement (1960s)
The African American Civil Rights Movement (1960s)
- What the Civil Rights Movement Was Trying to Win
- How Nonviolent Direct Action Forced Change
- How the Federal Government Responded
The Civil Rights Movement Expands
The Civil Rights Movement Expands
- How Civil Rights Expanded After 1960
- Latino, American Indian, and Asian American Activism
- Feminism and Changing Gender Roles
Youth Culture of the 1960s
Youth Culture of the 1960s
- What Youth Culture of the 1960s Was
- The New Left and Campus Protest
- Why Vietnam Created Mass Youth Opposition
The Environment and Natural Resources from 1968 to 1980
The Environment and Natural Resources from 1968 to 1980
- How Environmentalism Became a National Political Issue
- The New Federal Environmental System
- Hazardous Waste, Land Use, and Resource Conflicts
Society in Transition
Society in Transition
- How American Politics Shifted from Postwar Liberalism to a Conservative Climate
- The Conservative Coalition and the Rise of the New Right
- Social and Cultural Conflicts over Rights, Race, and Morality
Continuity and Change in Period 8
Continuity and Change in Period 8
- How Period 8 Reshaped National Identity
- The Four Big Changes by 1980
- What Stayed the Same or Changed More Slowly
Notes
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