AP US History AMSCO Guided Notes
8.7: America as a World Power
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP US History Guided Notes
AMSCO 8.7 - America as a World Power
Learning Objectives
- Explain various military and diplomatic responses to international developments over time.
I. Unrest in the "Third World"
1. What were the Third World nations and why did they often become pawns in Cold War conflicts?
A. Foreign Aid
1. How did the United States use foreign aid to compete with the Soviet Union for influence in developing nations?
2. Why did some nations like India and Egypt refuse to align with either superpower despite receiving foreign aid?
II. The Middle East
1. What challenge did the United States face in balancing its Middle East policy between Arab states and Israel?
A. Covert Action
1. Why did the Eisenhower administration prefer covert action over military intervention in foreign policy?
2. What were the consequences of the CIA's 1953 overthrow of Iran's government for U.S.-Iranian relations?
B. Suez Crisis
1. Why did Nasser nationalize the Suez Canal and what was the international response?
2. How did Eisenhower's response to the Suez Crisis demonstrate a shift in U.S. influence in the Middle East?
C. Eisenhower Doctrine
1. What was the Eisenhower Doctrine and how did it shape U.S. military involvement in the Middle East?
D. OPEC and Oil
1. Why did Middle Eastern and South American oil-producing nations form OPEC in 1960?
E. Yom Kippur (October) War and Oil Embargo
1. What was the Yom Kippur War and how did the Arab oil embargo affect the U.S. economy?
2. How did the oil embargo impact American workers and consumer behavior in the 1970s?
F. Camp David Accords
1. What were the Camp David Accords and what did they accomplish for Middle East peace?
2. Why was Egypt's peace treaty with Israel controversial in the Arab world?
G. Iran and the Hostage Crisis
1. Why did anti-American sentiment grow in Iran and what led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution?
2. How did the Iranian hostage crisis demonstrate the limits of American power during the Carter presidency?
III. Latin America
1. How did U.S. opposition to communism influence American support for dictators in Latin America?
A. Kennedy's Policies
1. What were the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress, and what were their goals in Latin America?
2. How did CIA operations in Latin America, such as the Bay of Pigs invasion, undermine Kennedy's development programs?
B. Return of the "Big Stick"
1. How did Johnson's Latin American policy differ from Kennedy's approach to the region?
2. What was Johnson's justification for military intervention in the Dominican Republic and other Latin American nations?
C. Panama Canal
1. Why did the Carter administration negotiate a new Panama Canal Treaty and what did it accomplish?
IV. Policies in Africa
1. Why did the United States intervene in African conflicts during the Cold War?
A. Remnants of Colonialism
1. Why did the Nixon administration support White minority governments in Angola, Rhodesia, and South Africa?
2. How did the outcome of the Angola conflict change U.S. policy toward African governments?
B. Human Rights Diplomacy
1. How did Carter's human rights policy shape his approach to African nations and military dictatorships?
V. Limits of a Superpower
1. What economic and political challenges in the 1970s revealed the limits of American superpower status?
A. Economic Challenges
1. How did foreign economic competition, oil shortages, and inflation affect American power and influence in the 1970s?
Key Terms
decolonization
Third World
covert action
Iran
Suez crisis
Eisenhower Doctrine
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Yom Kippur (October) War
oil embargo
Camp David Accords
Peace Corps
Alliance for Progress