the League of Nations – после первой мировой 1919 - peace conference was held in France. President Wilson offered a plan for a world organization to help prevent another war. The organization was called the League of Nations.
the Pearl Harbor attack - On December 7, 1941, Japanese airplanes attacked an American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the American battleships and airplanes were destroyed in the Pearl Harbor attack. the largest single-day loss in U.S. Navy history. This attack brought the United States into World War II, and Congress declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy.
a cold war – (после 45) started between the United States and the Soviet almost as soon as WW II ended. The two countries had been allies in fighting Nazi Germany. But they bitterly disagreed over what should happen to the countries of eastern Europe after Germany was defeated.
arms race – (после 45) After the war, new types of weapons and new forms of using them were invented, and both the United States and the Soviet Union built up a tremendous supply of powerful armaments. This contest became known as the arms race.
the Warsaw Treaty - The cold war landmarks were the policy of the iron curtain, i.e. of the Soviet Union; control over the countries of the Warsaw Treaty;
the Truman Doctrine - (Harry S. Truman - U.S. President in 1945-1953) of helping 'all free people' to resist Communist influence
the Marshal Plan - devised by US Secretary of Slate George Marshall in 1947, in which the United States gave or loaned billions of dollars to various European countries, particularly Germany, to assist in postwar reconstruction of their industries.
McCarthyism - political phenomenon - the most famous anti-Communist, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, branded anyone opposing him as a Communist or "Communist sympathizer', and used this method of discrediting people without proof. Those accused of being proof. Communists usually lost their jobs and found it very difficult or impossible to get new ones.
the FBI - (Federal Bureau of Investigation) was the axis of political and war strategies machine of the United States. The Bureau's first director, J. Edgar Hoover
the Watergate scandal - after Americans defeat in Vietnam war, their belief in the nation's political institutions was shaken by a series of scandals. The most serious - Watergate scandal, when prominent members of the Republican party were found guilty of 'bugging' the Democratic party's campaign headquarters (at the Watergate building). The scandal forced President Nixon to resign the Presidency, thus completely overshadowing his achievements while in office, such as the normalization of relations with China and the signing of the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) with the Soviet Union in 1972. Nixon resigned in 1974.
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
The policy of detente
II. Choose the proper words and fill in the blanks.
1. The first English settlement named ____ was built in the mouth of the river in Virginia.
a) Jamestown; b) Plymouth; c) Newfoundland.
2 The French established ___ on the St. Lawrence River and spread their influence along the Mississippi. a) towns; b) villages; c) strongholds.
3. The development of trade and agriculture in the colonies conflicted with the policy of …. greatly. a) France; b) Spain; c) Britain.
4. Members of the organization ______ dropped the boxes of tea into the water of the harbour.
a) American Patriots; b) Sons of Liberty; c) Brothers of Freedom.
5. The forces of the enemies of slavery were united in the Party.
a) Republican; b) Democratic; c) Communist.
6. The southern states separated from the northern states and founded____ on the eve of the Civil war. a) Union; b) Confederation; c) Republic.
7. The Declaration of Independence was written by _____ .
a) G. Washington; b) A. Lincoln; c) T. Jefferson.
8. With the appearance of______ cities began to grow vertically.
a) multistoreyed buildings; b) skyscrapers; c) towers.
9. President _____ pursued an aggressive policy and escalated American participation in the Vietnam War. a) Johnson; b) Reagan; c) Kennedy.
10. The space shuttle _______ exploded shortly after its liftoff, killing seven person crew.
a) Columbia; b) Challenger; c) Discovery.
III. Quiz "What do you know about the American history?"
1. Who were the very first settlers on the American continent?
2. What was the life-time dream of Columbus?
3. How did he call the native people and why?
4. What is the date of the American nation's birthday?
5. What countries were the first to establish colonies on the newly discovered land?
6. What English settlements were founded in North America?
7. How did the British Government keep the colonies in obedience?
8. What caused the War for Independence?
9. What did the Declaration of Independence proclaim?
10. What was the reason of the Civil War?
11. What changes took place in the U.S. after the Civil War?
12. What spread industrialization of the country in the 19th century?
13. What foreign policy did the U.S. pursue at the end of the 19th century?
14. What progress did America achieve in space exploration?
15. What eased the tension of the cold war between America and the U.S.S.R?
16. What terrible accident took place on September 11, 2001 in America?
17. What happened with the space shuttle Columbia?
18. Did the U.S. inspectors manage to find any weapons stockpiles on the territory of Iraq?