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Period 8 of 9
Postwar America and the Cold War
1945–1980
Victory in World War II gave way to a decades-long standoff with the Soviet Union, suburban prosperity at home, and a hard-fought Civil Rights Movement that forced America to confront its own promises. The era closed amid Vietnam, Watergate, and the economic turbulence of the 1970s.
4Chapters
13–17%Of the exam
Chapters in this period
Each chapter opens on its summary; the study bar at the top of every chapter switches between its vocabulary, timeline, ordering game and quizzes.
Chapter 36
The Cold War Begins
Vocabulary Timeline Ordering Quiz Extra quiz Flashcards Chapter 37The Eisenhower Era
Vocabulary Timeline Ordering Quiz Extra quiz Flashcards Chapter 38The Stormy Sixties
Vocabulary Timeline Ordering Quiz Extra quiz Flashcards Chapter 39The Stalemated Seventies
Vocabulary Timeline Ordering Quiz Extra quiz FlashcardsWhere this sits in the course
- P1 · 4–6% New World Beginnings 1491–1607 3 chapters
- P2 · 6–8% Colonial Society Takes Shape 1607–1754 2 chapters
- P3 · 10–17% Revolution & a New Republic 1754–1800 5 chapters
- P4 · 10–17% The Young Republic Expands 1800–1848 7 chapters
- P5 · 10–17% Civil War & Reconstruction 1844–1877 5 chapters
- P6 · 13–17% The Gilded Age 1865–1898 4 chapters
- P7 · 13–17% Boom, Bust, and Global War 1890–1945 9 chapters
- P8 · 13–17% Postwar America and the Cold War 1945–1980 4 chapters
- P9 · 4–6% The Contemporary Era 1980–present 3 chapters
Segment width = that period's share of the AP exam, using the College Board's published weightings.