The Cold War

Background Information

The era known as the “Cold War” lasted roughly from the close of World War II until the end of the 1980s. Rather than military combat, rivalry and political tension between the United States and the Soviet Union defined the period. Though at various times it appeared that the Cold War might turn “hot,” the two sides never actually fought one another; to do so would have risked nuclear war. Each side instead sought to thwart the other using political methods or propaganda. For example, in various conflicts around the world (including Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan) both sides backed governments that had similar political aims to themselves. In addition, each side looked to best the other in the “space race.” Though the Cold War lasted less than 50 years, it cast a shadow over the second half of the 20th century and left a legacy that can still be felt today.

Essential Questions

• What conditions and issues led to mistrust between the U.S. and USSR, thereby leading to the Cold War?
• What methods did the U.S. use to attempt to stop the spread of communism in eastern Europe?
• Why did the U.S. turn to military action to stop communist aggression in Korea and Vietnam?
• Why did Americans respond in the manner they did to perceived internal threats, such as “blacklisting” and “McCarthyism”? • How did the Cuban Missile Crisis change the scope of the Cold War?
• How did the Nixon and Ford Administrations approach the evolving nature of the Cold War in the late 1960s and 1970s?
• What role did the Reagan and Bush Administrations play in the eventual end of the Cold War in the late 1980s

Students will need to know…

1. Causes of the Cold War

2. Major figures from the Cold War era, including political and military leaders

3. Basic philosophical and cultural differences between the U.S. and USSR

4. Major diplomatic conflicts of the Cold War

5. The impact of the Korean War and the Vietnam War on the Cold War

6. The impact of realpolitik and détente on the Cold War in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s

7. Factors and conditions that led to the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s

Students will be able to…

1. Read and interpret primary source documents from the Cold War

2. Make conclusions about various strategies and policies enacted to deal with the Cold War

3. Identify key persons associated with the Cold War, either in the area of diplomacy or the military

4. Recognize how the Cold War affected American life and culture

5. Recognize how American policies in regard to the Cold War were changed and modified during the second half of the 20th century

6. Understand how the Cold War affected the United States’ position as a world leader

What if CNN had been at Yalta?

Overview:

In this lesson, you will collect information about the Yalta Conference and write a newscast about the events of the conference. You may complete a written newscast or create a video session in which you are reporting live, or afterwards, of the events of the Yalta Conference.

Objectives:

As a result of completing the lesson, you will:

• Understand the various viewpoints and concerns of the participants at Yalta Collect information about the conference, and make conclusions as to the decisions reached at the conference Speculate as to how the decisions at Yalta contributed to the start of the Cold War

Review CNN to examine a newscast.

Videos

Live News-stream

Avalon Project at Yale Law School: “The Yalta Conference” (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/yalta.htm)  

U.S. State Department page

(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/wwii/93273.htm)

“Big Three Confer,” a short film on the Big Three at Yalta (http://www.archive.org/details/1945- 02-15_Big_Three_Confer)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s report to Congress—audio and transcript (http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=16591)

Refer to Google Classroom to complete your self-evaluation for two rubrics. Your self-evaluation will count for 40% of your grade and my evaluation will count for 60%.

1. Working Process Rubric (50%)

2. Final Product Rubric (50%)

Once you have completed your newscast, we will spend one class period reviewing our complete work. 

The Cold War Backwards Planning Curriculum Units

Michael Hutchison, Writer

Link:http://www.socialstudies.com/pdf/ZP398sample_ColdWarTG.pdf

Backwards planning offers an innovative yet simple approach to meeting curriculum goals; it also provides a way to keep students engaged and focused throughout the learning process. Many teachers approach history instruction in the following manner: they identify a topic required by state and/or national standards, they find materials on that topic, they use those materials with their students, and then they administer some sort of standard test at the end of the unit.

Backwards planning, rather than just starting with a required instructional topic, goes a step further by identifying exactly what students need to know by the end of the unit—the so-called “enduring understandings.” 

1. Start with the “essential questions." Briefly go over them with students before getting into the topic material. These questions will help students focus their learning and note taking during the course of the unit. 

2. Next, discuss the activities students will complete during the unit. This will also help focus their learning and note taking, and it will lead them to view the PowerPoint presentation in a different light, considering it a source of ideas for authentic assessment projects.

3. Present a PowerPoint to the class.

4. Have students complete one or more of the authentic-assessment activities. These activities are flexible: most can be completed either individually or in groups, and either as homework or as in-class assignments. 

5. End the unit with traditional assessment.