Unit 9: The Cold War
Stage 1- Desired Results
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
Students understand that...
In the period following World War II, the United States entered into an extended era of international conflict called the Cold War which influenced foreign and domestic policy for more than 40 years.
Was containment an effective policy to thwart communist expansion?
Should the United States have feared internal communist subversion in the 1950s
Can domestic protest affect the outcome of war? Did the war in Vietnam bring a domestic revolution to the United States?
How did we win the Cold War?
Common Core Standards and Performance Indicators:
Unifying Themes:
TCC, GOV, ECON
World History
Geography
Economics
Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Social Studies Practices (begin on page 3)
Common Core Learning Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,and Technical Subjects (begins on page 76)
Knowledge
Students know that...
Skills
Students will be able to...
Students will trace key decisions made at wartime conferences as they applied to Poland, Eastern Europe, and postwar Germany, and note how continuing disagreements over these decisions helped bring about the start of the Cold War.
Students will trace United States containment policies, including the Truman Doctrine (1947), the Marshall Plan (1948), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1949), and actions taken during the Berlin blockade, and consider how they represent a shift in American foreign policy.
Students will examine United States foreign policy toward the Middle East, including the recognition of and support for the State of Israel, the Camp David Accords, and the interaction with radical groups in the region.
Students will examine domestic concerns about the spread of communism and the rise of McCarthyism.
Students will examine the consequences of Truman’s decision to fight a limited war in defense of South Korea.
Students will trace the United States involvement in Vietnam, including President Johnson’s decision to escalate the fighting in Vietnam.
Students will examine reasons for declining public confidence in government, including America’s involvement in Vietnam, student protests, the growing antiwar movement, and the Watergate affair.
Students will examine the congressional effort to limit presidential power through the War Powers Act.
Students will trace the acceleration of the nuclear arms race, beginning with from the detonation of an atomic bomb by the Soviet Union in 1949, through 1969, including the effects of Sputnik and the Space Race.
Students will examine Soviet motives for placing missiles in Cuba and the impact of the Cuban missile crisis on Soviet-American relations, leading to the adoption of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Students will examine the policy of détente and its effect on the nuclear arms race
Students will trace factors that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, including American policies, Soviet economic problems, Soviet efforts at reform, and the loss of Soviet control over Eastern Europe.
11.9a After World War II, ideological differences led to political tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. In an attempt to halt the spread of Soviet influence, the United States pursued a policy of containment
11.9b The United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear arms race that eventually led to agreements that limited the arms buildup and improved United States-Soviet relations.
11.9c American strategic interests in the Middle East grew with the Cold War, the creation of the State of Israel, and the increased United States dependence on Middle Eastern oil. The continuing nature of the Arab-Israeli dispute has helped to define the contours of American policy in the Middle East.
11.9d A combination of factors contributed to the end of the Cold War, including American policies and Soviet economic and political problems that led to the loss of Soviet control over Eastern Europe.
Key Terms
Truman Doctrine
Marshall Plan
Iron Curtain
Brinksmanship
Detente
Arms Race
Interstate Highway Act
Korean War
Vietnam War
Berlin Airlift
McCarthyism
Hiss and Rosenberg
NATO
Stage 2- Assessment Evidence
Summative Tasks
Formative Tasks
I Think "McCarthy and Me" pages 34-40. Has short testimonies of HUAC and McCarthy witnesses and asks students to complete chart analyzing event
I Think "Korean War" pages 24-30. Gives brief summary of start of war. Then students analyze war from Truman's and MacArthur's point of view based on their mock summaries.
The Cold War in the Classroom- Gilder Lehrman. Duck and Cover video shown to kids in the 50's. Students analyze the intended effect and audience, along with an evaluation of the video's effectiveness.
JFK on the containment of Communism- Gilder Lehrman. JFK hand written note. Short doc with questions including contextualization and claim and evidence.
Tear Down this Wall excerpt- Gilder Lehrman. Asks students to comapre Kennedy's speech with Reagan and life in communist and non-communist Germany.
DBQ from January 2003 regents: Discuss how the Cold War affected United States domestic policy and American societyKahoot on Cold WarMultiple Choice New Visions: 30 questions on the Cold War Powerpoint Good for introducing Cold War or for Review at end of unit
Stage 3- Related Lessons
Lesson Plans and Content
Videos, Documents, and Resources
Interstate Highway Act Document with transcript, can download, enlarge, etc.
SHEG "Cold War"- Who was primarily responsible for the Cold War – the United States or the Soviet Union?SHEG :Cuban Missile Crisis" Why did the Russians pull their missiles out of Cuba? Conversation excerpts from Khrushchev, JFK, and Robert Kennedy all with questions to examine negotiationsSHEG "Gulf of Tonkin" Was the US planning to go to war with Vietnam before 1964?Choices "US options after WWII" 3-4 day activity where four groups have to argue for one of the provided US foreign policy strategies after WWII. You can jump to page 54-55 to get worksheets that are good for one day/mini lessons Vietnam Protest Songs- New Vision Lesson Uses protest song lyrics to answer the question How did disagreement with the war lead to disillusionment with the government?Department Created Inquiry: Did the United States win the Cold War? Detente- Different documents on Nixon and Detente with a few questions for each. Asks students to identify which political figure said an unnamed quote.
Suggestions for Diverse Learners:
Cold War for Kids- good jumping off point for whole cold war
"I Think" pgs. 38-40: "McCarthy and Me" activity that has accounts by specific historical figures who were accused by McCarthy. Students list reasons to support pre-written claims.
"I Think" pg. 67: short descriptions of cases including Gideon, Engel, Miranda, and Reynolds. Contains multiple choice follow up.