Nuclear Weapons and International Relations (The Cold War)

INTRODUCTION AND ESSENTIAL QUESTION

In this unit we will learn about rationality by studying the nuclear arms race that took place between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The essential question of the unit is: Was the nuclear arms race during the Cold War the result of rational choices or irrational ones on the part of the Soviet Union and the United States?

HOMEWORK

None

ASSESSMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

1. Strategies in Game theory: We will use the rest of this document to introduce strategies.

2. Read Nuclear Weapons packet (pages 1-17).

   • Part A

   • Part B

   • Part C

   • Part D

3. As an optional reading you may also use The Soviet-American Arms Race by John Swift. As you read identify examples of the ways that each country used the strategies discussed at the beginning of class during the Cold War.

4. Prepare for a scored discussion on this question (next class): "What strategies did the United States and the Soviet Union employ in fighting the Cold War?"

ENRICHMENT