Week of 10/12

Nuclear Weapons Reading

Nuclear activity

  • Are there reoccurring themes and ideas that appear?

  • Using the information you have, how would you characterize the perception of the threat from the Soviet Union during the first part of the Cold War?

  • How might these perceptions have affected international politics during the Cold War?

  • Do these four sources give you enough information to gauge the mood of the United States during the early years of the Cold War. Why?

  • JFK does not directly mention the Soviet Union or nuclear weapons, yet both were very much on his mind as he gave the speech. Find evidence to support this statement.

  • What values does he support and oppose in the speech?

  • What further clues does the speech give you about the political climate of the United States at the height of the Cold War?