Week 31:
The End of the Cold War
Unit Era: 1945 to 1991
Unit X
Lesson 5: The Cold War EndsL.G.1: I understand why the Soviet Union declined.L.G.2: I can identify the reforms introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev. L.G.3: I can describe the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.L.G.4: I can evaluate how the end of the Cold War affected the remaining communist nations and the United States.
Assigned Readings
Make sure you know the vocabulary terms on the right, as you may be quizzed on them this week.
Mujahideen (Mujahidin)
Mikhail Gorbachev
Glasnost
Perestroika
Solidarity
Monday: The Fall of the Soviet Union
MSDE III.D.8 | Examine how the internal policies of Mikhail Gorbachev, leadership, revolt, and economic decline in Eastern Europe, and political and economic pressure from Western powers contributed to the decline of the Soviet Union (3, 4, and 5). Opener: Cartoon Analysis | Gorbachev Rocks
Description: What is being portrayed in this image?
Contextualization: How does this image relate to the end of the Cold War?
Lesson: The Fall of the Soviet Union
I. Notes: The Fall of the Soviet Union
Closing: Periodization | The End of the Cold War
Identify the three events that took place from 1945 to 1991.
Resources | The Cold War (c. 1947 to 1991)
Video | Nuclear War and You
Tuesday: The Decline of Communism
MSDE III.D.8 | Examine how the internal policies of Mikhail Gorbachev, leadership, revolt, and economic decline in Eastern Europe, and political and economic pressure from Western powers contributed to the decline of the Soviet Union (3, 4, and 5). Opener: Great Race | Fall of the Soviet Union Map
Identify the countries on the "Breakup of the Soviet Union, 1991" map.
Lesson: The Decline of Communism
I. Notes: The Decline of Communism
II. Extension: Great Race| Modern Communist Countries
Identify the five communist countries based on their borders and flags.
Closing: Video Clip | Russia and US Nuclear War
Contextualization: What is the relationship like between Russia and the US today?
The Essential Question: How would a nuclear war affect you?
Wednesday: James Bond and the Cold War
MSDE III.D.8 | Examine how the internal policies of Mikhail Gorbachev, leadership, revolt, and economic decline in Eastern Europe, and political and economic pressure from Western powers contributed to the decline of the Soviet Union (3, 4, and 5). Opener: Personal Reflection | Hollywood and History
Do you think James Bond is an accurate representation of modern espionage?
please note this question is less about realism in the carnage he creates vs. the importance placed on human spying.
Watch: "Bond Meets Q" video from Skyfall and answer the corresponding questions.
Lesson: James Bond: From the Cold War to Today
Read the article "What Can We Learn from James Bond" (2006) by Professor Jeremy Black.
Answer the questions on the associated worksheet.
Closing: Contextualization | Skyfall and Cyberterrorism
Consider the plausibility of cyberterrorism in Skyfall (2012):
A cyberattack that triggers a gas leak and subsequent explosion (19-20 mins)
Derailing a train in an attempt to crush James Bond (1hr 26 mins - 1 hr 38 mins)
Thursday: Unit X Thematic Chart
All of Unit X Learning GoalsOpener: Open Notes Quiz | Unit X: The Cold War (1945 to 1991)
Complete the open notes quiz
Lesson: Thematic Chart | Unit X: The Cold War (1945 to 1991)
Complete the thematic chart in class to review what you learned in this unit. Your grade is based on participation, focus, and a completed chart that reflects the information on the chart created by your classmates.
Closing: Grade | Thematic Chart
Have your thematic charts out for grading purposes
If you have further questions now is the time to ask
The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893) | That feeling when you forgot to study for a test.
Friday: What Did You Learn?
All of Unit X Learning GoalsOpener: Study | Unit X: The Cold War
You have ten minutes to study
Lesson: MW29-MW31 [ Test ] Unit X - The Cold War
You will take the test in Schoology. The Unit X test is thirty questions based on information related to MW29: Absolutism, MW11: The Enlightenment and American Revolution, and MW12: The French Revolution
Closing: Introduce Unit XI: New Nations Emerge (1945 to the Present)
What do you think the word decolonization means?
What countries do you think are recently created? Like 1945 to the present recently created.
[YouTube] CCUS 44 - The End of the Cold War
[YouTube] Knowledgia - Why Did Yugoslavia Collapse?
[YouTube] BBC News - Interview with Mikhail Gorbachev
[YouTube] Reagan Foundation - Reagan's Humor
Essential Question(s) 1890 to 1994
How Do Nations Seek Security in Times of Global Tension?
MSDE Objective(s) | Students will analyze the regional and interregional factors that contributed to the end of the Cold War by: :
III.D.8 | Examining how the internal policies of Mikhail Gorbachev, leadership, revolt, and economic decline in Eastern Europe, and political and economic pressure from Western powers contributed to the decline of the Soviet Union (3, 4, and 5).
Context: After discussing conventional warfare and how geography allows the U.S. to choose its wars, Dan Carlin and Max Brooks discuss what type of asymmetrical warfare Americans should be concerned about.
Dan Carlin: I think the most logical threat to our existence is having some program, and I'm sure the Russians are doing this but I bet everybody is doing this, where you have paid people who are going on message boards in the United States and helping to rip the country apart from within...
Max Brooks: We knew years ago the Russians were putting bots on medical websites to begin to debate vaccines. And they would put them on both sides by the way. You would have debates being waged by bots pretending to be regular Americans debating about vaccines and that was to sow doubt, and that was before Covid.
And I'm sure years from now...some historian will do a deep dive into how much that attack on our trust in vaccines contributed to the deaths suffered by Covid.