Compelling Question:

How did economic weakness influence global conflicts and resolutions?

Supporting Question:

What factors led the United States decision to drop the atomic bomb?

There are so many interesting events related to the end of the war that I would like use today to explore the event that helped to end the World War in the Pacific.

We will focus on President Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We will look at some primary sources to understand what his motivations were in this attack. Were his actions motivated by ending the war or was he also interesting in flexing American muscle for the Soviets to set the tone for the post war era?

Compelling Question:

How did economic weakness influence global conflicts and resolutions?

Supporting Question:

How were did post World War II events reflect the tension between the US and the USSR and concern for global economic security?

With the war over, The Big Three, Churchill, Stalin, and Truman will work to restructure and rebuild Europe and Asia. This is an attempt to prevent another economic crisis but in turn will create tension.

We will look at these events that heavily shaped America's foreign policy moving into the 1950s.

1. The Post-War Division of Germany

2. Creation of NATO

3. The Post War Division of Korea

4. Truman Doctrine/Marshall Plan

Compelling Question: Which was a larger force in 1950s America: Affluence and Conformity or Anxiety and Social Unrest?

Supporting Question: How did the post World War II economic boom contribute to the creation of affluence and conformity?

To explore this question we will begin with a documentary that will give you an overview of the decade. View the documentary linked below and take a page of notes over the documentary and upload an image of your notes to the Google Classroom assignment.

Compelling Question: Which was a larger force in 1950s America: Affluence and Conformity or Anxiety and Social Unrest?

Supporting Question: What was McCarthyism and how did it affect American 1950s society?

We will introduce the idea of the Red Scare and McCarthyism in the 1950s. Then use popular culture of the 1950s to examine the effects of McCarthyism.