Unit: Cold War
Instructional Time: 2 Weeks
Clarifying State Standards:
•E.1.1 - Explain how conflict, cooperation, and competition influenced periods of economic growth and decline (e.g. economic depressions and recessions).
•H.1.3 - Use primary and secondary sources to interpret various historical perspectives.
•H.2.1 - Explain the impact of economic, political, social, and military conflicts (e.g. war, slavery, states’ rights and citizenship and immigration policies) on the development of North Carolina and the United States.
Essential Understandings:
Students will understand that …
•The emergence of two superpowers after WWII (U.S. and Soviet Union) created a power struggle that spanned the globe.
•The desire for economic and political stability after WWII led to increased involvement by the United States in global affairs.
•The political thoughts of communism and democracy fueled the conflict between the United States and Soviet Union,
•The United States initiated policies to protect non-communist nations against Stalin’s attempt to expand communism.
•The race to develop nuclear weapons contributed to the economic, political, and military conflicts of the Cold War.
•A culture of fear regarding the spread of communism and nuclear attacks led to cultural fear, curtailing of civil liberties, and massive government spending on the military.
•Negotiation between various nations led to diminishing the threat of war.
Essential Questions:
•How does competition motivate a nation?
•How does a culture of fear drive the decisions made by a nation?
•How can an ideological war be more dangerous than a physical war?
•What factors determine who wins and loses a war?
Students will know…
Students will be able to …
Instructional Time: 2 Weeks
Clarifying State Standards:
•E.1.1 - Explain how conflict, cooperation, and competition influenced periods of economic growth and decline (e.g. economic depressions and recessions).
•H.1.3 - Use primary and secondary sources to interpret various historical perspectives.
•H.2.1 - Explain the impact of economic, political, social, and military conflicts (e.g. war, slavery, states’ rights and citizenship and immigration policies) on the development of North Carolina and the United States.
Essential Understandings:
Students will understand that …
•The emergence of two superpowers after WWII (U.S. and Soviet Union) created a power struggle that spanned the globe.
•The desire for economic and political stability after WWII led to increased involvement by the United States in global affairs.
•The political thoughts of communism and democracy fueled the conflict between the United States and Soviet Union,
•The United States initiated policies to protect non-communist nations against Stalin’s attempt to expand communism.
•The race to develop nuclear weapons contributed to the economic, political, and military conflicts of the Cold War.
•A culture of fear regarding the spread of communism and nuclear attacks led to cultural fear, curtailing of civil liberties, and massive government spending on the military.
•Negotiation between various nations led to diminishing the threat of war.
Essential Questions:
•How does competition motivate a nation?
•How does a culture of fear drive the decisions made by a nation?
•How can an ideological war be more dangerous than a physical war?
•What factors determine who wins and loses a war?
Students will know…
- Following World War II, a new conflict began between the United States and the Soviet Union that became known as the Cold War, that reflected the expansion of the political thoughts of democracy and communism.
- The allied countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to protect countries against the attack of an outside force.
- A fear of communism gripped America, leading to McCarthyism, a culture of fear over who was truly supportive of American ideals and who wasn't.
- The United States’ political, economic and military influence was based on the Domino Theory which, believed that if one country in an area would become Communist, then surrounding countries would follow.
- The United States took political, economic and military responses to the domino theory by shaping foreign policy that would prevent or contain the spread of communism(Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Warsaw Pact).
- The United States’ foreign policy of containment impacted the US political, economic and military responses in foreign crisis such as Gulf of Tonkin, Berlin Airlift Blockade, Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.
- The United States involvement in the Korean War and Vietnam War led to sharp changes in the domestic situation at home, as a counterculture developed to speak out against many previously held beliefs about the path the U.S. was taking in foreign policy on the Cold War and containment.
- The Cold War promoted competition and sparked races in both arms and space, as each power looked to develop more destructive weapons and pioneer further into space. (Sputnik, Nuclear Testing).
Students will be able to …
- Examine the perspectives of the foreign policies of containment created by the United States. (Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan)
- Compare the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan and explain its impact on the political, economic and military parts of the United States.
- Analyze the political, economic and military response the United States had to the various crisis and foreign wars during the Cold War Era, (Gulf of Tonkin, Berlin Airlift Blockade, Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis, Korean and Vietnam War).
- Describe the societal effects of McCarthyism on the United States.
- Analyze the role the space and arms races played during the Cold War.
- Explain the social effects of the arms and space races on the Unites States.