Enduring Understandings
the big ideas for the entire year
EU#1: The United States gradually has become a global superpower.
EU#2: Technological changes, demographic changes, and the changing role of government have shaped American society.
EU#3: The principle of self-determination has shaped world history.
EU#4: Increasing global interconnectedness has produced conflict and cooperation.
Unit 5 in the history of the world
Cold War unit Essential Questions
1) What caused the Cold War?
2) How was the Cold War fought?
3) What was the impact of the Cold War around the world?
4) How did the Cold War end?
Unit 5 in the history of the world
Cold War unit outline
DATES TOPICS HOMEWORK
Wed 4 intro to unit green 932-936
Th 5 End of WWII – start of Cold War green 942 – 945
Fri 6 Policy of containment / Truman Doctrine green 945 – 949
Mon 9 Germany – Berlin Air Lift green 1075-1079
Tues 10 Civil war in China Mao readings (handout)
Wed 11 China – Great Leap none
Th 12 China – Cultural Revolution blue 663-665
Tues 17 Korean War none
Wed 18 Korean War blue 668-674
Th 19 U.S. in the 1950’s: Cold War culture blue 718, 725-726
Fri 20 Space Race: Cold War culture packet: Cold War Tensions
Mon 23 Cuban Missile Crisis background packet: Oct 1962
Tues 24 Cuban Missile Crisis activity Viet nam reading: Part I
Wed 25 Vietnam: colonialism 1900 - 1954 Viet nam reading: Part II
Th 26 Vietnam: Cold War none
Fri 27 quiz: classes for next year Viet nam reading: Part III
Mon 30 Vietnam War 1965 - 1975 project
Tues 31 Prep for Mock Trial project
Wed 1 Prep for Mock Trial project
Th 2 Mock Trial - prosecution project
Fri 3 Mock Trial – defense none
Mon 6 Cold War examples: Angola, Nicaragua none
Tues 7 Cold War example: Afghanistan green 977-981
Wed 8 1989 – dramatic changes green 981-986
Th 9 Fall of Soviet Union review
Fri 10 review for the test study
Mon 13 Unit V Test none
Homework questions for this unit
green 932-936
1a) What happened at each of these meetings – Tehran? Yalta? Potsdam?
1b) How did the end of World War II lead to the start of the Cold War? read this section and bullet at least 4 notes that would help to answer this question
green 942-945
1a) Read the intro / summary on page 942. Write a single sentence summary of
these four paragraphs.
2a) Define Truman Doctrine.
3a) What was the Marshal Plan?
1b) Read the intro / summary on page 942. Write a single sentence summary of
these four paragraphs.
2b) According to the textbook, who is responsible for the beginning of the Cold War?
3b) Explain how the policy of containment would be used in the Cold War.
green 945 - 949
1a) How did the U.S. respond to the blockade of Berlin?
2a) Define mutual deterrence.
3a) How did the Korean War begin? How did it end?
4a) What is an ICBM? What was Sputnik? How are they related?
1) Apply the Truman Doctrine to the Berlin Crisis and the Korean War.
green 1075 – 1079
1a) Describe the 2 Chinese governments at the end of World War II.
2a) Why did the communists get so much support at this time?
3a) What was the Great Leap Forward?
4a) What was the goal of the Cultural Revolution?
5a) After Mao died, how did China change?
1b) Read the entire section. Compare the ideals of communism with the reality of life in China under Mao.
Mao Zedong Readings (a and b)
1) What does Mao say about revolution?
2) What insights does Mao give us about war?
3) Does Mao feel like the peasants are “going too far”?
4) Explain the quote: “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun”.
5) What is your reaction to the poem in reading #5?
blue 663-665
1a) How was Korea divided at the end of World War II?
2a) How did the U.S. succeed in gaining UN support for their side of the war?
3a) How did this conflict end? What was the result?
1b) Interpret the map on page 663.
i) How far did North Korea get in its initial attack (red arrows)?
ii) How did the U.S. / U.N. respond (purple arrows)?
iii) What is step four in this progression (2nd map)? How did this step
have an impact on the fighting?
2b) Compare the viewpoints on pg. 664. Do you agree with Truman or MacArthur? Why?
blue 668-674
1a) What was the new Red Scare?
2a) Who was J.Edgar Hoover?
3a) Who was Alger Hiss?
4a) What did the Rosenbergs do?
5a) Why is Joseph McCarthy so famous in U.S. history?
1b) Explain the new red scare.
2b) How was life different during the early Cold War?
blue 718, 725-726
1a) What were the main issues of the 1960 election?
2a) Define the Kennedy Mystique.
3a) What was the Sputnik crisis?
4a) What is the space race?
5a) What happened on July 20, 1969?
1b) Compare and contrast Kennedy and Nixon.
2b) Based on the limited info in the technology section “The Cold War Moves into Space”, did the U.S. win the Space Race? Why or why not?
Cold War Tensions: packet of readings handed out in class
1) What two policies were the basis for the Truman Doctrine?
2) Why was Cuba a major concern for the U.S. in the 1950’s?
3) Who was Fulgencio Batista?
4) What was the Bay of Pigs invasion?
5) Why did Cuba and the Soviet Union think the U.S. would invade Cuba?
Oct 1962: 2nd half of packet on Cuba (Cold War tensions in Latin America)
1) What did U.S. leaders think Soviet intentions were?
2) What is “ExComm”?
3) Pick one of the three choices – why do you think this would be the choice?
green 977 – 981
1a) Define détente.
2a) What were the foreign policy goals of the Carter administration?
3a) How did Reagan have a new approach to the Cold War.
4a) Define perestroika, glasnost.
1b)Reagan and Gorbachev are given credit for ending the Cold War. Explain what each of them did. Who do you think deserves more credit? Why?
green 981 – 986
1a and b) Briefly describe what happened after the decline of the Soviet Union in each of these following countries: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Yugoslavia.