Standard 6.4K Social Studies

Content Area: Social Studies

Index: 6.4K Grade 12 CPI 4

Standard: 6.4 - US & NJ History

Strand: K - Postwar Years (1945-1970s)

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 4 - The student will analyze United States foreign policy during the Cold War period, including US/USSR relations, United States reaction to the Soviet subjugation of Eastern Europe, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and relations with China.

Grade: 12

Sample Activities:

· Perceptions of the Enemy. Students read the standard textbook account of U.S.-Soviet relations during World War II and learn about the conflict called the Cold War. Prepare copies of materials providing differing interpretations of the conflict. Tell the class that there are now three schools of thought on the Cold War: (1) traditional, or anti-Soviet view; (2) moral equivalency view which holds that both superpowers, US and USSR were equally culpable; and, (3) the new revisionsist view which, based on recently discovered Soviet documents, holds the Cold War was initiated and carried forward by the Soviet Union through ideologically-based totalitarian control at home and in the captive nations of Eastern Europe, and was extended, wherever possible, to potential socialist revolutionary forces throughout the world. Prepare readings for students from each of these schools of thought. See the Resources list at the end of this section for suggestions. Form three committees, one for each interpretive school. Have these groups prepare presentations to the full class. The class can then ask clarifying questions and evaluate the answers of each committee.

· Expansionism, Imperialism.Working with the library media specialist, prepare reading materials to help students learn about the concepts of expansionism and imperialism. Why do countries seek to expand their domain? What is “nationalism”? How do these concepts relate to the Cold War and to the position of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe. Prepare copies of the 1947 Foreign Affairs article entitled “Sources of Soviet Conduct” by former US Ambassador to Russia George Kennan in which he warned that the Soviets’ “imperialistic and expansive tendencies” posed a threat to the free world. He argued that the United States had no choice but to exert pressure to weaken the Soviet Union and its Communist proxies wherever and whenever possible. Kennan advised the United States to counter and contain the Soviet threat to the “free institutions of the Western world…by the…application of counter-force at a series of constantly shifting geographical and political points, corresponding to the shifts and maneuvers of Soviet policy.” Prepare a synopsis of this article for the students.

· The American Response. Students research how the United States responded to the perceived Russian threat. Ask the class to evaluate the tone of Kennan’s article in the context of that time when a Cold War between two superpowers with divergent ideologies (Soviet-backed communism and American-sponsored capitalism) was about to become official policy in both countries. With the help of the library media specialist, students research the topics of the Cold War, the Free World, and Communism.

· Newer interpretations. Recent revelations based on secret Soviet documents now available to historians tend to support the traditionalist view of the Cold War. These documents seem to indicate that the Cold War was initiated and maintained by the Soviet Union. Recent books by Gaddis, Weinstein and others, argue this view. Prepare selections from these volumes for students to read and abstract. Students use the skills of Language Arts Literacy Standard 3.4, especially Indicator 3 (reading to discover the writer’s purpose), Indicator 11 (detecting the author’s bias), and Indicator 19 (recognizing propaganda and bias in writing). Students should be encouraged to find their own sources (especially Internet) in the library and to decide for themselves how they see the situation.

· Examining Opposing Views. The text series Taking Sides (Dushkin Publishing, Sluice Dock, CT 06437) has in print at least 20 titles. Among these collections of pro and con essays on major issues is a two-volume set on American history (1991). Students read the pro and con essays on a variety of topics and discuss the issues based on what they have read. There are selections on Reconstruction, populism, immigration, and many other important topics. Students select their own topics, collect pro and con articles, and summarize the views. Finally, they draw their own conclusions, which they must support with evidence based on own research.