A 20th Century Primer to
Bell Ringer
Create a numbered list in which you identify the steps you
took to come to school today.
Example:
1) I got out of bed and took a shower.
2) I got dressed.
3) I ate my breakfast.
You have five minutes to complete this activity.
Discussion
• Turn to a partner and compare your lists. Were they the
same? Different?
• Circle the steps on your list that were the same as on your
partner’s list, and underline the different ones.
You have five minutes to complete this activity.
Partner Discussion continued
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With your partner, identify the actors and resources
necessary to have made it possible for you to have
come to school today.
Example:
1. I took a shower in a stall made by a contractor
and installed by a plumber, using water piped in
from the water company.
You have five minutes to complete this activity.
For us to be sitting in this classroom today, many factors
had to come together. There could not have been a
school unless people saw a need, acted to gather the
resources, created a building, hired an administration and
teaching staff, stocked it with supplies and made
arrangements to have you here.
You already made a list of the people and resources
needed to get you here. Society is full of individuals
acting on their own, but greatly impacted by many factors
outside of their control. Today you will investigate factors
that came together to produce the longest conflict of the
20th Century, The Cold War.
Cold War Definitions
• Ideology: A set of ideas that constitutes one’s goals,
expectations and actions.
• Cold War: A global conflict between two ideologies tied
to different parts of the world. Communist countries had a
base in Eastern Europe, but sought to expand their
sphere of influence throughout the world. Western
countries, led by the United States, worked to “contain”
Soviet influence, where it existed, and prevent its spread
to vulnerable nations.
Areas of Investigation
• Ideology
• Economics
• Effects of Conflict
• Perception
• Struggle for Power
Gallery Walk
• Go to your assigned first station.
• You will be given 5 minutes per station, with 1 minute of
transition time.
• When you are given the signal, move to the next station.
• There are a total of 7 stations.
• When you return to your first station, you are done!
Gallery Walk 1
Ideology: The 20th Century brought the rise of two
competing ideas of freedom. Countries of the
West leaned toward Capitalism, while countries of
the East found Communism.
• Write the following basic definitions:
– Capitalism: An economic system based on the
ownership of resources by individuals.
Production results from competition in the
marketplace.
– Communism: An economic system in which
the government controls the resources and
means of production. Production needs are
determined by centralized governmental
control.
Gallery Walk 2
Economics:
– Economics, the means by which people satisfy their wants and needs, looks very
different in communist vs. capitalist countries. Compare the two cars below. The
Trabant, on the left, was made by the Communist East Germans. It was the only
choice for East Germans, who had to wait years to get them, but everyone could.
The Impala, on the right, was made by the Ford Motor Company. The Impala was
one of many American choices, which could be purchased at anytime, providing the
purchaser had access to the money or credit necessary.
• What are the obvious differences between the cars? Which would you buy?
How might they reflect the larger themes of freedom and independence?
Gallery Walk 3
Effects of Conflict:
World War II produced more death and destruction than any other
conflict in history, (over 60 million casualties). The Soviet Union had
nearly 24 million of these. Naturally, this had an effect on the Soviet
psyche and they were determined to never let this happen again.
• Compare the two maps of Europe, before and after WWII.
What changes have taken place? List 3 major changes
found on the 1949 map.
• What has happened to the small country of Estonia?
• Overall, what was the Soviet reaction to WWII?
Gallery Walk 4
Perception:
How nations viewed each other is key to
understanding later conflict. Examine the images.
• Who made these images? Capitalist or Communist?
• How does this group perceive the opposing side?
Gallery Walk 5
Perception: How nations viewed each other
is key to understanding later conflict. Examine the images below.
• Who made these images? Capitalist or Communist?
• How does this group perceive the opposing side?
Gallery Walk 6
Political Power: As the world divided into two camps, the ideological focus
became tied to the quest for global political power.
• What messages were the Soviets and Americans telling the world, as they
expanded their spheres of influence? (Analyze the two images to find the messages.)
Soviet Union
United States
Gallery Walk 7
Struggle for Power: This picture
is of the Potsdam conference of 1945.
By this time:
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World War II was nearly over. Germany was defeated.
Germany was to be divided amongst the allies.
The Soviets had taken military control of all of Eastern Europe.
The terms of surrender were outlined for Japan.
President Truman hinted to Stalin of the American possession of the atomic bomb,
ensuring the Soviet would understand America’s power.
• Given the facts above, and your notes from previous stations, what
do you anticipate would be the Soviet Union’s next strategic move?
Resources
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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kapitalisty1.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tov_lenin_ochishchaet.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Machine_gun_corps_Gaza_line_WWIb_edit2.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:America_Under_Communism_Cold_War_Propaganda.gifh
ttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anti-capitalism_color.gif
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Close_the_gate_-_First_Red_Scare_political_cartoon.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coming_out_of_the_smoke.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Freedman_Service_Award_Polish_Freedom_Fi
ghters_1972.jpg\
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:5PadriComunisti.gif
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ford_Motor_Company_assembly_line.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coming_out_of_the_smoke.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P2V-1_assembly_line_NAN5-47.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ford_Motor_Company_assembly_line.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poulation-since-1000--.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jeffery_armoured_car_1915.jpg