AP US History Project
Mr. Bixon
Hot Spots of the Cold War
Background: The Cold War refers to the poor relations, tension, and indirect conflict between the United
States (and its allies – NATO) and the Soviet Union (and its allies – The Warsaw Pact/Soviet satellite states).
Official the Cold War began toward the end of the Second World War (1945), as the Wartime Conferences
exposed “cracks” in the alliance and suspicions, and lasted until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
However, other historians refer to the U.S. (and British) intervention in the Russian Civil War on the side of the
“Whites” (ant-Communists) against the “Reds” (Communists/Bolsheviks) between 1918 and 1922 and the Red
Scare/Palmer Raids of the 1920s as the start of the Cold War. For this activity we will focus on the “official”
years after the Second World War.
Purpose: (i.) To identify some specific examples of conflict or tension between the United States (and its
allies) and the USSR (and its allies) – when the Cold War got “hot”.
(ii.) To explain the origins of these “hot spots”, what happened, and the consequences/results.
Procedure:
1. Choose one of the following “hot spots” or issues:
 The Korean War (and Asian Cold War Policy after 1951) (p.745-748) (2 people)
 The Homefront and the Culture of the Cold War (p.755-756, and see below): (3-4)
-anti-Communist propaganda
-James Bond or other movies like “Dr. Strangelove: or how I stopped worrying and learned to love the
Bomb” or cartoons
-the Kitchen Debate (p.752-753)
-Student Radicalism/Peace Movement/Hippies (p.778-780)
 McCarthyism (p.748—749, 751) (1-2)
 Cuba (p.766-768) (2)
-Bay of Pigs and Missile Crisis
 Vietnam (p.751, 768-769,780-788, 799) (group of 2-3)
-from Dien Bien Phu to Vietnamization, My Lai Massacre, to the Fall of Saigon)
-Include: Cambodia, détente, China, SALT
 Space Race (from Sputnik to Gagarin to Moon Landing) (1)
 1980s: (Nicaragua, Afghanistan, SDI: Star Wars, (p.809-813 and outside info) (2-3)
 Collapse of the USSR/end of the Cold War (include historiography) (813-814) (2)
2. Research using the textbook and some outside info (but start with the textbook!)
3. Create a powerpoint or prezi or… that includes the following:
a. Origins or causes
b. Major events or key moments that show what happened and how it is connected to the “Cold
War”
c. Results/Consequences (immediate and long-term)
*Do NOT forget DATES!*
4. Presentation (for Weds, 22nd): Students view your power point “on their own” before hand (and after
to prepare for the exam in May) so they are ready for your presentation and a MC assessment in class
(same day after the presentations), but you must present a 3-5 minute “snippet” of your presentation
(4-8 for groups) through some sort of an interactive activity or an analysis of a clip from a movie or a
documentary, an excerpt from a reading, a brief discussion of an illustration, cartoon, song; (no
crossword puzzles or MC questions or “note-taking” activities)
AP US History Project Rubric
Mr. Bixon
Hot Spots of the Cold War
Name(s)/Topic:
I.
What/Who?
Introduction/Description/Explanation
/3
-How clearly was the topic introduced?
-Is there relevant background information?
-Is there a clear and well developed thesis statement or relevant research question?
-Is it clearly addressed in an introductory slide or displayed somehow?
II.
(How?) Description and Examples/Evidence/Content knowledge
/5
-How well does the presentation illustrate the topic/event AND support the thesis/question?
-(use of relevant pics/charts/models/examples or excerpts)
-Are there a variety of relevant examples/details explained?
-How clear and effective are the examples/details?
III. Why? Analysis
/4
-How clearly, consistently and effectively is the evidence or information analyzed?
(cause and effect/compare and contrast)
-Or is it implied or not clear? (1-2)
-or ineffective? (2-3)
-Or not analysed in-depth (1-2)
-somewhat/for the most part (2-3)
-effective and consistent analysis (4)
IV.
Activity
/4
- Should help comprehend, analyse or expand the knowledge presented
Activity should be
- Interesting and related to the presentation
- Engaging
-within the time limit
-there was a presentation of material, answering of questions, or an activity but it did not have much of the criteria
above (1-2), the presentation of material or activity included a lot of the above (3),
it was really good! (4)
V. Conclusion/End result
-Overall, how clearly and effectively has the topic been addressed?
/4
-Ultimately, has the question been answered or the thesis statement supported well enough?
-To what extent would this ppt/visual essay/presentation help you and your classmates prepare for
multiple choice questions or essay questions that included this topic?
-No! (0), not really (1), maybe or somewhat (2), for the most part (3), YES! (4)
=__________
/20