Theme 7: America’s Relationship with the World Essential Questions & Content Objectives
Essential Question 1: What should America’s role be in the world?
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Define the term Cold War.

Differentiate between the economic systems of capitalism and communism.

Compare the UN and the League of Nations.

Explain how the Truman Doctrine shaped America’s cold war era foreign policy.
Essential Question 2: When should American self interest take priority over the interests of the world?
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(Europe)
Evaluate the impact that the Marshall Plan had on reshaping the western European economy.

Identify the deteriorating relationship between the U.S. and U.S.S.R that led up to the Berlin Air Lift.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the Berlin Airlift.

Explain why the Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall

Identify how the Gorbachev’s implementation of Perestroika and Glasnost eased tensions between the United States and
the Soviet Union in the late 1980.

Describe the series of events that unfolded across Eastern Europe that led to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. (ex:
solidarity movement)

(Asia)
Explain how Mao Tse Tung’s overthrow of Chiang Kai-shek altered U.S. relations with China.

Point out the significance of Taiwanese and United States foreign relations.

Trace the factors that led to the escalation of the conflict in the Korean Peninsula.

Explain the role that the United Nations played in the Korean War.

Identify the significance of the Viet Minh’s victory at Dien Bien Phu.

Summarize the key events that led to the escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam

Summarize the Domino Theory.

Identify the significance of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.

Describe the strategies U.S. forces employed to halt communist expansion into South Vietnam.

Explain why the Tet Offensive began to erode the American public’s trust in its government.

Describe how Americans reacted to President Nixon's Vietnamization plan.

Identify the significance of the Vietnam Veterans memorial.
(Global)

Critique the military doctrine of massive retaliation.

Differentiate between NATO and the UN.

Describe the methods implemented by the United States government to protect American citizens a nuclear attack.

Identify the significance of the launch of Sputnik.

Explain how the U.S. responded to Sputnik (i.e. NASA, NDEA, etc.)

Identify the significance of the Apollo Missions.

Identify the significance of the U.S. and Soviet Union Olympic competition during the Cold War (1972 Gold Medal
basketball game, 1980 Miracle on Ice, etc.)

Explain the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Identify the options that President Kennedy had in dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Explain how the Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved.

(Middle East)
Explain the significance of the U.S. official recognition of the state of Israel.

Summarize the “two state solution”.

Describe how fundamentalist Islam grew out of U.S. involvement in Iran.

Critique President Carter’s handling of the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Explain how the Iran-Contra affair developed.

Describe the U.S. relationship with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War.

Identify the U.S. response to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

Explain the U.S. connection to the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan.

Recognize the impact that the U.S. dependence on foreign oil has had on shaping American foreign policy.
(Latin America)
Essential Question 3: How has America’s role in the world changed over time?
•
Explain the motives behind the September 11, 2001 attacks.
•
Discuss how the United States responded to the September 11, 2001 attacks.