Cold War and Modern Russia
Unit 6
Mr. Hardy
RMS IB 2013-2014
Agenda:
• OBJ: Students will analyze the causes of the Ukraine crisis through
annotating a primary source.
• Ukraine Crisis- Article Analysis
• Highlighting Activity
• Collect articles!
• Guided Notes- The Cold War and Modern Russia
• Annotated Timeline
• Reflection
Post World War II
• Immediately following WWII- Tension developed between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union.
• Why this tension?
• U.S. and Soviet Union were the strongest nations following WWII
• Titled “Superpowers”
• Opposite ideas about government
• U.S.- Democracy/ Capitalist economy
• Soviet Union- Dictatorship/ Communist economy
• U.S. practiced policy of Containment- not allowing communism to spread
• How?- Control Western Europe and West Germany
• Soviet Union took control of Eastern European countries (economically and
militarily)
• Eastern Germany, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia
*Think about it- Why would East Germany being controlled by Soviet Union be an
issue?
Soviet Union Control in East Germany
• While West Germany was controlled by the Allied Powers, the Soviet
Union wanted to show dominance of Germany
• Berlin Blockade- Soviet government shut down all highways and
railroads from West Berlin and Germany.
• East Germany could not receive any supplies
• Berlin Airlift- Allied Powers takes action!
• Rather than send troops into Soviet territory, Allied Powers used planes to
drop food, clothing, and fuel each day
• After 321 days of the airlift- Soviets ended the blockade
Causes of the Cold War- Containment Policy
• Four-Point Program- use American money and technical specialist to help
developing nations grow
• Goal- increase agricultural production, improve government, advance education, and
promote public health
• Created by President Truman
• Much of Europe was in need of help after WWII- Soviet Union promised
support! *Helped Soviet Union to spread power throughout Europe!
• U.S. response- Marshall Plan
• Organize all European nation to work together in order to rebuild and recover
• U.S. would provide money and support for the plan
• Result- Between 1948 and 1952- $12 billion went to 16 Western European countries
(no communism spread there)
Cause of the Cold War- Alliances
• Soviet Union and U.S. both joined multiple world organizations that
helped to lead to additional tension
• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) 1949- Atlantic bordering
nations promised to defend each other from Soviet attack
• U.S. provided troops to be stationed in Europe
• Warsaw Pact, 1955- Soviet Union and Soviet Satellite nations joined in
a treaty to protect each other from a NATO alliance attack
*Think about it- How is this similar to WWI and WWII?
NATO and Warsaw Pact Map
Causes of the Cold War- Nuclear Threat
• After the dropping of the
Atom Bomb in Japan, nuclear
weapons threatened the
world
• 1949- Soviet Union develops
and successfully detonates
Atomic Bomb
• Arms Race- U.S. and Soviet
Union competed with each
other to develop more
powerful and expansive
armories/ weapons
Action of the Cold War- Berlin Wall
• During the night of August 13th, 1961,
Soviet military constructed a wall dividing
West and East Berlin.
• Why?- Communist government of East
Germany wanted to stop people from fleeing
to Western Germany
• Following the building of the wall, East
Germany released some economic control
and allowed economic growth.
• People who were found trying to escape
to West Berlin were arrested or killed by
border guards.
Some People did Escape East Berlin
An East German soldier escapes to the West in this
famous photo.
Do you think this border guard helped
this boy escape?
Action of the Cold War- Cuban Missile Crisis
• 1959- Fidel Castro becomes dictator of Cuba
• Through a revolution
• In two years, Castro converted Cuba to a Communist Dictatorship and
allied the nation with the Soviet Union.
• Fall of 1962- U.S. satellites showed Soviet medium range nuclear
missiles being placed on Cuban territory (90 miles from the Florida
coast)
• For 13 days the nations “stared war in the face”
• President John F. Kennedy demanded the missiles be removed
• Soviet leader Khruschev agreed if U.S. missiles be removed from Turkey and
promise to not invade Cuba
End of the Cold War
• 1972- policy of détente established
• French word meaning “relaxation of strained relations”
• President Nixon and Soviet leader Brezhnev signed many agreements promising to
work together on technology, sciences, and economically
• 1989- Berlin Wall is removed
• President Reagan- “Tear down this wall!”
• Overtime, tensions “cooled” as the nations worked together
Video- “Stay Tuned (TV’s Unforgettable Moments)- Episode 20- “The Fall of
The Berlin Wall”, 4 mins.
Following the video, turn and talk to your neighbor about the following
questions:
• How do you think former U.S. Presidents viewed Eastern Germany and the
Soviet Union following WWII?
• What actions do you believe would have been necessary to break down the
Berlin Wall sooner?
Annotated Timeline- The Cold War
• For each of the following events, illustrate a picture and write 2-3
sentences which describe the event.
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•
•
•
•
Policy of Containment
Creation of Alliance
Nuclear Threats
Berlin Wall
Cuban Missile Crisis
• On the back of your timeline, write a 4-5 sentence summary regarding
which events you think are the most important in understanding the Cold
War.
• Your timeline must be neat, use correct information, and provide a
summary that uses evidence!
STOP!
• Go to the Russia and Chechnya powerpoint and continue there.
• Optional – after finishing with the Russia and Chechnya powerpoint,
return here to do the Ukraine Crisis Article Analysis.
Ukraine Crisis- Article Analysis
• Step 1- Read section 1.
• Step 2- Re-read the section and…
• Highlight any causes you find that lead to the Ukraine Crisis
• Underline any effects of possible actions regarding the Ukraine Crisis
• Step 3- Repeat steps 1 and 2 for sections 2 and 3 (“West Holds Back”
and “Warships?”
• All articles will be collected at the end of the block!
• You will receive a participation grade for completing the tasks above.
Turn and Talk!- Ukraine Crisis Analysis
Findings
• With your table team members, discuss your responses to the Article
Analysis worksheet questions.
• Do NOT just stop there…
• What are your concerns?
• What led to such a conflict? Why?
• Thoughts on what the United States should do?
• REMEMBER- Do NOT stop talking until the music stops!
Ukraine Conflict Summary Write Up!
• In the space provided (in the Summary Write Up! Section of your
Article Analysis Worksheet), write a 4-6 sentence summary of your
beliefs regarding the Ukrainian conflict.
• Use the following questions to help guide your summary:
•
•
•
•
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Why is Russia involved with the Ukraine?
What caused this conflict?
What role do other nations have in the conflict?
What are your concerns?
What should the United States do?