The Cold War and our country's preparedness
This blog will include primary and secondary sources (video clips, pictures, text) to help you understand the preparedness people in the U.S. had or felt the need to have during the Cold War. The Cold War was a time of global fear that the U.S. and her main enemy, the U.S.S.R. would collapse into nuclear war. In the U.S. the federal civil defense program was authorized in 1951; it existed until 1994. It was originally authorized by PL (public law) 920 and was repealed in 1994. This civil defense program encouraged the education of the masses to prepare for nuclear war by showing people: how to build shelters, what to do in case of attack, where to go if you weren't near your own home's shelter when the attack occurred, who children could turn to for help, etc. These videos and images may seem silly now, but our government was hoping people would take them very seriously back in the 1950s and 1960s. One of the most important jobs of a country's government is to protect its citizens; by doing so, you maintain the respect and the confidence of your people. Consider this while reviewing these videos, images and reports and then answer the accompanying questions. Please answer questions in your Social Studies folder but feel free to post to the blog questions you may have that your peers or I will try to help you with.
Why primary sources? Until recently, most American school children acquired most of their knowledge of history from adults, biographies and textbooks. Once in high school, students would be asked to read non-fictional accounts of people and events in history. For the most part, these were all secondary sources; they were written by somehow who didn't actually experience the event. What makes primary sources so useful is that we are looking at or listening to or watching the actual words, video, song, picture, etc. that were created at that specific time in history. One was always able to witness primary sources back in the days before computers. You went to the library and requested 'microfiche'; you then sat in a room and were able to see copies of the actual picture, article, etc. It was a slow process though and it was often challenging to find what you wanted. With the advent of computers and the internet, finding primary sources has become exponentially easier and will be the student of history's best friend. Take care to go to approved sites (The Library of Congress, Discovery Education, etc.) so that you can be assured you are not being hoodwinked!
Begin this blog with the entry titled, "Capitalism, Communism and Nuclear War, Oh My!" for an overview of the Cold War. Upon completion, move onto "Cold War Beginnings-a summary" and read the primary sources and answer the questions.
Then you may study the pictures and the political cartoon and answer the accompanying questions.
Finish up by watching the videos-actual movies that were made in the 1950s and shown to children to prepare them in the event of nuclear war. Answer the questions.
Be sure to comment your thoughts about this blog to my post; what have you learned, did you like doing this kind of homework, will you take care to look for primary sources in the future?
Why primary sources? Until recently, most American school children acquired most of their knowledge of history from adults, biographies and textbooks. Once in high school, students would be asked to read non-fictional accounts of people and events in history. For the most part, these were all secondary sources; they were written by somehow who didn't actually experience the event. What makes primary sources so useful is that we are looking at or listening to or watching the actual words, video, song, picture, etc. that were created at that specific time in history. One was always able to witness primary sources back in the days before computers. You went to the library and requested 'microfiche'; you then sat in a room and were able to see copies of the actual picture, article, etc. It was a slow process though and it was often challenging to find what you wanted. With the advent of computers and the internet, finding primary sources has become exponentially easier and will be the student of history's best friend. Take care to go to approved sites (The Library of Congress, Discovery Education, etc.) so that you can be assured you are not being hoodwinked!
Begin this blog with the entry titled, "Capitalism, Communism and Nuclear War, Oh My!" for an overview of the Cold War. Upon completion, move onto "Cold War Beginnings-a summary" and read the primary sources and answer the questions.
Then you may study the pictures and the political cartoon and answer the accompanying questions.
Finish up by watching the videos-actual movies that were made in the 1950s and shown to children to prepare them in the event of nuclear war. Answer the questions.
Be sure to comment your thoughts about this blog to my post; what have you learned, did you like doing this kind of homework, will you take care to look for primary sources in the future?
Have they thought of everything?
What's happened in the outside world?
Family Fallout Shelter
Answer these questions in your blog post about the family fallout shelters
1. Do you think a shelter like this would actually protect the people in it? How would or wouldn't it?
2. Does the picture show how the people will sustain themselves throughout a lengthy wait? If so, how? If not, what do you think the absolutely fundamental needs of people will be? Explain how these needs will be taken care of. Be thorough; how will people dispose of waste?
3. Why would it be important to protect the people if all the cities and buildings in the U.S. were destroyed? What does this tell you about the value of human life?
4. Do you think the civil defense agency thought that these shelters would really save lives? If not, why would they have people go to the time and expense of building them?
5. Do you think these shelters gave people a false confidence that they would live through a nuclear war? If so, is that a bad thing or a good thing?
6. Many people did not have the money to build their own shelter; should our government have made sure that every single one of its citizens would be protected in case of nuclear war? Why or why not?
2. Does the picture show how the people will sustain themselves throughout a lengthy wait? If so, how? If not, what do you think the absolutely fundamental needs of people will be? Explain how these needs will be taken care of. Be thorough; how will people dispose of waste?
3. Why would it be important to protect the people if all the cities and buildings in the U.S. were destroyed? What does this tell you about the value of human life?
4. Do you think the civil defense agency thought that these shelters would really save lives? If not, why would they have people go to the time and expense of building them?
5. Do you think these shelters gave people a false confidence that they would live through a nuclear war? If so, is that a bad thing or a good thing?
6. Many people did not have the money to build their own shelter; should our government have made sure that every single one of its citizens would be protected in case of nuclear war? Why or why not?
Fallout Shelter Sign
These types of signs were used to direct you to the nearest shelter if you weren't at home when a nuclear bomb exploded! Do you think these signs made people feel safer? Do you think the average person even paid attention to them or ever visited one of the shelters?
YIKES!
Our poor world-stuck between two superpowers! What do you think the rest of the world felt about being caught in the middle of all of those bombs? Which countries were most at risk? Whose fault was this?
Capitalism, Communism and Nuclear War, OH MY!
Please read the following blog titled Cold War Beginnings and then answer these questions.
1. This blog is a secondary source; what makes it so?
2. What specifically about communism made Americans uncomfortable, why?
3. America's economic policy is capitalism, the Soviet Union's was communism (during the Cold War)-can this difference have been the true cause of the Cold War? If so, how? If not, why not?
4. Democracy vs. communism-in which form of government are "The People" freer? How so?
5. Get a world map from the Montessori cabinet; color the nations considered the "West" one color and the "East" another. Then take a look at our map of Europe before and after WWII; how have things changed in reference to communism and democracy?
1. This blog is a secondary source; what makes it so?
2. What specifically about communism made Americans uncomfortable, why?
3. America's economic policy is capitalism, the Soviet Union's was communism (during the Cold War)-can this difference have been the true cause of the Cold War? If so, how? If not, why not?
4. Democracy vs. communism-in which form of government are "The People" freer? How so?
5. Get a world map from the Montessori cabinet; color the nations considered the "West" one color and the "East" another. Then take a look at our map of Europe before and after WWII; how have things changed in reference to communism and democracy?
Cold War Beginnings-a summary
After reading the secondary source, Cold War Beginnings, there are three primary sources you are to then open up. It is not necessary to read the entire source unless you want to. Focus on the immediate quote and then answer the following questions.
"The Long Telegram" by George Kennan.
1. What was the Soviet government willing to do and why according to Kennan?
2. How important was it for the US government to have this knowledge?
3. How do you think Kennan knew this information?
4. What do you think of Stalin? Do you think he had the best interests of the Soviet people at heart?
5. How does history judge Stalin now?
"The Iron Curtain Speech" by Winston Churchill.
1. What did he mean by an "iron curtain' has descended across the continent?"
2. Find and label all the places Churchill mentioned on a map of Europe.
3. Do you think Churchill felt hoodwinked/swindled/fooled by Stalin who had been his ally during WWII? Why or why not?
4. Assuming Churchill and Roosevelt didn't trust Stalin during the war, was it a good decision to make him an ally? What other choice did they have?
5. Do you think our government today makes allies of governments/dictators we have no respect for? Why would 'we' do that?
"The Novikov Telegram"
1. Look up and record the word 'imperialist/imperialism' in the dictionary.
2. What did the Soviet ambassador Nikolai Novikov believe America wanted to do? Do you believe America wanted to do that?
3. Was America an imperialistic nation at that time? Explain your answer. Are we now? Explain.
4. What do you think our government did as a result of this telegram?
"The Long Telegram" by George Kennan.
1. What was the Soviet government willing to do and why according to Kennan?
2. How important was it for the US government to have this knowledge?
3. How do you think Kennan knew this information?
4. What do you think of Stalin? Do you think he had the best interests of the Soviet people at heart?
5. How does history judge Stalin now?
"The Iron Curtain Speech" by Winston Churchill.
1. What did he mean by an "iron curtain' has descended across the continent?"
2. Find and label all the places Churchill mentioned on a map of Europe.
3. Do you think Churchill felt hoodwinked/swindled/fooled by Stalin who had been his ally during WWII? Why or why not?
4. Assuming Churchill and Roosevelt didn't trust Stalin during the war, was it a good decision to make him an ally? What other choice did they have?
5. Do you think our government today makes allies of governments/dictators we have no respect for? Why would 'we' do that?
"The Novikov Telegram"
1. Look up and record the word 'imperialist/imperialism' in the dictionary.
2. What did the Soviet ambassador Nikolai Novikov believe America wanted to do? Do you believe America wanted to do that?
3. Was America an imperialistic nation at that time? Explain your answer. Are we now? Explain.
4. What do you think our government did as a result of this telegram?
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