Exploring Our World: People, Places, and Cultures

Chapter 14: History and Cultures of Russia

Web Activity Lesson Plans

"Time Line of the Cold War"

Introduction
In this chapter, students learned that the Cold War was a time of intense rivalry between democratic and Communist nations. The United States and the countries of Western Europe bitterly opposed the Communist ideas and practices of the Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union and the United States competed fiercely to extend their influence around the world, both politically and militarily. Their race for supremacy even extended into space. The Cold War was marked by a number of important events, most dealing with shows of power and military actions in far corners of the world. The threat of nuclear war served as a constant backdrop during the almost six decades during which the Cold War took place. In this activity, students examine a number of the key events that made up the Cold War.

Lesson Description
Students will examine an interactive time line of the Cold War, allowing them to choose and learn about individual events from that period. Students will answer several questions and then research and create a more detailed time line for a single decade from the Cold War. Before students begin, discuss the growth of communism in the Soviet Union, Soviet–U.S. relations during World War II, and the origins and meaning of the term “Cold War.”

Instructional Objectives

1. The learner will understand the origins of the period known as the Cold War.
2. The learner will identify major events of the Cold War and explain the significance of those events.
3. The learner will create a time line for a decade of the Cold War, adding and explaining additional important events.

Student Web Activity Answers

1. The Truman Doctrine pledged aid to any country threatened by communism. The Doctrine would have caused tension because the Soviet Union was a Communist country seeking to spread its political beliefs to other countries.
2. the Soviets’ launch of the first human-made satellite, Sputnik
3. an easing of the Cold War; Khrushchev denounced earlier Communist policies which stated that war between communist and capitalist societies was inevitable.
4. The INF was the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which was signed in 1987. It eliminated a number of U.S. and Soviet nuclear missiles.
5. Students’ time lines will vary depending upon the decade and events chosen.