Media & the Cold War

Presented by

Christy Dallaire, Anna Trip & Cindy Williams

Rationale

The purpose of this unit is to present the background for the development of the Cold War, as well as the policies instilled to (attempt to) establish collective security, nuclear deterrence, and peaceful co-existence.

Students will identify and evaluate different forms of media and their influence during this period, and also judge the effect of democratic reform in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

Key Questions

Why did a confrontation or “Cold War” develop between the western democracies and the communist bloc after World War Two?

Why did the threat of a nuclear Armageddon tend to produce war by proxy?

The danger and the expense of east/west confrontation gradually produced changing strategies

– what were they, and how did they affect the Cold War?

In what ways have democratic reform affected Eastern Europe and Soviet Russia?

ObjectivesStudents will…

Identify and evaluate the different forms of media and their influence during the Cold War period.

Distinguish the opposing ideologies of the Cold War.

Interpret policies set in place during the Cold War.

Recognize the nature of the rivalry between the two superpowers of the Cold War.

Compare the worth of both collective security and self-reliance.

Judge the effect of democratic reform in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the world.

Forms of Media

Movies Television Newspapers Songs Internet Radio Magazines Speeches Advertisements

Using Speeches“Ideological Struggle or Balance of Power Politics?”

Objectives Distinguish the opposing ideologies of the Cold War. Recognize the nature of the rivalry between the two superpowers of the Cold War

Using Posters“The Cold War Turns Hot”

Objectives Interpret policies set in place during the Cold War

Collective security, nuclear deterrence, peaceful co-existence Compare the worth of both collective security and self-reliance

http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/jwb/collab/ColdWar/Propaganda/duckncvr.mov

American & Soviet Russian Poster

American & Soviet Russian Poster

Using Movies“Beyond the Cold War”

Objective Judge the effect of democratic reform of Eastern Europe , the former USSR and the

world.

Resources

Dodge, Judith (2005). Differentiation in Action. New York: Scholastic.

Halsall, Paul (1997). Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Retrieved February 21, 2007 from:http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/odsbook. html

Program Development and Implementation Branch, New Brunswick Department of Education

(1992). History 112 – The West in the Modern World. Retrieved February 21, 2007 from:http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/curric/o dernhistory112.pdf