Station A: Berlin Airlift

(background)

The Berlin airlift marked the first major confrontation in the Cold War. For 11 months,

beginning in June 1948, the Western allies took part in an unprecedented attempt to keep a

city alive -- entirely from the air.

Following World War II, Germany was divided into four zones of occupation -- Soviet, British,

French and American. The Capital of Berlin was also divided into 4 occupied territories.

Germany and Berlin in particular, were the only places where communist and capitalist forces

came into direct contact. With the war over, tensions began to mount between the democratic

countries of the west and communist countries controlled by the Soviet Union. . Berlin was an

island in the middle of the Soviet controlled zone. The west sent supplies via roads and

railroads.

In June 1948, an announcement by the Western Allies established a currency reform (Deutsche

Mark) meant to wipe out the German black market and tie the German economy to the West.

The President of the United States at the time was Harry Truman.

The Soviets, not informed about the currency reform, were angry by the action. On Thursday,

June 24, 1948, West Berlin woke to find itself under a Soviet blockade --and in the midst of the

first major confrontation of the Cold War. The Soviets, under leader Joseph Stalin, hoped to

starve the West out of Berlin. At the time the blockade started, West Berlin had about a 36 day

supply of food, limited medical supplies and coal for energy. Without going to war or giving up

Berlin, the western countries only option was to fly in all supplies for 2 million people trapped

in West Berlin. The army estimated it would take 1500 tons of food each day to keep West

Berlin alive.

In West Berlin, the airlift brought people sustenance and hope. In one memorable instance, the

airlift rains candy on West Berlin's desperate children. Over the next ten months, the U.S and

Britain flew around 277,000 flights into Berlin, carrying over 2.3 million tons of supplies at a

rate of one flight every 62 seconds, an effort that went down in history as an aviation and

logistical feat. The Soviet Union ended its blockade of Berlin on May 12, 1949 and the airlift was

over.

Tasks:

On your graphic organizer:

1. List the Leaders of the U.S and USSR

2. List where, when the event took place

3. Draw a Map of Germany and Berlin – divide the sections (color code) by occupied

countries

4. Draw arrows to show the airlift flight patterns

5. Summarize: Why did the event happen, and what was the outcome?

Station B: Korean War

(background)

The Korean War was fought between South Korea and communist North Korea. It was the first

major military conflict of the Cold War. The Soviet Union (under Joseph Stalin) supported North

Korea and the United States (Under Pres. Truman) supported South Korea. President Truman

established the Truman Doctrine, the belief that it was necessary to stop the spread of

communism or countries would fall like dominoes, eventually reaching the U.S.

The surrender of Japan at the end of World War II also meant an end to 35 years of Japanese

occupation in Korea. The Soviet and U.S. troops liberated Korea -- and agreed to divide the

nation along the 38th parallel as a temporary measure.

As both sides withdrew their troops, they also set up rival governments, creating the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the North, and the Republic of Korea in the South

Both North Korean leader Kim Il Sung and South Korean leader, Syngman Rhee, dreamed of

reunifying the peninsula under their respective governments.

Stalin, believed it was time to open an Asian front against capitalism. On June 25, 1950, the

North Korean army rolled south in a surprise assault. The United States led the UN forces to

prevent the North Korean takeover. President Truman determined that the war would be a

limited war, a war where total victory would not be required so nuclear war could be avoided.

At first, the U.N. troops were on the verge of being driven from the peninsula. However, a

daring attack behind North Korean lines at the Port of Inchon pushed back the North Korean

advance. North Koreas neighbor, the People’s Republic of China, watched with alarm as U.N.

forces drove the North Koreans out of the South.

It was believed China would not get involved in the conflict, but unknown to Western leaders,

500,000 Chinese -- called the People's Volunteers -- were preparing to enter Korea.

In November 1950, China attacked -- sending the surprised U.N. forces reeling southward. U.N.

troops stopped the advance by North Korean and Chinese forces near the 38th parallel -- and

the war developed into a painful stalemate.

It wasn't until July 1953, after months of pointless fighting and the death of Soviet dictator

Joseph Stalin, that a cease-fire was finally agreed to. Despite the armistice, the Korean

peninsula remains divided to this day -- and a potential global flashpoint....at the 38th Parallel,

a demilitarized zone exists between the two sides.

Tasks: On your graphic organizer:

1. List the leaders of US, USSR, North Korea, South Korea, and China

2. List where and when the event took place

3. Draw a map of Korean peninsula, color code the two countries

4. Define: What is the 38th parallel?

5. How does the political cartoon emphasize the Truman Doctrine?

6. What is limited war?

7. Summarize: Why did the event happen, what was the outcome?

Station C: Sputnik – The Space Race

In August 1949, the United States was shocked to discover the Soviet Union has broken

Washington's atomic monopoly. Soviets developed a bomb due to Soviet agents gathering

of U.S. atomic secrets.

The bomb also signaled the start of the nuclear arms race between the Cold War rivals. By

1952, the United States developed and tested the first hydrogen bomb. The Soviets

matched that milestone several years later.

Meanwhile, American children watched as bomb shelters were built in their backyards. In

school kids practiced to "duck and cover" should nuclear bombs should fall.

In 1955, President Eisenhower proposed an "Open Skies" policy -- giving both sides the

freedom to fly over each other's territory and observe for themselves military

developments on the ground. Nikita Khrushchev, the new Soviet leader, announced his

refusal. Soviet engineers began developing missile technology. They tested the world's first

intercontinental ballistic missile in May 1957. On October 4, 1957, they surprised the world

by launching Sputnik -- the world's first satellite.

Sputnik came as a shock to the West and especially the United States, which realized the

Soviets now had the ability to send not only satellites around the world, but nuclear

weapons as well. Prior to the launch of Sputnik, the United States believed they had

technological superiority. Four months after the launch of Sputnik, the United States

launched its first satellite, the Explorer I. President Eisenhower then established the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958.

The USSR set the first man into space in April 1961, which propelled new US President, John

F. Kennedy, to commit to sending the first man on the moon. In October 1963, Soviet

Leader Nikita Khrushchev characterized the USSR as “not at present planning flight by

cosmonauts to the Moon”, while adding that the USSR had not dropped out of the race. The

United States achieved the goal of reaching the moon in July of 1969. At this time, Leonid

Brezhnev became the new Soviet leader.

The Space Race was considered over when a joint mission between the US and USSR was

formed in 1975. There were five presidents during the space race era: Eisenhower,

Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford.

Tasks: on your graphic organizer

1. When did Sputnik launch?

2. Who were Leaders of US and USSR at the time of the launch?

3. What was the purpose of the Space Race?

4. Why was launching of Sputnik seen as a serious threat to the West?

5. Analyze and explain the political cartoon. What does the newspaper headline indicate

about America’s feelings of Sputnik?

6. In your opinion, who won the Space Race?

Station D: Berlin Wall

(background)

The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier that separated West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest

of East Germany. The wall was a 13-foot concrete barrier that snaked through Berlin, effectively

sealing off West Berlin from ground access except on terms acceptable to the East German

government. More than 23,400 East Germans fled to the West across the Wall, although

hundreds died trying to escape across it.

Berlin was the capital of Germany. Even though it was located in the eastern half of the

country, the city was controlled by all four major powers; the Soviet Union, the United States,

Britain and France.

As people in East Germany began to realize that they did not want to live under the rule of the

Soviet Union and communism, they started to leave the eastern part of the country and move

to the west. These people were called 'defectors.'

Over the course of 1949-1959, over 2 million people left the country. In 1960 alone, around

230,000 people defected.

On August 12th and 13th 1961, The Soviets and East Germans built a wall around Berlin to

prevent people from leaving. The division of the wall separated families for nearly 30 years. At

first, the fence was just barbed wire, but later it was constructed with concrete blocks 12-13

feet high and four feet wide. The East German border guards shoot-to-kill order against

refugees resulted in about 250–300 deaths between August 24, 1961, and February 2, 1989.

The Western side of the Wall wrote messages of hope to families trapped on the East and

political demands to end Communism.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech standing in front of the Berlin Wall where he

famously asked the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this Wall." The Soviet

Union was beginning to collapse during this time and the USSR was losing their hold on East

Germany.

On November 9, 1989, East Germany announced that the borders were open between the two

countries. Within days, people took hammers and chiseled the wall away piece by piece. In

October 1990, Germany was officially reunified into a single country.

Tasks: on your graphic organizer

1. Which country was separated by the Berlin Wall?

2. When was the Berlin Wall built? When did it fall?

3. Why was it built?

4. Draw a map of Berlin and illustrate the Berlin Wall segment.

5. Why would the Berlin Wall become a symbol of the Cold War?

6. The Berlin Wall was sometimes called a 'Canvas of Concrete.' Looking at the image

provided, who would have access to paint on the wall, and what messages would they

want to send?

7. What is the message of the political cartoon?

8. Name the US and Soviet leaders at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Station E: Cuban Missile Crisis

(background)

The Cuban Missile Crisis is considered the climax of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and

the United States. The crisis, which occurred in 1962, consisted of a standoff between U.S.

president John F. Kennedy and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev over the Soviet plan to install

nuclear missiles on the island nation of Cuba, just 100 miles away from Florida.

On October 14, 1962 An American U-2 spy plane flying over Cuba captured pictures of long-

range Soviet missiles in Cuba. These missiles could reach any point of the US with nuclear

warheads. The joint-chiefs of staff voted to invade Cuba, and Kennedy feared a WWIII so he

opted to set up a naval blockade to prevent the Soviets from entering Cuba. A method of

Brinkmanship had been used, which involves heightening of tensions to a dangerous level in

order to force an opponent to act.

Publicly the Soviets pledged to not back down, but secretly both sides were negotiating an

agreement. Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba, was left out of negotiations. Khrushchev wrote a

personal letter to Kennedy asking that they come to an agreement to avoid war.

Ultimately, Kennedy and Khrushchev defused the crisis with the following agreement: on

October 28, Khrushchev decided to withdraw the nuclear arms from Cuba on the condition that

the United States declared publicly that it would not attack Cuba and privately withdrew its

nuclear arsenal from Turkey and Italy.

Although the Cuban Missile Crisis lasted only 13 days, its repercussions were considerable. One

outcome was sanctions against Cuba from 1962 until recently. Having come closer to nuclear

war than ever before, both the United States and the Soviet Union were more cautious about

offensive deployment of nuclear arms during the remainder of the Cold War.

Tasks: On your graphic organizer

1. Where and when did this event take place?

2. Who were the leaders of the US and USSR during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

3. Who was the leader of Cuba at this time?

4. Draw a map of Cuba

5. Analyze the political cartoon

6. What happened during this conflict?

7. What was the outcome of this conflict?

8. Explain your thoughts on the Newspaper headline. How would you feel? How do you

imagine a watching world felt?

9. Is Brinkmanship used today?

Station F: Vietnam War

(Background)

The Vietnam War was the deadliest conflict of the Cold War and fought between communist

North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam from November 1, 1955- April 30, 1975

with North Vietnam becoming the victors. The North, was supported by communist countries

such as the People's Republic of China under Mao Zadong and the Soviet Union under Nikita

Khrushchev. The South, was supported by anti-communist countries, primarily by the United

States.

The war lasted for 20 years, something the U.S. did not expect. The US developed a 'domino

theory' about Southeast Asia. If one country in the region fell to the Communists, all the rest

would too. The Truman Doctrine of 'Containment' was developed to prevent the spread of

communism. America entered the war in 1959 under President Eisenhower. The war continued

with Kennedy and escalated under President Johnson. President Nixon campaigned to end the

war and America withdrew in 1973.

Before WWII, Vietnam had been a colony of France. During the war, Japan took control of the

area. When the war ended there was a power vacuum and Communist leader Ho Chi Minh

wanted freedom from European control for the country.

After fighting the French, the country was divided by the Communist North led by Ho Chi Minh

and the Southern leader Ngo Dihn Diem, who was supported by the US. The country was

divided at the 17th parallel.

The Vietnam War can be considered a 'proxy' war in the Cold War. Although the Soviet Union

and the United States did not directly go to war, they each supported a different side in the

war. The war was very controversial in the United States and 58,220 U.S soldiers lost their lives.

The "hippie" movement or counterculture developed out of protests against the war and

America's involvement in the war. Millions of Vietnamese died in battle or as civilians caught in

the crossfire. America pulled out of the war in March 1973 and South Vietnam fell to the

Communists in 1975.

Tasks: On your graphic organizer

1. Where and when did this event take place?

2. Draw a map of Vietnam

3. Who were the U.S Presidents during this conflict?

4. Name the two leaders of North and South Vietnam

5. Name the Chinese and Soviet leaders

6. Why do you think was the war controversial in the United States?

7. Analyze the image and the political cartoon, what do you think these images say about

the attitude to the war in the United States?

Station H: The Collapse of the Soviet Union

(Background)

The collapse of the Soviet Union started in the late 1980's and was complete when the country

broke up into 15 independent states on December 25, 1991. This signaled the end of the Cold

War between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Mikhail Gorbachev was elected General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1985. When he took

over the Soviet Union economy was in bad shape and his idea was to reform the economy and

modernize the political situation in the country.

There were two main platforms of Gorbachev's reforms. The first he called Glasnost. Glasnost

allowed more freedom of speech and openness in government. Government officials would be

held accountable to the people for their actions. It allowed the people to protest and the

media to report on issues for the first time. Many of the states used this new freedom to

express their desire for independence.

The other major reform was Perestroika. Perestroika means 'restructuring.' Gorbachev meant

to restructure the Soviet economy to work more efficiently. He allowed some private

ownership and released some of the tight control the Soviet government had on the economy.

Other Communist regimes were under crisis around the world with the collapse of the Berlin

Wall on November 9, 1989, which brought about the unification of Germany. With the

Communist government on the verge of collapse, Soviet hardliners decided to take action. In

August 1991, they kidnapped Gorbachev and announced to the world that he was too sick to

govern. They would be taking over. When the citizens protested, the hardliners called in the

military to shut them down, but the soldiers refused to shoot and arrest their own people.

Without the military to back them up, the takeover failed.

On December 24, 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved and Mikhail Gorbachev announced his

resignation. This happened while George H. W. Bush was the US President. The Soviet was

divided up into 15 separate countries including the following: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,

Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan. The breakup of the Soviet Union signaled the end of the

Cold War.

Tasks: On your graphic organizer

1. Who was the Soviet leader at the time of the breakup of the Soviet Union? Who was the

President of the US?

2. Draw a map of the Soviet Union and the areas created by the breakup of the Soviet

Union.

3. What was Glasnost?

4. What was Perestroika?

5. How did these policies lead to the breakup of the Soviet Union?

6. What happened on November 9, 1989

7. Why would the collapse of the Soviet Union end the Cold War?

8. Examine and give an analysis of the two political cartoons.

9. Discuss orally with your partner: Are we entering a new Cold War today?

Station G: The Red Scare

The term Red Scare, was used to describe the periods of extreme anti-communism in the

United States. 'Red' comes from the color of the Soviet Union flag. 'Scare' comes from the fact

that many people were scared that communism would come to the United States.

There were two Red Scare periods. The first occurred after WWI and the Russian Revolution,

and the second occurred during the Cold War after WWII.

First Red Scare: Communism first became a major system of government in Russia after the

Russian Revolution in 1917. The Bolshevik Party, which led the revolution, was led by Marxist

Vladimir Lenin. The first Red Scare occurred from 1919 to 1920.

Second Red Scare: The second Red Scare occurred during the start of the Cold War with the

Soviet Union after the end of WWII. It lasted around ten years from 1947-1957. Truman and

Eisenhower were Presidents during this time. With the spread of communism in Eastern Europe

and China as well as the Korean War, people were scared that communism could infiltrate the

United States. Also, the Soviet Union had become a world superpower and had nuclear bombs.

People were scared of anyone who may side with the communists and help the Soviets get

secret information about the United States.

The US government was heavily involved in the Red Scare. One of the main crusaders against

communism was Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy was determined to out communists. He

used intimidation and gossip to get information. He often had little evidence when he accused

people of working for the Soviet Union. He ruined many people’s careers and lives before other

leaders in the congress put an end to his ways.

The FBI, led by anti-communist J. Edgar Hoover, also got involved. They used wiretaps and

spied on suspected communists giving the information to McCarthy and other anti-communist

leaders. A committee was formed in Congress called the Committee on Un-American Activities.

They heavily investigated Hollywood, accusing executives, screenwriters and directors of being

pro-communist.

Tasks: On your graphic organizer

1. Who was Joseph McCarthy?

2. Who were presidents at the time of the Red Scare?

3. What was the job of the Committee of Un-American Activities

4. Review and exam the images: compare and contrast the ideas represented. Which

image or cartoon is against the Red Scare and which image or cartoon are against the

Red Scare. Explain your choices.

5. Do we have similar 'scares' today? Do governments set aside civil liberties (freedoms)

for the good of the country? Explain.

Cold War Station Notes/Graphic Organizer

1. Super Power:

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Cold War:

____________________________________________________________________

3. Limited War:

____________________________________________________________________

4. Détente:

_____________________________________________________________________

5. Communism:

_____________________________________________________________________

Station Map (Where)

Who, When (Leaders)

Why, How (Analysis, Summaries)

Station A Berlin Airlift

Station B Korean War

Station C Sputnik Space Race

Station D Berlin Wall

Station E Cuban Missile Crisis

Station F Vietnam War

Station G Red Scare

Station H Soviet Collapse