Unit Title: The Cold War
Course Title: 7th Social Studies
Pacing 8 Days
Content Standards K-12 Vertical Alignment
Understandings
Students will understand that…
Essential Questions
Knowledge
Students will know…
The USA and USSR were considered the superpowers at the end of WWII.
The USA and USSR had different political interests that influenced their military, political, economic and social interactions with various nations. (USA-Democracy and USSR- Communist)
The USA took on a heavy economic burden to support the military actions needed to maintain the democratic ideals in Vietnam and Korea.
After WWII, the Yalta Conference divided Germany into four zones controlled by 4 nations (America, Britain, France and Soviet Union),
The capital city of Berlin was divided by the Berlin Wall, which prevented East Berlin residents from crossing into West Berlin and defecting from Soviet controlled territory.
The Cold War ended in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed after years of economic turmoil and political discontent among its satellite nations.
Korea
This was a conflict between the northern (Communist) and southern (Democratic) parts of Korea with the USA and USSR backing different sides in order to promote their political agendas.
The Korean Conflict was the first military conflict of the Cold War. (North Korea invades South Korea at the 38th parallel- DMZ).
The USA and United Nations supported the military, economic, and political push for democracy, while China and USSR supported the push for communism in Korea.
The Korean Conflict devolved into a stalemate and resulted in an armistice keeping the boundary between North and South Korea near the 38th parallel (DMZ) and each respective side maintaining their communist/democratic ideals.
Vietnam
This was a conflict between Northern Viet Cong (communist) and Southern Vietnam (democratic) with the USA and USSR backing differing sides to promote their political interest.
The effects of guerilla warfare affected the long term involvement of the US’s military in the conflict.
The Vietnam War ended when President Nixon withdrew troops from South Vietnam in 1973. The Viet Cong later seized all of Vietnam into one communist nation.
Skills
Students will be able to…
Identify (to establish, to determine)
Course Title: 7th Social Studies
Pacing 8 Days
Content Standards K-12 Vertical Alignment
- 7.H.2- Understand the implications of global interactions.
- 7.H.2.1 - Analyze the effects of social, economic, military and political conflict among nations, regions, and groups (e.g. war, genocide, imperialism and colonization).
- 7.C&G.1-Understand the development of government in modern societies and regions.
- 7.C&G.1.1- Summarize the ideas that have shaped political thought in various societies and regions (e.g. Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution, democracy, communism and socialism).
Understandings
Students will understand that…
- The Cold War was a social, economic, military, and political conflict between the USA and the USSR.
The social, economic, military, and political conflicts of the Cold War influenced additional conflicts in Korea, and Vietnam. - The democratic and communist ideals of the Cold War influenced Korea and Vietnam.
- Cold War conflicts expanded into Africa, Asia and Latin America as colonies gained independence.
Essential Questions
- What were the social, economic, military and political conflicts between the USA and USSR that were known as the Cold War?
- How did social, economic, military, and political conflicts of the Cold War develop in Korea and Vietnam?
- What Democratic and Communist ideals influenced Cold War conflicts in Korea and Vietnam?
- What impact did the Cold War have on European colonies in Africa, Asia and Latin America?
Knowledge
Students will know…
The USA and USSR were considered the superpowers at the end of WWII.
The USA and USSR had different political interests that influenced their military, political, economic and social interactions with various nations. (USA-Democracy and USSR- Communist)
The USA took on a heavy economic burden to support the military actions needed to maintain the democratic ideals in Vietnam and Korea.
After WWII, the Yalta Conference divided Germany into four zones controlled by 4 nations (America, Britain, France and Soviet Union),
The capital city of Berlin was divided by the Berlin Wall, which prevented East Berlin residents from crossing into West Berlin and defecting from Soviet controlled territory.
The Cold War ended in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed after years of economic turmoil and political discontent among its satellite nations.
Korea
This was a conflict between the northern (Communist) and southern (Democratic) parts of Korea with the USA and USSR backing different sides in order to promote their political agendas.
The Korean Conflict was the first military conflict of the Cold War. (North Korea invades South Korea at the 38th parallel- DMZ).
The USA and United Nations supported the military, economic, and political push for democracy, while China and USSR supported the push for communism in Korea.
The Korean Conflict devolved into a stalemate and resulted in an armistice keeping the boundary between North and South Korea near the 38th parallel (DMZ) and each respective side maintaining their communist/democratic ideals.
Vietnam
This was a conflict between Northern Viet Cong (communist) and Southern Vietnam (democratic) with the USA and USSR backing differing sides to promote their political interest.
The effects of guerilla warfare affected the long term involvement of the US’s military in the conflict.
The Vietnam War ended when President Nixon withdrew troops from South Vietnam in 1973. The Viet Cong later seized all of Vietnam into one communist nation.
Skills
Students will be able to…
Identify (to establish, to determine)
- the reasons why USA and USSR emerged as superpowers at the end of WWII.
- the different ideologies between the USA and USSR that led to different alliance systems
- the effects of guerilla warfare on the long term involvement of the US’s military in the conflict
- the reasons why Germany was divided into East (Soviet-controlled) and West Germany until its reunification in 1990
- the reasons why the United States and Soviet Union involved themselves in various foreign conflicts
- the Korean war and the roles of the United States and USSR during the war
- why the Cold War ended in 1991 due to the Soviet Union economic turmoil and political discontent among its satellite nations
- why the United States provided aid to various European and Asian countries
- why the Korean Conflict devolved into a stalemate and resulted in an armistice
- why the Soviet Union built a wall in Berlin dividing East and West Germany
- the motivation of the United States and USSR involvement in the Vietnam War
- why the Korean War was the first conflict to test the spreading of ideologies between the United States and USSR
- the reasons why the USA and United Nations supported the military, economic, and political push for democracy, while China and USSR supported the push for communism in Korea
- the reasons why President Nixon withdrew troops from South Vietnam, causing Vietnam to later unite into one communist nation