Download Unit: The United States in an Age of Global Crisis

Unit: The United States in an Age of Global Crisis
Chapter: 28, The Cold War Era
Overview:
“The end of World War II brought the desire to prevent such devastation from ever
happening again. The United Nations was established to help nations find peaceful
solutions to conflicts. The uneasy wartime alliance between the United States and the
Soviet Union dissolved as the Cold War took hold. As communism spread through the
efforts of the Soviet Union and later China, the United States worked to strengthen its
influence in Western Europe and Asia by providing economic aid and building strategic
alliances. A growing anxiety about the spread of communism led the United States to
become more deeply involved in global affairs, while also fearing a Communist influence
at home.” (Reader 6/2)
Important Information:
In the 15 years following World War II students will understand:
1) The causes and nature of the early Cold War
2) The Korean war, America’s role and how the Cold War heats up during this time
3) President Eisenhower’s election and his leadership regarding controversial
domestic policies and foreign affairs
4) Post World War II economic boom led to vast social and cultural changes in
America
Essential Questions:
1) Why did the United States and the Soviet Union change from being allies in
World War II to enemies during the Cold War?
2) How did the United States try to stop the spread of communism in Europe and
Asia?
3) How did the desire to halt the spread of communism lead the United States into
war in Korea?
4) What effects did the fear of communism have within the United States?
5) How did the fear of communism lead to the violations of some people’s civil
rights in the United States?
6) What early advancements were made for the Civil Rights movement?
Key People:
Harry Truman:
Joseph McCarthy:
General MacArthur:
Alger Hiss:
Jackie Robinson:
George Marshall:
Dwight D. Eisenhower:
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg:
Mao Zedong:
Chiang Kai-shek:
Ho Chi Minh:
Rosa Parks:
Emmett Till:
Elvis Presley:
Key Terms:
GI Bill:
Baby Boom:
Levittown:
Iron Curtain:
Containment:
HUAC:
Hollywood Ten:
Dixiecrats:
Berlin Blockade/Airlift:
NATO
Warsaw Pact:
CIA/KGB:
Brown v. Board of Education:
White Citizens’ Council :
Montgomery Bus Boycott:
Rock’ n’ Roll:
Beat movement:
Polio and Vaccine:
Federal Highway Act of 1956:
Sputnik:
National Defense Education Act /NASA:
Key Concepts:
Suez Crisis:
Confrontation in Little Rock AR:
Election of 1960:
U-2 Incident:
Impact of Television in the U.S:
Election of 1952:
Korean War:
Civil Rights:
Truman Doctrine:
Marshall Plan :
Unit Essential Questions:
1) What were the causes of the Cold War?
2) How would you describe the Cold War in terms of political, economic, and social
ideological competitions?