Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Origins of the Cold War

Subject Area

Social Studies

Grade(s)

11

Overview

This video from Khan Academy is an overview of the Cold War which was a period of increased tensions and competition for global influence between the United States that lasted from approximately 1945 until 1991. Tensions increased in the aftermath of World War II when the United States dropped the atom bomb and Russian forces took over Eastern Europe. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union never directly attacked one another but instead fought proxy wars in order to repel or spread communism, respectively. This video can be played to introduce a lesson on the Cold War. The video is 11 minutes and 57 seconds in length.

    Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 11 - United States History II

    SS10.US2.11

    Describe the international role of the United States from 1945 through 1960 relative to the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Blockade, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). [A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.g., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SS10.US2.11

    Vocabulary

    • Cold War
    • domino theory
    • McCarthyism
    • space race

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • The international role of the United States from 1945 through 1960.
    • Important events, policies, and issues such as the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Blockade, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the domino theory, Sputnik and the beginning of the space race, and the consequences of each.
    • Important domestic events, policies, and issues such as McCarthyism, the institution of loyalty oaths, the Alger Hiss case, the House Un-American Activities Committee, the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the G.I. Bill of Rights, growth in the consumer economy, rock and roll, bomb shelters, Federal-Aid Highway Act and the consequences of each.
    • Location of areas of conflict during the Cold War.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Locate specific points on a map and identify political, social, and geographic changes that occurred during or as a result of a historical event.
    • Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media.
    • Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information related to historical events.
    • Read and comprehend historical texts independently and proficiently on various topics related to historical events.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • The United States played an important international role from 1945 through 1960, including domestic and foreign policies and actions related to this expanded role and the Cold War.
    Link to Resource

    CR Resource Type

    Audio/Video

    Resource Provider

    Khan Academy
    Accessibility

    Accessibility

    Video resources: includes closed captioning or subtitles
    License

    License Type

    Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
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