Start of the Cold War: The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan

Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Subject Area

Social Studies

Grade(s)

11

Overview

This is an article from Khan Academy which provides an overview of the start of the Cold War. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman pledged that the United States would help any nation resist communism in order to prevent its spread. His policy of containment is known as the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine demonstrated that the United States would not return to isolationism after World War II, but rather take an active role in world affairs. To help rebuild after the war, the United States pledged $13 billion of aid to Europe in the Marshall Plan. This article can be used when teaching about the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan and as an assessment.  Students can answer the questions at the end of the article.

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.]

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.

CR Resource Type

Informational Material

Resource Provider

Other

License Type

CUSTOM

Resource Provider other

Khan Academy

Accessibility

Text Resources: Content is organized under headings and subheadings
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