The Early Days of the Cold War - The Truman Years

APUSH Gang,

Just because it's FCAT Week doesn't mean that we have nothing to do! The APUSH exam is right around the corner, and we need to prepare ourselves. This week, we will take an intensive look at the early years of the Cold War, when Europe and Japan were in ruins, there were only two superpowers that stood ready to stand in each others' way, and the United States had a difficult choice to make: retreat to isolationism again, or recognize the potential threat to world domination that the Soviet Union had become.

"American Pageant" Ch. 36 Guidebook ("The Cold War Begins, 1945-1952") is on my McKeel webpage. You will also find answer keys for Ch. 29-35. There is a LOT of information to learn about the early years of the Cold War that may rear its head on the APUSH exam in a few weeks, so be prepared to know how to answer Ch. 36 Guidebook's ten "PART III: APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED" essays.

You will have an exam on Fri., 4/15, on Chapters 29-33 (Wilsonian Progressivism, WWI, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, & the New Deal). This was posted on my blog last week, but I thought that WWII would be adding a little bit too much. You will report for this exam in Mrs. Fields' room after Advisory, and you may take up to 60 minutes to complete it. Bring #2 pencils!!

As for your assignments for "The Cold War, 1945-1952":

1.) You will need to get two videos from me: "America in the 20th Century: The Post-War Years" and "America in the 20th Century: The Cold War". You can stop the 2nd one after the segment on the Korean War ending with an armistice in 1953 after Gen. MacArthur is relieved of his command. Your assignment for both is to write an outline for both films, segment by segment. Each one should contain at least 25 fully-written points of interest. - Due Tues., April 19

2.) There is a DBQ from the 2006 APUSH exam on my website. Look at it, analyze the documents, and write it (only Section II, Part A). Remember, no matter how well-written it might be, if it contains no outside information, it will not score better than a 4 out of 9, so be sure to digest Ch. 36 in "American Pageant", watch the films, and plug through the Monterey Institute's offerings on the Cold War (listed below...Due Wed., April 20

3.) "American Pageant," Ch. 36 Guidebook - Due Thursday, April 21

4.) Monterey Institute's Unit 9, Chapter 22 ("HST & IKE"), Lessons 65-68

http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/AP%20US%20History%20II/nroc%20prototype%20files/coursestartc.html

a.) Key Terms - For each term, note the definition as well as the term's significance (Due Mon., 4/18)
b.) Writing Assignment - This is a free-response question from the 2002 APUSH exam. MAKE SURE YOU GO TO PAGE 8 & ANSWER ONLY #4. (Due Tues., 4/19)
c.) Discussion Question - Answer the following question as a response to this blog: "How did the U.S. policy of containment affect the decision-making of the government during the 1940s and 1950s? Did Americans overreact to the potential threat of communistic influence in the U.S.?" Your response should be at least 350 words, and should be posted by Thursday, 4/21.

KEY CONCEPTS

1. Explain the causes and consequences of the post–World War II economic boom.
2. Describe the large postwar migrations to the Sunbelt and the suburbs.
3. Explain changes in American society and culture brought about by the "baby boom".
4. Explain the origin and causes of the emerging conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union after Germany’s defeat and Truman’s accession to the presidency.
5. Describe the early U.S.-Soviet Cold War conflicts over Germany and Eastern Europe, and explain why the United Nations proved largely ineffectual in addressing them.
6. Discuss the American theory and practice of containment, as reflected in the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO.
7. Describe the concern about Soviet spying and communist subversion within the United States and the increasing climate of fear it engendered.
8. Describe the expansion of the Cold War to East Asia, including the Chinese communist revolution and the Korean War.
9. Other important stuff: the Warsaw Pact, the Berlin Airlift, Communist insurgencies in Greece & Turkey in 1947-1948

"The Good Fight"...America in World War II

APUSH Gang,

This week is probably my favorite week in the curricular calendar: World War II week!! Good vs. Evil, with the forces of liberty and democracy fighting to save the world from tyranny and oppression...but it's never quite THAT easy, is it? If it was, why would we have a picture like the one you see shown on this post?

With the APUSH Exam fast approaching, you will be working VERY hard this week to learn as much as you can about America's shining moment, when our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, freshly recovered from the privations of the Great Depression, fought a two-front war in Europe and the Pacific.

This Week's Due Dates/Assignments:

1.) "American Pageant," Chapters 34-35 are on my website to print and use...and the Answer Key to Ch. 29-33 is there, too...you're welcome.

2.) Zinn, Ch. 16 Questions ("A People's War?") - Two sets of questions this time, since: 1.) I won't see you next week until Fri., 4/15, and; 2.) there is a lot of good early Cold War stuff in this chapter, too, which you will be learning about next week on your own. These questions can be given to me by Wed., April 13.

3.) The Monterey Institute's interactive unit for WWII can be found at:

http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/AP%20US%20History%20II/nroc%20prototype%20files/coursestartc.html

This is great stuff, and we'll see some of it in class on Mon., 4/4. Here are the assignments for this interactive site (you'll need to use the resources on this website and other sources, too):

a.) Define the Key Terms (due Wed., 4/6)
b.) Answer the Writing Assignment question using the 4 documents included on the website AND our class activity on Thurs., 4/7 (due Fri., 4/8)
c.) Answer this question as a response on this blog by Fri., 4/8 - "While 15 million Americans were called overseas to fight the Axis aggression, Americans at home faced tremendous changes during wartime as well. How did Americans respond to the call of war domestically?" This should be at least 400 words (include your word count).

4.) WWII Propaganda Posters - you will need a Notes Sheet (matrix format) and a form titled "Common Objectives and Rules of Propaganda." The posters themselves are on my website. This assignment is due by Tues., April 12.

5.) You may choose ONE of the following two options to explore: a.) German POW Camps in Florida during WWII, or; b.) "Operation Drumbeat," a Nazi terrorist plot to sabotage America's infrastructure during WWII. These assignments are due by Wed., April 13.

6.) I have two videos and supplemental activities to be viewed, completed, and turned in by Fri., April 15. If you are interested in earning twenty points extra credit, you may want to download these films and complete this assignment (due Thurs., April 14).

-You can expect an exam on Chapters 29-35 in "American Pageant" on Fri., 4/15. It will be heavy on the Great Depression, the New Deal, & World War II.