The Cold War

Entry 1 - 1/27/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 26 Pg 779

1. How did the concerns of the Soviets and Americans differ towards the end of WW2?

2. How was Germany to be divided?

3. Why was President Truman against imposing war reparations on Germany? 781

4. Which nations would pro-Soviet communist governments be stablished?

Entry 2 - 1/28/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 26 Pg 784

1. What was the main point that George Kennan made in his “long telegram”?

2. Identify the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan

3. What was the Berlin Airlift?

1/29/2026 - Assignment

George Kennan’s Long Telegram paragraph

Based only on Kennan’s ideas, what should the United States do in response to the Soviet Union? – 3-5 sentence paragraph

Netflix - Turning Point: Cold War and the Bomb

Entry 3 - 1/30/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 26 Pg 786

1. What is NATO?

2. What was the Warsaw Pact?

Entry 4 - 2/2/206 - Am. Government Book - CH 17 Pg 485

US Foreign Policy

1. What principle did the US adopt at the end of WWII?

2. What is Deterrence?

3. Aside from NATO, what other alliances has the United States joined since the end of World War II? - pg 493

Entry 5 - 2/3/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 26 Pg 786

1. What two events in 1949 and 1950 shocked Americans and contributed to Cold War fears?

2. What did Truman see the Korean War as?

3. Why did China launch an attack?

Wednesday - 2/4/2026 - Assignment

Korean War Project

Entry 6 - 2/5/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 26 Pg 789

1. Why did President Truman fire MacArthur?

2. What is a limited War?

3. How was the Korean War considered a turning point in the Cold War?

Monday - 2/9/2026

Video: Chosin (Battle of Chosin Reservoir)

Projects are due today

Entry 7 - 2/10/2026 - Ol Blue CH 26 Pg 791

1. How did the Red Scare begin in 1945?

2. How did the Loyalty Review Program intensify fears of communist subversion?

3. What was HUAC?

4. Who were Ethel and Julius Rosenberg?

“Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”

Wednesday - 2/11/2026 - Assignment

Red Scare Worksheet

Entry 8 - 2/12/2026 - Ol Blue Pg 795

1. What affect did the Red Scare and the spread of nuclear weapons have on Americans?

2. What were fallout shelters?

3. What was meant by Eisenhower’s military policy of “More bang for the buck”? (798)

4. How many more nuclear bombs did the US add to its arsenal between 1953-1961?

Friday - 2/13/2026

A game of chicken!

1. Define Brinkmanship.

“You have to take chances for peace, just as you must take chances in war. Some say that we were brought to the verge of war. Of course we were brought to the verge of war. The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is the necessary art… If you try to run away from it, you are scared to go to the brink, you are lost. We had to look at it square in the face… We took strong action.” - John Foster Dulles (sec. of state)

2. What does John Dulles mean by… “get to the verge without getting into it”?

3. What risks are involved with this strategy?

4. Do you think Brinkmanship is a good strategy? explain in a couple sentences.

Entry 9 - 2/17/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 26 Pg 799

1. Why did the Soviet launch of Sputnik alarm many Americans?

2. What role did the CIA play in some developing nations during the Cold War? (801)

3. Who was Francis Gary Powers?

Quiz Thursday!

Cold War Quiz Review

2/24 - 2/25 - 2/26 Movie: Bridge of Spies

Friday - 2/27/2026 - Assignment

Presidential Cabinet Worksheet

3/2/2026

Discuss war in Iran - Watch video on the history of the US-Iran relationship

Entry 1 - 3/3/2026 Government Book - Pg 401

1. Who is the “commander in chief” in the United States?

2. Which branch of the govt has the power to declare war?

3. When was the last time the US declared war on another nation?

4. What are the central provisions of the 1973 War Powers Resolution? 403

Entry 2 - 3/4/2026 - Government Book - Pg 414

1. What is a Bureaucracy?

2. What are the three features of a bureaucracy?

3. What are the distinctions between an agency and a commission within the executive branch?

4. How many people work within the executive branch today? 419

If Congress was to pass a law that reduces air pollution…

1. Which agency would most likely carry out this law?

2. What would the agency do to implement this law?

3. Why would someone be opposed to how the bureaucracy handles this law?

If Congress passed a Student loan Reform law…

1. Which agency?

2. What would it do?

3. Why would someone be opposed…?

Entry 3 - 3/5/2026 - Government Book - Pg 262

1. What is meant by a Bicameral Congress?

2. How long does a Congress term/session last?

3. What is a special session of Congress?

4. How many members of the House of Representatives are there?

5. How many members of the Senate are there?

3/6/2026 - Assignment

Congressional Leadership worksheet

3/9/2026

Review Congressional leadership

Steps of how laws are created in Congress

Video: How a Bill becomes a Law

Entry 4 - 3/10/2026 - Government Book - Ch 12 - Pg 329

1. Why are there committees in Congress?

2. What are Standing Committees, Select Committees, Joint Committees, Conference Committees

Wednesday 3/11/2026 - Assignment

Congressional Committee Project

Entry 5 - 3/12/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 27 Pg 815

1. What happened to the average family income in America between 1940-1955?

2. ID the difference between white collar and blue collar jobs.

3. What became the fastest growing industry in the United States during that time?

4. Why did suburbs become increasingly popular for people after World War II?

Entry 6 - 3/13/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 28 Pg 847

1. Why did President Kennedy chose to allow for a “Flexible Response” with the military?

2. Why did Kennedy renew diplomatic focus on Latin America?

3. What was the Bay of Pigs invasion?

Entry 7 - 3/16/2026 - Ol Blue Ch 28

1. Why did the Cuban Missile Crisis happen?

2. What was the impact of the Crisis?

3. What was the Warren Commission?

Cuban Missile Crisis Questions:

1.       Who was the president of the United States in 1962?

2.       Who was the Secretary of Defense in 1962 during the missile crisis?

3.       Who was the US Attorney General in 1962?

4.       Who was the US Secretary of State then?

5.       Who was the leader of Cuba then?

6.       Who was the leader of the Soviet Union in 1962?

7.       Why was a communist government in Cuba seen as a greater threat to the United States than communist governments in other parts of the world?

8.       How did the United States learn about Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba?

9.       How does President Kennedy respond to the missiles in Cuba?

10.  What was the resolution to the crisis?

Wednesday 3/18/2026

JFK inauguration Speech - video

JFK Inauguration Questions

3/19/2026 - Movie: 13 Days