Cold War Assessment

Cold War Assessment
It is vital in my opinion that a teacher develops a strong assessment to determine what kind of prior knowledge students will be bringing to the lesson,
but most importantly to evaluate the effectiveness of the unit. A pre–assessment will give us an idea of what level the student is at when covering a
certain subject, while a post assessment can give us data on whether students successfully retained the content and were able to achieve the learning
goals. Using a formative assessment during the unit can also give the teacher an idea of whether students are coming along in learning the content or
not, which could open up some adjustments to the lesson plan. I will use these assessments to adapt to the students learning and provide a reteach
...show more content...
I will certainly walk around the room asking students quick questions about the Cold War and getting immediate feedback. I will observe students
reactions on whether they look like they are on task, or are having trouble completing any work. I will assess students by asking for a twenty–minute
essay about the Cold War. I will ask the following questions on the Cold War, Who, What, When, Where, and Why. I believe that this short essay can
give me immediate feedback on their knowledge about the Cold War. We will also play a game of Kahoot that deals with questions on the Cold War,
which allows me to check what questions student got wrong or right. If many students continue to get the wrong answer, it is a signal that many of the
students are not retaining the content being taught. Also, I will be using the mix and match game that will deal with small index cards that either have
a picture or definition and what I will do is give students several of them and ask them to match the picture with the right definition or vice versa. This
will allow me to evaluate students' progress during the formative
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Cold War
Introduction
Right after the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, and after Hitler's Nazi regime had been defeated, there was a struggle between the U.S. (and
democratic allies of the U.S.) and the Soviet Union for power and influence in the post–WWII world. This struggle was called the Cold War, and it
entailed many events and a great deal of tension between the forces of communism and those of democracy. American diplomat George Kennan
explained that the Soviet Union was "...a political force committed fanatically to the belief that with the U.S. there can be no permanent Vivendi
[agreement between parties that disagree]..." (History.com). President Harry Truman said that it "...must be the policy of theUnited States...to support
free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation...by outside pressures" (History.com). This paper reports the responses and conceptions three
different individuals to questions about the Cold War.
Interview #1: Gina, neighbor, 44 years of age
What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the term Cold War? "I remember in school reading about the Cuban missile crisis. The first
thing I think of is reading about President Kennedy and deciding what to do when the Soviets were digging silos for missiles in Cuba." Gina said her
teacher in social studies spent a lot of time discussing what options President Kennedy had after the American planes took photos of missile silos in
Cuba. She said that according to her high school teacher "...we

Causes Of The Cold War Dbq Essay
A Cold War is when there is a large amount of tension built up between two countries but no fighting occurs. The Cold War between U.S. and Russia
started in 1947 and ended in 1991. It started over a race to build a bigger and better atomic bomb. Although the U.S. working class was able to live
comfortably again, the Cold War affected the United States by increasing people's fears of Communist spies, of nuclear war, and of losing to the Soviet
Union. One way that the Cold War affected America was the fear of spies. The Truman's Loyalty Program was a test to make sure no communist spies
made it into the government (document 1). The House Committee in Un–American Activities was always on the hunt for spies in America. No matter
how much destruction they caused, they captured spies (document 2). In the Rosenbergs and Hiss trials, it caused a massive division in America's
population between the people that feared spies and the sympathizers of these people (document 4)....show more content...
From 1953 to 1962, people were asked what the largest fear and problem is in America. For those 10 years, war was the biggest fear (document 3).
When Russia had built their first atomic bomb, Americans feared for their lives. They started pouring money and resources into building bomb
shelters, to prepare for nuclear war (document 5). During the Cold War, America's defense budget jumped 1940 to 1960. It started at 18% and
grew to 52% by 1960 (document 8). The last way that we were affected by the Cold War was the fear of losing. When the Soviet satellite, Sputnik,
was launched we poured our education funding into science and math to catch up to Russia in the Space Race. We hoped that this would help us win
the Space Race (document 6). When the Vietnam war started, we created a draft to put every eligible man over the age of 18 in a draft. This was to
help us assure a win in the war with more manpower (document

The Cold War Was Not A Normal Conflict
The Cold War was not a normal conflict. The US and the USSR never fought. However, they often supported different warring sides. Nevertheless,
we can say that the Cold War is a political, military and media conflict, which has a large effect over the lives of thousands of innocent civilians.
The Cold War is a battle between totalitarianism and democracy, battle for a new world turn between two opposing systems. This essay will look at
three different theories that explain why the Cold War came to an end. First will be discussed the Revisionist and Gorbachev leadership theories.
Second, this paper will look at the "Triumphalist" theory by the Realist school of historians who believe that Ronald Reagan's foreign policies during
the Cold War...show more content...
And this thesis can be supported even in 1976 when the Soviet leader – Leonid Brezhnev states that "We Communists have to string along with the
capitalists for a while. We need their agriculture and their technology." Revisionist theories give big credit to Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet
Union, for ending the Cold War, or in other peacefully ending the Cold War with foreign relationships. When Gorbachev came into power, unlike
other leaders before him, he proclaimed a new way of thinking based on glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restricting). This meant greater political
freedoms and less Soviet interception in the press and society as a whole. It also meant changes in the economy such as allowing for a greater market
and allowing greater foreign interactions . Under Gorbachev the Soviets signed the INF treaty, SALT, and declared the goal to eliminate all nuclear
weapons by 2000. Gorbachev withdrew it forces from Afghanistan, and did not intervene in any East European countries. Gorbachev pushed to end of
the Cold War by not acting in any threatening manner that would have stress the crisis and opened up to good international relationships. Revisionist
also give credit to the peace movements that the Americans and Europeans by constraining Reagan 's hard–line policies. The peace movements were
attempt to find a common ground in which both sides could collaborate peacefully. There was also influences around the

Cold War Essay
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Offner, Arnold, "Provincialism and Confrontation: Truman's Responsibility" in Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Volume II. Gaddis,
John Lewis, "Two Cold War Empires: Imposition vs. Multilateralism," in Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Volume II The Cold War was
the longest war in which the United States has ever partaken and is the only war that involved little to no fighting. After researching the events, reading
historical opinions, and listening to lectures in class, I have come to the realization that the war was just an exaggerated argument between two
neighbors over which model fence, wood or metal, they would allow in their yards. One neighbor, President Truman, wanted Democracy, and the other
Truman believed that if Russia got Greece and Turkey it would then get Italy and France and the "iron curtain" would extend to western Ireland and to
the United States. Arnold posits that Truman's views were excessive. Stalin never challenged the Truman Doctrine or western dominance in Turkey,
which was under U.S. military guidance, and Greece. Arnold states, " [Stalin] provided almost no aid to the Greek rebels and told Yugoslavia's
leaders in early 1948 to halt their aid because the United States would never allow the Greek Communist to win and break Anglo–American control in
the Mediterranean" (221). Arnold believed that President Truman more often than not narrowed rather than broadened his options. Truman's insecurity
also reinforced his liking to view conflict in black–and–white terms, to categorize all nations as either free or totalitarian, to demonize his opponents,
and to ignore the complexities of historic national conflicts. In sum, despite Truman's claim to have "knocked the socks off the communists," he left
the White House with his presidency in tatters, military spending at a record high, McCarthyism rampant, and the United States on Cold War footing at
home and abroad.
John Lewis Gaddis offers a different opinion of the one responsible for the Cold War. He believes that Stalin's authoritarian vision was a minor issue;
the big issue

Cold War Dbq Essay
Document Based Question The 46 year struggle known as the Cold War all started over a disagreement at Potsdam. Stalin refused to allow what the
Allies wanted. They wanted to give free election to countries in easter Europe like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. All these
countries became satellite rates controlled by the Soviet Union. This made Truman believe that Stalin was planning to conquer the world and that the
former alliance was falling apart. This turned into a battle between Communism and Democracy. Throughout almost all of theCold War the United
States adopted a foreign policy called "containment".The United States contained Communism in Berlin, Korea, and Cuba by not allowing the Soviet
Union to gain anymore land or power. The first time the United States used this foreign policy of containment was in Berlin. This is shown in source
B where it shows a map of how the Allies fly goods to Berlin. This happened because on June 27, 1948, Joseph Stalin decided to start a blockade. This
blockade stopped any shipments going into West...show more content...
This conflict started when Communist North Korea, which was supported by the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea. The United States decides to
help South Korea in the conflict because it is a democratic country. American troops that were stationed in Japan after WWII are sent to defend South
Korea. This is a failure and troops are almost pushed off the peninsula but a counter attack,which was very risky, saves them. It allowed them to push
North Korea back up to the Chinese border. This made China join the war on the communist side and push the American troops back to South Korea.
This battle continued for several years unending in 1953 close to the original borders. Many died in this conflict but it proved the United states policy
of containment was a success(Doc.

The Historiography of the Origins of the Cold War
There have been many attempts to explain the origins of the Cold War that developed between the capitalist West and the communist East after the
Second World War. Indeed, there is great disagreement in explaining the source for the Cold War; some explanations draw on events pre
–1945; some
draw only on issues of ideology; others look to economics; security concerns dominate some arguments; personalities are seen as the root cause for
some historians. So wide is the range of the historiography of the origins of the Cold War that is has been said "the Cold War has also spawned a war
among historians, a controversy over how the Cold War got started, whether or not it was inevitable, and...show more content...
George Kennan, the architect of the Long–Telegram, was one of the leading voices, publishing the traditionalist viewpoint both privately in the Long
Telegram of 22 February 1946, as well as publicly in the anonymous article "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" in the July 1947 issue of Foreign Affairs
(McCauley 9). Soon after, most of the Western world joined Kennan in the view that: "at the bottom of the Kremlin's neurotic view of world affairs is
traditional and instinctive Russian sense of insecurity"(McCauley 131). Kennan warned that, "they have learned to seek security only in patient but
deadly struggle for total destruction of rival power, never in compacts and compromises with it" (McCauley 131).
Indeed, this sentiment that the Russian side had no desire to compromise was echoed by many Western academics, including Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
who wrote in the article "The Origins of the Cold War" in the October 1967 Foreign Affairs:
There is no corresponding evidence on the Russian side that anyone seriously sought a modus vivendi in these terms. Stalin's choice was whether his
long–term ideological and national interests would be better served by a short–run truce with the West or by an immediate resumption of pressure. In
October 1945, Stalin indicated to Harriman at Sochi that he planned to adopt the second course... (McCauley 111).
Both Kennan and Schlesinger place the blame for the

Early Cold War Dbq Essay
Document–Based Question Early Cold War
Conservative historians state that the United States of America used American containment to avert further expansion of communist power from the
U.S.S.R, and in doing so, prevented a global communist revolution. The Cold War was a period of tension and hostility that developed between the
U.S and Soviet Union post–World War II. TheCold War rooted from an ideological conflict between America's capitalist government and the Soviet
Union's communist administration. Communism is a totalitarian system of governing in which a single authoritarian party controls both the political
and economic aspects of society, leading to absolute and total control held by just a few people in the central government. America...show more
content...
One way of life is based on the will of the majority and is distinguished by free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of
individual liberty...and freedom from political oppression. The second way of life is based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the
majority. It relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections, and the suppression of personal freedoms. I believe that it
must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures"
(Document

World Wars and The Cold War Essay examples
Introduction The twentieth century saw two lengthy and costly wars, which were then followed by a Cold War between the Soviet Union and the
United States. World War I was deemed the "Great War" but many did not anticipate another war after it just a mere twenty years later...a war that was
even more intense than the previous one. The Cold War that began in 1947 and lasted until 1991 but had the term "zero–sum game" tethered to it. Two
differing political systems, communist and capitalist, were at odds with one another on multiple platforms. Many feared that a win for the Soviets
would create a domino effect, where one country after another would fall to communism in Europe. The idea of the domino effect is typically
associated with George...show more content...
111).
Because the realists central examination of historical events is on the struggles and shifts in power; and, geography at the core, there were several
prominent aspects that might support this perspective. The unification of Germany, the inflexibility of alliances (between German and Britain for
example); the sheer power of Britain; and, the fact that because Germany was geographically closer to Britain and therefore by proximity was more of
a direct threat. All these factors formed queues that may have led to the war based on this perspective. Forsberg (n.d.) details the realist explanations for
World War Ias follows:
Rise of German power: following German reunification in 1871, a disruption in the balance of power in one part of Europe was more likely to trigger a
wider war.
In addition to political unification, Germany was growing economically and had strong power conversions.
The Triple Entente and Triple Alliance offered a near–perfect offset of each other, but some believe it failed because it was so rigid.
Although power was balanced for the time being, Germany feared future imbalances, particularly from the growing power of Russia.
Britain, the previous hegemon, had seen its power decline at the turn of the twentieth century; thus it could no longer guarantee the security of Europe.
A domestic–level relist explanation holds that German domestic politics were unduly aggressive, causing the country

George Kennan The Cold War Analysis
Essay Questions
George Kennan believed that the initial cause of the Cold War was Russia's fear of powerful opponents that can invade Russia. As a result, Russia was
not willing to compromise and prefer the complete neutralization of a threat. While there are some ideological aspects, much of this was historical since
Russia had suffered severe losses in the 2nd World War and does not want a repeat of the Nazi invasion of the USSR. George believed that a "hot
war" is not inevitable since he thought that the solution to this conflict was to "approach calmly and with a good heart." (Spielvogel 869). On the
other hand, Nikolai believed that the main goal of the Americans is world domination. In his eyes, the US is the aggressor since it placed

The Conflicts And Influence Of The Cold War
The Cold War, one of the most important international conflicts in global history, was not a series of battles fought around the world, but rather a
conflict over ideological differences which was primarily built around the United States and the Soviet Union, and their capitalist vs. communist
systems. The Cold War hit a period of paramount importance throughout the late 1950s, where a series of different political and social events led to a
shift of the global spectrum in the great capitalist–communist rivalry, which arguably, began the decline of Soviet power, and the approach to capitalist
victory of the war. During this period, new rulers entered into the global rule, and the most influential, Nikita Khrushchev, made series of important
After a popular uprising, the regime would disband the secret police (AVH), declare intentions of withdrawl from the Warsaw pact, and establish free
elections, contributing to a Soviet invasion where thousands of Hungarians were arrested, imprisoned, or deported back to the Soviet Union, 200,000
Hungarians would flee the country, and many Hungarian leaders executed ("The Hungarian Revolution"). During this period, politically, Khrushchev
would reject Stalin's "inevitability of war" belief and declare a new goal of "peaceful coexistence" –– changing from the Stalin–era Soviet stance,
where international class conflict would mean two opposing camps were on inevitable course in which communism would triumph through global
war, into a stance where peace would allow capitalism to collapse on its own, giving the soviets time to boost their military ("Cold War: Crisis and
Escalation [1953–62]"). The events in Hungary created fractures in Communist parties worldwide, and especially in Western Europe, where, due to the
brutal Soviet response, membership in parties would decline, dealing a blow that the Western Communist parties could never recover from ("Cold War:
Crisis and Escalation [1953–62]"). In the late 1960s, America had been concentrating

Constitutive Questions For A Cold War
Adequate answers to how–possible and what–questions [i.e., the questions central to the insider's story] must satisfy different truth conditions than
answers to causal questions. As with the latter, the answers to constitutive questions must support a counterfactual claim of necessity, namely that in
the absence of the structures to which we are appealing the properties in question would not exist. But the kind of necessity required here is conceptual
or logical, not causal or natural. The relationship between the factors constituting the social kind 'Cold War' and a Cold War is one of identity, in the
sense that those factors define what a Cold War is, not one of causal determination. And this in turn means that the answers to constitutive

Intelligence In The Cold War Essay
The production, analysis, or dissemination of intelligence can be improve to provide actual benefit to homeland security leaders and practitioners in
numerous ways. For this to happening, everyone who receives access to intelligence reports must be educated about intelligence itself and willing to
understand it. The Washington Post reported in 2004, no more than six senators read beyond the five–page executive summary of the NIE, although 77
senators voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq. (Lowenthal, 2008). Even though it was inevitable of going to war with Iraq. The NIE can
foreshadow problems to occur, and could have aid senators in different ways. From understanding the situation better, to helping with foreign policy.
Homeland security leaders and practitioners must be direct of what types of reports they are requiring.
Production of intelligence has change drastically since the Cold War. During the Cold War, the main intelligence gathering methods were mainly
organized on the collection side, using SIGINT, IMINT, and HUMINT. Today we face a new enemy, where we must change our typical intelligence
gathering methods. As we changed our methods,...show more content...
In order to do this, the intelligence community has made it a priority to share intelligence amongst themselves in order to prevent attacks from
occurring. Having access to a larger network, will allow them to understand and see the situation for what it is, and what it'll become. A lot of the
older analysis are retiring or changing careers. This means the new generation of analyst has a tough challenger of filling their shoes. Senior analyst
should mentor these new analyst. As years of experience can be learn and new perspectives can be seen by these new analyst. At the senior ranks,
intelligence needs to open up, to various scientists and other professions. This will allow for a new perspective, and maybe new ideas that will aid in
national security

Who Was to Blame for the Cold War? Essay
Who Was To Blame For The Cold War?
The blame for the Cold War cannot be placed on one person–– it developed as a series of chain reactions as a struggle for supremacy. It can be argued
that the Cold War was inevitable, and therefore no one's fault, due to the differences in the capitalist and communist ideologies. It was only the need for
self–preservation that had caused the two countries to sink their differences temporarily during the Second World War. Yet many of the tensions that
existed in the Cold War can be attributed to Stalin's policy of Soviet expansion. It is necessary, therefore, to examine the role of Stalin as a catalyst to
the Cold War.
Stalin's foreign policies contributed an enormous amount to the tensions
of...show more content...
The Soviet Union responded with a statement saying "Poland broders with the Soviet Union, what [sic] cannot be said of Great Britain or the United
States."5
From this point, the Cold War truly becomes a chain reaction. In March of 1946, Churchill presented his В‘Iron Curtain' speech at Fulton, Missouri, in
response to the spread of communism in eastern Europe. He called for a western alliance to combat the threat. Stalin's response was hostile: rather than
trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement, Stalin continued to tighten his grip on eastern Europe. Communist governments were installed in every area
of eastern Europe (barring Czechoslovakia) by the end of 1947. These governments were implemented by guerrilla tactics: elections were rigged,
non–communist members of the governments were expelled, with many being arrested or executed, and eventually, Stalin dissolved all
non–communist political parties. Stalin began to implement a reign of terror using the Russian Army and his secret police force. Moreover, Stalin had
increased his influence in the Russian zone of Germany as if it belonged to Russia. He allowed only the communist party and drained the area of its
vital resources.
The West reacted. It appeared to them that Russia's attitude went against all of the promises that Stalin had made at Yalta–– namely, that Stalin would
permit free elections in the eastern European states.

Interview about the Cold War
1) When were you born?
A: I was born in 1945, meaning that I was merely two when the Cold War began.
2) Where were you born?
A: Titusville, Pennsylvania.
3) What was your initial reaction to hearing about the conflict between the United States and Soviet Union?
A: I was very scared and confused, and I didn't fully understand the situation due to my age.
My mother briefly informed me of what was going on, saying that we were fighting the Soviet Union, which was the roots of the Russian Revolution.
It was then when my mother told me they were the communist people. My family members were worried to death that there'd be an outrageous war. I
felt the same way when I heard the problems would be becoming even more intense. The best thing I could do to mentally soothe myself is thinking
we weren't going to be bombed or die.
4) How would you describe the sudden influx of United States propaganda during the Cold War?
A: The main source of propaganda in the States was from newspapers. I personally didn't read it, but my father told me that these Communists were
actually quite different from Americans. He explained that the SU system as totalitarianism, and the SU saw the US as a colonialism. I also remember
seeing propaganda like books and movies.
5) Nuclear weapons were a very controversial topic during this era, what were your general feelings about both the weapons and the potential
destruction of another country that assisted us during the

Dbq Essay On The Cold War
In 1947, the Cold War had started, named after how both of the disputing sides did not fight but only threatened each other with new technologies. The
U.S and Soviet Union disagreements on political systems and also questioned war reparation, show how they cause the Cold War with their mistrust
and technological issues.
The U.S and the Soviet Union had mistrusted each other from the beginning, which started the Cold War. when the U.S was attacked on December
1941, The Soviet Union had made an alliance with them along with Britain, which soon followed with the U.S supplying their allies with military
supplies. During their alliance against the fascist powers, Stalin was suspicious which made "The Soviets believed that the Western Allies had...show
more content...
The armed race pushed both nations against each other, this is shown in document 4, along with a graph that demonstrates the number of warheads,
"Both superpowers developed technology and used their nuclear power to build as many weapons as possible. This nuclear buildup led to a "balance
of terror...But others feared the use of these weapons. These charts show the buildup of nuclear warheads during the Cold War." This document shows
how both countries fought in the arms race which impacted the Cold War with new military technologies. The two nations would not have caused the
Cold War without the race of arms. The Iron Wall cartoon in document 7 also shows how the 3 allies, theUnited Nations, France and the U.S, tried
getting information from the Soviet Union and attempted to "attack" them, and figure out what technological powers they possessed. In the cartoon, it
shows the U.S telling the United Nations to try and lift up the Iron Wall and see what it on the other side and try to cross. The United Nations is
struggling to lift up the wall, while the U.S and France are standing behind her not helping. This cartoon shows how the new technologies closed the
countries off from one another making it a "Cold War". No actual combat preparations were used against each other, and both countries blocked off one

What Is The Cold War Essay
Cold War Research Paper Imagine, you're a young child living in the middle of a dark war that is cold, depressing and continues on for decades; you
are practically growing up with this war by your side. The Cold War was started in 1947 when the Soviet Union shot down a United States military
plane that was used for spying on the Soviet Union. The Soviet didn't trust the United States anymore, and thus began the Cold War. The first president
of the Cold War in 1947 was Harry S Truman, who after Franklin D Roosevelt died used an atomic bomb on Japan. Dwight D Eisenhower was the
second president of this time and was a five–star general in the Army and a Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II. Finally the
third, most effective president, was John F Kennedy who was assassinated during a parade in Dallas, Texas. All three of these presidents had one
common goal: contain communism. However, they each tried to achieve that goal differently with Truman using Economic Aid, Eisenhower used
Military Use, and Kennedy using Military Aid (Bowes).
President Truman would have rather used our diplomacy than our military troops when it came to war. President Truman said in his famous Truman
Doctrine, which allowed the U.S to give financial and military aid to...show more content...
President Harry Truman using economic aid to help the smaller countries fight against communism, President Eisenhower fought with Military Use,
and President Kennedy used Military Aid to contain communism. The Cold War eventually ended forty–three years later in 1991 when the Berlin Wall
came down (Bowes). All the presidents were very effective in their own ways and that's what really helped our country reach the end of The Cold War.
With Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy all using their own ideas to contain communism it really showed how strong the U.S. really

Vietnam and The Cold War Essay
Vietnam and The Cold War
It is impossible to accurately describe the major events that occurred during the cold war without mentioning the war in Vietnam. From its start, this
war has been very controversial concerning its purposes and effects on the countries involved. Both sides of this war lost a great number of soldiers
and most of these men and women were not even sure why they were fighting. To this day, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the events that took
place during this heated time in south Asia. One of the biggest questions raised is why the United States felt it was their responsibility to ever got
involved and what were they trying to gain by sending in their troops. A look at the history of thecold war and...show more content...
From the beginning of his term, Diem felt that North Vietnam was planning to forcefully take overSouth Vietnam. Diem began to arrest anyone who
was suspected of being a Communist. Soon after, North Vietnam began attempting to reunify Vietnam through political means, and not through the use
of violence. After this proved to be an unsuccessful attempt, North Vietnam and the Communist Party finally approved the use of violence to overthrow
Ngo Dinh Diems government. The National Liberation Front (NLF) was thus developed by the Communists, allowing anyone who was against Diem
and for the unification of Vietnam to join to join their alliance.
After noticing that South Vietnam was on shaky ground, President Kennedy decided to send in a limited number of troops to aid Diem and his
government. However, Diem began to lose popularity among his people and eventually he and his brother were assassinated. Three weeks after the
deaths of these two leaders, President Kennedy was assassinated. President Lyndon B. Johnson decided more action needed to be taken in South
Vietnam and, after two U.S. ships were destroyed in the Gulf on Tonkin, Johnson and his administration began to order air attacks upon the North
Vietnamese (the U.S. referred to them as the "Vietcong"). Soon afterwards, the NLF attacked two U.S. army installations in South Vietnam and, as a
result, Johnson orders bombing missions

Cold War Reflection
The question of who won the cold war is incredibly complex and thus this week we are able to hear from an incredibly diverse number of
perspectives. I think that many of the readings certainly indicated that the cold war did indeed end before the fall of the Soviet Union (As
Ambassador Matlock said in class). Yet I found the way in which the process of this peace was achieved to be fascinating; This is because as with
many things we see that it is not necessarily a single event or individual that culminated in the easing of tensions between the two superpowers, rather
both sides accept that the road to ending the cold war was a long process which required cooperation from both sides.
I started this week's readings with the forward and introduction to "My Six Years with Gorbachev" written by Ambassador Matlock and Robert D.
English. I found these two descriptions of Chernyaev were truly enlightening on my understanding of the numerous people whose roles all had to
come together in order to bring about an end to the Cold War. I appreciated how Ambassador Matlock noted how Chernyaev "was not one of those
aids who rushed to find a strategic position in every group photograph". I think that this is a trait that often times go unappreciated as humility is not
exactly regarded as an important trait for "going down in history" but I appreciated how Ambassador Matlock points out that sometimes one does not
need to be in the spotlight in order to have an enormous impact on things. I

Cold War Assessment

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