In Class Assignments for this weeks' US History Class. the Cold War begins, the Truman Doctrine, Berlin Blockade, Berlin Airlift and America's political war against the spread of Communism that is spreading worldwide.

1. US History the Cold War Monday
Objectives: Students will…
Examine the Truman Doctrine, and the U.S. foreign policy of containment, from 1945-1989.
Discuss recently uncovered documents that reveal America’s role in helping communists rise to power in China.
Watch this: https://bit.ly/2U7zCJu Full link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyoviiavusk
I. Truman and Containment
A. Key Points
1. Containment was a foreign policy designed to contain or block Soviet
expansion.
2. Containment was the primary U.S. foreign policy from the announcement of
the Truman Doctrine in 1947 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
1.Explainthe reasoning behind the U.S. containment policy and identify when this was established.
B. Role of George Kennan
1. George Kennan was an American diplomat and specialist on the Soviet Union.
2. Kennan wrote an influential article advocating that the United States focus its
foreign policy on containing the spread of Soviet influence.
2.Identify who influenced American foreign policy changes,in the 1940s and explain why.
C. The Truman Doctrine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyoviiavusk
1. President Truman was determined to block the expansion of Soviet influence
into Greece and Turkey.
2. On March 12, 1947, Truman asked Congress for 400 million in economic aid
for Greece and Turkey.
3. Truman justified the aid by declaring that the United States would support
“free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugations by armed minorities
or by outside pressures.” This sweeping pledge became known as the
Truman Doctrine.
3.ExplainTruman’s reasoning for trying to block Soviet influence in Greece and Turkey and identify how
much he approved for this.
D. The Marshall Plan
1. World War II left Western Europe devastated and vulnerable to Soviet
influence.
2. The Marshall Plan was a program of economic aid designed to promote the
recovery of war-torn Europe while also preventing the spread of communist
influence.
3. The Marshall Plan was an integral part of Truman’s policy of containment.
Here is an excerpt from Truman’s speech justifying the Marshall Plan: “Our
policy is directed not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger,
poverty, desperation,and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a
working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and
social conditions in the which free institutions can exist…Any government
that is willing to assist in the task of recovery will find full cooperation,I am
sure, on the part of the United States government.”
4.Explainhow the Marshall Plan was integral to Truman’s policy of containment.
E. The NATO Alliance
1. Ten Western European nations joined with the United States and Canada to
form a defensive military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). If one is attacked, the others will defend.
2. The NATO alliance marked a decisive break from America’s tradition of
isolationism.
5. Explain, from the perspective of one of the ten nations, why it might be advantageous to join the NATO
Alliance.

2. F. The Berlin Airlift
1. The Soviet Union cut off Western land access to West Berlin, located deep
within the Soviet zone.
2. President Truman ordered a massive airlift of food, fuel, and othersupplies to
the beleaguered citizens of West Berlin.
3. The Berlin Airlift marked a crucial and successfultest of containment.
6. Explainwhy President Truman ordered a massive airlift to West Berlin?
II. The Cold War in Asia: China
A. The Fall of China
1. Led by Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communists defeated the Chinese
Nationalists (fighting a civil war since the 1920s), and declared the People’s
Republic of China both an independent and Communist nation.
2. The collapse of Nationalist China was viewed as a devastating defeat for
America and its Cold War allies. The fall of china had the following
consequences:
 The United States refused to recognize the new government in Beijing.
 The United States interpreted the Chinese Revolution as part of a
menacing Communist monolith.
 The fall of China contributed to the anti-Communist movement in the
United States.
7. Explainwhat happened as a result of China becoming a Communist nation.
US History Post-WWII: Communism Spreads Worldwide Tuesday
Objective: Students will
Question and uncover answers to the central question of whether or not the United States had communist agents,
working in top government positions with access to influence over policy making.
. Watch this: https://bit.ly/29CWrJO Full link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M70FWrfa3S8
1. How doesMao Zedong get into power in China?
2. Who were the communist spies working at the U.S. State Department?
3. As of 1942, how many pages of FBI transcripts prove that these State Department employees were hard core
communists, helping Mao get into power?
4. These documents reveal that R. J. Oppenheimer, famous for his work on the Manhattan Project, was in
fact a confirmed communist. How might that be a problem for America?
Watchthis:https://bit.ly/2WAgSiy Full linkhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXY2NDv5CqA
5. When was Alger Hiss convicted of spying for the Soviet Union?
6. Who presented evidence that proved Hiss was a spy?
7. Since Alger Hiss, a convicted communist spy, was FDR’s primary counsel at the Yalta Conference, how
might that have influenced American foreign policy during the Cold War?

3. US History The Marshall Plan; Rebuilding Broken Europe Wednesday
Objective: Students will…
Examine post-war Europe, in its most broken state,as the Big Three make decisions that will re-shape Europe’s
social, political and economic future.
Instructions: Students will…
 Watch this documentary https://bit.ly/2FFe5O9
 Answer the questions below using complete sentences,based on the content ofthe film.
 Turn in all of this weeks’ work for grading today.
 No quiz Friday.
1. Identify how many tons of munitions were dropped on Berlin, between 1943-’44?
2. Identify, which Army marched into Berlin, forced them to surrenderand occupied it before the
Americans?
3. List the 4 Allied occupation zones, of post-war Germany.
4. Identify which Allied power controlled the zone around where Berlin was located?
5. Identify when did Berlin hold its first city-wide election, after the war?
6. Explainthe purpose behind the Soviets restructuring the Social Democrats and Communist parties in
Berlin.
7. Identify the name of the plan for rebuilding Germany, signed by Truman.
8. Identify the current value of the cost of this plan to Americans, underthis plan.
9. Identify the American solution to the Berlin Blockade; how did Americans bypass the Soviet blockade
of Berlin?
10. Explainhow the problem of not enough planes was met with a solution and how did this affect trapped
and starving Berliners?
11. Explainwhy the political causes of the Berlin Blockade versus the American response made this
situation a political war rather than a conventionalwar.
12. Explainhow General Tunner changed logistics of the airlift operation, to increase delivery of supplies.
13. Identify what had American pilots been dropping by small parachutes,specifically for children of
Berlin?
14. In the summary block…explainwhat were the people of Berlin choosing when they held elections?
How did America win this first political battle ofthe Cold War betweenCommunism and Western
Democratic Self Determination?