The United States strongly supported Western Europe during the Cold War against the USSR. Both U.S. and USSR leaders through the Cold War varied on their willingness to negotiate with each other. In this inquiry, students will use the Berlin Wall as a historical case study to answer the compelling question, “What did Cold War tension look like in Europe?”
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About the inquiry
Compelling Question
What did Cold War tension look like in Europe?
Standards
D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.
Instructional Snapshot
Class begins with a collaborative case study activity in which students examine sources (Sources A-B) related to the Berlin Wall and Cold War tensions in Europe. Students work in small groups to describe the political and ideological tensions between Eastern and Western Europe, illustrated by the Berlin Wall case study, and record their observations on a graphic organizer.
Students move to the deliberation stage by comparing what the Berlin Wall reveals about Europe during the height of the Cold War with evidence showing how tensions changed as the Cold War came to an end. The teacher may circulate throughout the activity, asking students to justify their comparisons and prompting them to consider how relationships between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Europe changed over time. Students finalize the graphic organizer by producing a possible explanation for the changing tensions in Europe from the beginning to the end of the Cold War.
Formative Tasks
COLLABORATE: Describe Cold War tensions in Europe with the Berlin Wall case study.
DELIBERATE: Compare Cold War tensions from the fall of the Berlin Wall to earlier tensions.
PRODUCE: Draft a possible explanation for the changing tensions in Europe from the start to the end of the Cold War.
Sources
Source A: David Morris, “The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall”, 2019, Library of Congress
Source B: “The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall”, National Museum of American Diplomacy
Summative Performance Task
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Taking Informed Action
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