Scholars research the falling out between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1945-1946 in the first instructional activity of a three-part series. Using primary source materials, group work, and interactive mapping, class members begin to unravel the roots of conflict. Next, pupils research the policy of containment during the start of the Cold War. Small groups analyze primary sources to determine how the United States combated communism in the aftermath of World War II. Finally, young historians deliberate whether the United States should have kept a foothold in West Germany after World War II. A series of videos and documents—such as a diplomatic telegram and a secret military report—along with scaffolded questions examine the effects of the Berlin Airlift and North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
