Primary
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Woodrow Wilson Center: Digital Archive: Economic Cold War

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a loosely related collection of primary source documents that discuss economic issues during the Cold War period. These documents are all varied in topic and geographical coverage, ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s, and coming...
Primary
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Woodrow Wilson Center: Digital Archive: End of the Cold War

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a collection of primary source documents covering the collapse of the Soviet Union during the late 1980's. The collection contains documents from archives in most of the former Soviet bloc countries. They discuss the changes...
Website
Other

Cold War and New Zealand

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes New Zealand during the Cold War. Looks at New Zealand's political landscape during WWI, WWII, its military interventions, its membership in SEATO, and its antinuclear stance.
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Cold War to Culture Wars, 1980 2000: Political and Cultural Fusions

For Students 9th - 10th
This section outlines political and cultural events of the 1980s, including the ERA movement, government failure to act on HIV/AIDS, the war on drugs and the conservative Christian reach. Questions for discussion and critical thinking,...
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: From Cold War to Culture Wars, 1980 2000: A New World Order

For Students 9th - 10th
Page featuring information on a changing order both at home and abroad during the 1980s. Several links to primary source material, glossary and questions for student discussion.
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 35: The Melting of the Cold War

For Teachers 9th - 10th
As the Cold War evolved over four decades, the end of the world seemed imminent as the nuclear arms race continued to escalate. Popular music, especially in the 1980s, reflected this growing pessimism. By 1989 and 1990, as the Berlin...
Graphic
Other

Turmoil and Triumph: The George Shultz Years: Cold War Timeline

For Students 9th - 10th
End-of-the-Cold-War timeline, which enumerates events that led up to the collapse of the Soviet empire during the Reagan administration, is both an account of the period and a retrospective of Reagan's policies vis-a-vis the Soviets,...
Website
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Presidency of Ronald Reagan, Pt. 2: Foreign Policy

For Students 9th - 10th
Under President Reagan, the Cold War began to thaw and trouble brewed in the Middle East. Learn about Reagan's foreign policy initiatives by perusing this summary, reading an excerpt from his "Evil Empire" speech, answering thought...
Handout
CNN

Cnn: The Reagan Years: Inside the White House

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of a cnn.com in-depth special "The Reagan Years", this site provides you with brief explanations of the US in 1980, the 1980 presidential election and assorted topics of Reagan's presidency including the assassination attempt, the...
Primary
Digital Public Library of America

Dpla: Rise of Conservatism in the 1980s

For Students 9th - 10th
This set of speeches, interviews, political cartoons, and artifacts allows you to explore the rise of conservatism in these areas, as well as the critiques that were posed by activists and politicians.
Primary
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Woodrow Wilson Center: Digital Archive: China North Korea Relations

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection of documents probes the relationship between China and North Korea from the 1940s through the 1980s. While often described as being "as close as lips to teeth," this collection highlights instances of both cooperation and...
Article
Sam Houston State University

Shsu: The Warsaw Pact

For Students 9th - 10th
Contains a wealth of information about the Warsaw Pact. Includes information about the Soviet Alliance System, the organization of East European National units, the development of Socialist Armies in Eastern Europe, East-West diplomacy...
Article
Country Studies US

Country Studies: Us Soviet Relations

For Students 9th - 10th
The 1980s was a dynamic period in U.S.-Soviet relations. At the beginning of the decade, tensions between the two superpowers rose until 1985, when arms negotiations ensued between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail...
Website
AllRefer

All Refer Reference: East Germany: Socialist Unity Party of Germany

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an informative site that describes the creation of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. This was essentially the communist party of Eastern Germany after WWII. Traces party history up through the 1980s.