DOCUMENT 9

President Harry S Truman, speech to Congress, March 12, 1947
One way of life is based upon the will of the majority and is distinguished by free institutions…free elections...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…fixed elections, and the suppression of personal freedoms. I believe it must be the policy of the United States to support free people…resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.

How does President Truman’s speech lead to the further development of the Cold War?

______

______

DOCUMENT 10

Thomas Sarnecki, “Solidarity Election Poster, ‘High Noon, 4 June 1989’,” 1989, Polish Postery Gallery, courtesy of James Bjork.

Note: One of the most famous and powerful images of the Solidarity campaign was the combination of this iconic American figure (Gary Cooper in the western movie, High Noon) with Solidarity text and images. Note that the image has Cooper wearing a Solidarity badge on his chest and carrying Solidarity ballot in his hand.

How does this poster represent the connection between Eastern Europe and the U.S. by 1989?

______

______

DOCUMENT 11

The Bogomolov Commission to Alexander Yakovlev, foreign policy advisor to Mikhail Gorbachev, February 1989.
General characterization of social-political processes in the countries of Eastern Europe:
Crisis symptoms are visible in all spheres of public life inside the countries as well as in relations among them.
In the economy the intensity of these symptoms varies from a slowdown of economic growth, a widening social and technological gap with the West, a gradual worsening of shortages in domestic markets and the growth of external debt (GDR [East Germany], Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria) to a real threat of economic collapse (Yugoslavia, Poland)....
In the political sphere the crisis manifests itself first of all in the dramatic weakening of the positions of the ruling communist parties, in some cases so dramatic that one can speak about a crisis of confidence in them....
The sphere of ideology is very much affected. Its old forms block the renewal of the social system or provide a rationale for resistance to reform (GDR [East Germany], Romania, Czechoslovakia).... In the public consciousness— particularly among the youth—apathy, hopelessness, [a] nostalgia for pre-Revolutionary (i.e. pre-World War II and even earlier) times, [and] a lack of faith in the potential of socialism are spreading....
A degradation of common ties is taking place in various forms.... Due to profound structural problems and flaws in the mechanism of trade cooperation, bilateral trade with the USSR is decreasing, which produces very negative consequences for the national economies of our partners and creates additional obstacles in the path of economic reforms ... In some cases inter-ethnic relations have grown worse: the Hungarian-Romanian conflict became open; mutual antipathy between Germans and Poles, Poles and Czechs, Czechs, Slovaks and Hungarians has increased.
... We face a choice: to thwart the evolution described above or take it in stride and develop a policy accepting the probability and even inevitability of this process.

What does the Commission’s memo indicate about the condition of the Cold War as of early 1989?

______

______

DOCUMENT 12

Winston Churchill, “Iron Curtain” speech, March 5, 1946
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe….All these famous cities and the populations around them lie in the Soviet sphere and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and increasing measure of control from Moscow.

How does Churchill’s speech lead to the further development of the Cold War?

______

______

DOCUMENT 4

How does this political cartoon illustrate the impact of the Cold War on the developing world?

______

______

2 WORLD HISTORY II
Mr. Louchheim / Name______Block_____
Date______

DBQ: COLD WAR (100 POINTS)

INTRODUCTION

When writing an essay, imagine that you are a lawyer trying to prove a case. Your main idea, or argument, is expressed in your thesis statement. And just as a lawyer refers to evidence to prove his case, as a writer you must use examples to prove your thesis.

In Social Studies, a particular type of essay is the Document-Based Question (DBQ). A DBQ is just what it sounds like: a question based on documents. To fully answer the question, you will need to use information in the provided documents as examples, or evidence, to prove your thesis statement.

DIRECTIONS

The following question is based on the accompanying documents. As you analyze the documents, take into account both the source of the document and the author’s point of view. Be sure to:

  1. Carefully read the document-based question. Consider what you already know about this topic. How would you answer the question if you had no documents to examine?
  2. Now, read each document carefully, underlining key phrases and words that address the document-based question. You may also wish to use the margin to make brief notes.
  3. Organize the documents into three distinct groups.
  4. Based on your own knowledge and on the information found in the documents, formulate a thesis that directly answers the question and provides a structural “road map”.
  5. Organize supportive and relevant information into a brief outline.
  6. Write a well-organized essay proving your thesis. The essay should be logically presented and should include information both from the documents and from your knowledge outside the documents.

ESSAY STRUCTURE AND FORMAT

  • This essay must be FIVE paragraphs and no more than 5 pages
  • Essay must be typed, double-spaced, with 12 pt. Times New Roman font and 1” margins
  • Your thesis statement must be underlined
  • Pass in DBQ rubric on due date

Additional information beyond the documents

The documents provide you with only fragments of evidence. Answers should include relevant information from beyond the documents—information that you have learned from our study of the Cold War in your textbook and class handouts.

2 WORLD HISTORY II
Mr. Louchheim / Name______Block_____
Date______

DBQ RUBRIC: COLD WAR

Score A. Demonstrates Superiority

  • tight, specific introduction and conclusion
  • answers the complete question
  • uses all or almost all of the documents with sophisticated groupings and perfect document citation
  • presents a clear, logical, and sophisticated argument and development of essay
  • consistent and thorough analysis, showing understanding of sources and perspectives
  • exhibits sophisticated understanding of continuity, change, causation, and chronology
  • good use of textbook/class knowledge to make argument
  • perfect spelling/grammar

Score B. Demonstrates Competence

  • vague introduction or conclusion
  • recognizes significant issues and does answer the question
  • correctly uses most (75%) of the docs with effective groupings and/or small error in doc. citation
  • argument is mostly well-organized and easy to read
  • provides some analysis with a need for development
  • exhibits clear understanding of continuity, change, causation, and chronology
  • some use of textbook/class knowledge to make argument
  • few spelling/grammar errors

Score C. Suggests Competence

  • weak introduction or conclusion
  • may identify only one side of a pro/con argument or answer only half of the question
  • uses more than half or half of the documents; basic groupings and/or some errors in document citation
  • argument contains errors in organization and transitions
  • limited analysis with reliance on summary and grouping documents
  • exhibits general understanding of continuity, change, causation, and chronology
  • little use of textbook/class knowledge to make argument
  • several spelling/grammar errors

Score D. Suggests Improvement Needed

  • weak introduction and conclusion
  • may identify only part of the question
  • less than half of the documents used; lacks groupings and/or several errors in document citation
  • argument lacks organization and difficult to follow with unclear thesis/DIs
  • no analysis or incorrect analysis with a laundry list of documents
  • exhibits little understanding of continuity, change, causation, and chronology
  • no use of textbook/class knowledge to make argument
  • major spelling/grammar errors

Score F. Demonstrates Inability to Analyze and Write Essay

  • misunderstands question
  • responds vaguely, irrelevantly, inaccurately, or without supporting facts
  • only summarizes a few documents
  • no analysis
  • off on tangent using historical background information in place of documents