8th Leap Prep - Did the U.S. Win the Cold War?
After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became rivals. They had very different beliefs. The United States supported democracy and a free-market economy, while the Soviet Union supported communism and a government-controlled economy. This conflict became known as the Cold War because the two sides did not fight each other directly. Instead, they competed through military strength, economic influence, political ideas, and proxy wars in other countries. Both sides built large nuclear arsenals, which made direct war extremely dangerous. By the late 1980s, economic problems and political changes weakened the Soviet Union. In 1989, communist governments in Eastern Europe began to collapse. In 1991, the Soviet Union officially dissolved. Historians continue to debate whether these events mean that the United States “won” the Cold War.
Group 1
Activity 2 – Understanding the Sources: For each source, answer the questions below.
Source 1.1
“The Cold War began with the division of Europe after World War II. It is ending because the people of Eastern Europe demanded freedom, and the Soviet Union chose not to stop them by force. The United States did not seek victory through war, but through patience, strength, and the belief that freedom works better than oppression.”
— President George H. W. Bush, 1989
Source 1.1 — Speech Excerpt (1989)
Source 1.2
Source 1.2 — Data Chart: United States vs. Soviet Union
Source 1.3
Source 1.3 — Map Description: Europe After
the Cold WarThe map shows Europe after 1991. The Soviet Union no longer exists as one country. Many former Soviet-controlled nations are now independent. Several of these countries later formed closer political and economic relationships with the United States and Western Europe.
Source 1.4
Source 1.4 — Photograph Description (1989) - The Fall of the Berlin Wall
- The image shows large crowds standing on top of the Berlin Wall in Germany. People are celebrating, waving flags, and breaking pieces off the wall. Soldiers are present but are not stopping the crowd. The wall had divided communist East Germany from democratic West Germany during the Cold War.
Question 1a
Source 1.1: What is the speaker’s main idea?
Question 1b
Source 1.1: Does this source suggest that the United States won the Cold War? Explain.
Question 1c
Source 1.2: What differences between the United States and the Soviet Union are shown?
Question 1d
Source 1.2: How could this data be used as evidence in an argument?
Question 1e
Source 1.3: What changes in Europe are shown on the map?
Question 1f
Source 1.4: What event is shown in this photograph?
Question 1g
Source 1.4: Why was this event important during the Cold War?
Group 2
Extended Response Directions: Using your Social Studies knowledge and the sources provided, write a complete extended response that addresses the prompt below and includes:
- A clear claim
- Two accurate pieces of evidence
- Reasoning that explains how and why the evidence supports your claim
Question 2a
Did the United States win the Cold War?
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