Analyzing the Cold War

Grade Level: 7-12

Subject: Social Studies

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama plans to tour Europe in late July 2008. He was considering a speech stop at a place called Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. The German government, however, says it is unlikely that Obama will be granted permission to use this historically significant venue as a political stump. During the Cold War, Brandenburg Gate literally served as a gateway between East and West Germany. It became a key symbol of reunification when the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989.

Physical landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate serve to remind us of key historical events. Other reminders of such events include "primary sources." Primary sources are actual historical records that have survived. This is in contrast to "secondary sources," which are accounts created by people writing sometime after the events happened. For example, a history textbook is an example of a secondary source.

Well-known examples include military recruitment posters from World War I, the diaries of Anne Frank (which were written during World War II), and the chilling images captured by field photographers during the Vietnam War.

The Cold War lasted more than four decades, and many primary sources still exist that illustrate the political and social conflicts during that era. During this lesson, you will learn more about what primary sources are and how to analyze them. Then, you will investigate the Cold War by researching and examining primary sources.

A Primer on Primary Sources

Begin in The Historian's Sources section of the Library of Congress. Review the Student Lesson, including What Are Primary Sources?, and complete the Mindwalk Activity. Discuss your answers with classmates.

Continue the module to learn more about the Analysis of Primary Sources and Types of Primary Sources. Think about documents produced by a variety of local entities, such as your local newspaper, city government, county government, state government, federal government, one or more nonprofit groups, or business associations. Write down a list of documents produced by each of those groups, and label each with what type it is. Next, applying the Time and Place Rule and the Bias Rule, write a brief paragraph describing each set of documents. How do you think these documents compare to those produced by individuals, such as diary entries or letters to the newspaper editor?

Now hop over to the National Archives, which houses some helpful Document Analysis Worksheets. Print one of each type, or ask your teacher to do this for you. Keep in mind that you may need more copies later. Review each worksheet to get familiar with the analysis steps for each source type.

Examining the Cold War

Your next stop takes you to The Cold War Files: Interpreting History Through Documents. To get an overview of the Cold War, review the Events section. For at least three of the events listed, describe one primary source type that would have existed.

Also, pick one person from the People section, and work with classmates to ensure there is no duplication. Do some independent research to find out what kinds of documents that person produced or partially produced during that time period. You may not be able to track down any actual documents, but you should be able to find a record of the kinds of documents he or she produced. Summarize the person's job description, and share his or her contributions with your classmates.

Next, you will start creating your own Cold War file. First, choose a main topic you would like to more deeply investigate: Berlin, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or the End of the Cold War. Take notes so that you can summarize the topic later. Next, browse through the Documents and Multimedia sections to find primary sources related to your selected topic. If needed, research elsewhere so that you collect at least one sample of each type of primary source. Use the worksheets you printed earlier in this lesson to analyze each sample.

Present your findings as a poster, a website, a booklet, or in another format so that you have a file folder of your research. Your introduction should summarize the topic. For each primary source, refer to your worksheets to summarize how exactly that source relates to the topic. If possible, include a copied sample of the primary document in your file. Share your file with classmates.

Newspaper Activities

Select an ongoing topic or issue regularly covered by The Sacramento Bee. Possible topics include the war in Iraq, the U.S. economy, energy, immigration, the European Union, or relations with China. Use your newspaper's coverage to help you summarize the topic and identify related primary sources. For example, the news reporter may refer to a government report, a scientific study, a court decision, or an international treaty. Track down the primary sources. Then, use your worksheets to analyze each document and create a topic file similar to what you made for your Cold War topic. Share and discuss your results with classmates.