Fairfax County Public Schools
Social Studies Program of Studies:
|
|
Suggested time for instruction: three weeks
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the United States foreign policy since World War II by
- Describing outcomes of World War II, including political boundary changes, the formation of the United Nations, and the Marshall Plan.
- Explaining the origins of the Cold War, and describing the Truman Doctrine and the policy of containment of communism, the American role of wars in Korea and Vietnam, and the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe.
- Explaining the role of America’s military and veterans in defending freedom during the Cold War.
- Explaining the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War, including the role of Ronald Reagan.
^ back to top
- What were the political, economic, and social consequences of World War II?
- How was United States foreign and domestic policy shaped by the Cold War?
- What were the reasons for, responses to, and consequences of, United States involvement in Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam?
- How did threats and responses to communism impact domestic affairs?
- What important events marked the rise of the US as a world economic power?
- How did the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam conflict effect the Executive Branch?
^ back to top
NOTE: Red Bolded content in the indicators is considered essential and must be taught in all classrooms. Content which is not bolded goes beyond the scope and sequence of the state standards.
Benchmark 12.1: The student analyzes the impact of international affairs on the foreign policy of the United States after World War II.
12.1 Performance Indicators
Students reach this benchmark when they are able to:
- Describe the global economy (capitalism v. communism) and political changes (democracy/totalitarianism/de-colonization) in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the United States at the end of World War II (partitioning of Germany, “iron curtain”, Soviet domination of Central and Eastern Europe, American occupation of Japan).
- Identify measures taken by the United States to ensure stability in Europe after the war (Marshall Plan, NATO, United Nations).
- Explain the rationale, implementation, and effectiveness of the US containment policy (Truman Doctrine).
- Examine the implications of the Cold War on the space program (Sputnik).
- Explain the causes for, responses to, and the results of, the United States’ involvement in Korea (38th Parallel, Chinese involvement, firing of MacArthur, stalemate).
- Explain the causes for, responses to, and the results of, the United States’ involvement in Cuba (Fidel Castro, John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, blockade).
- Explain the causes for, responses to, and the results of, the United States' involvement in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, French/Dien Bien Phu, 17th Parallel, Lyndon Johnson, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, escalation, Tet Offensive, Vietcong, Richard Nixon, "Vietnamization").
- Analyze the foreign policy of the United States toward China and the Soviet Union during the Cold War period (massive retaliation, brinkmanship, détente).
- Identify the reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War (glasnost, perestroika, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Berlin Wall).
Benchmark 12.2: The student analyzes the political impact of the Cold War on domestic affairs.
12.2 Performance Indicators
Students reach this benchmark when they are able to:
- Examine how the fear of communism and the threat of nuclear war affected American life throughout the Cold War (Alger Hiss, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, bomb shelters, public schools—“duck and cover”).
- Explain the reasons for the rise of McCarthyism and its significance in the larger American culture.
- Discuss why foreign policy was a major issue in the presidential elections during the Cold War era.
- Assess the Vietnam policies of the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon Administrations and the shifts of public opinion about the war (hawks v. doves, Kent State, protests).
Benchmark 12.3: The student traces the rise of the United States as a major economic power in the Post-War Era.
12.3 Performance Indicators
Students reach this benchmark when they are able to:
- Describe the postwar economy and its effects on the American consumer.
- Explain the conservative reaction to liberalism and evaluate supply-side economic strategies of the Reagan and Bush administrations.
- Analyze the economic implications of demographic changes (baby boomers, sunbelt, credit cards, suburbs, advertising).
- Describe the role of the federal government in providing economic opportunities (G. I. Bill, National Defense Education Act, Great Society legislation).
Benchmark 12.4: The student analyzes and explains domestic and foreign policy measures of the national government during the Post-War Era.
12.4 Performance Indicators
Students reach this benchmark when they are able to:
- Analyze the constitutional issues raised by the Watergate affair and evaluate the effects of Watergate on public opinion.
- Evaluate the impact of the Vietnam War on the Executive Branch of the National Government.
^ back to top
|
|
|
