The Red Nightmare documentary

1. In the beginning of the film, it appears to be an ordinary American small town, but where is it? (Between 1:00 and 2:30).
     It may look like an American town, but it is actually somewhere on the boarder of the Iron Curtain on the Soviet side.

2. What is the father's (Jerry) attitude toward his responsibilities, such as attending a Parent-Teacher Meeting (PTA) and going to Army Reserve training (6:20)?
     He is proud of his country but he takes his liberties for grantit.  He wants someone else to do the jobs for the country, rather than himself.  He sounds kind of lazy and not as active, like someone else will preform his duties for him.

3. According to the film, if all people had the attitude that Jerry has, what is the Red Nightmare? (To answer this question, what does Jerry witness or experience in a Communist America at the:

• Town Square - There seemed to be a lot of military things about.  There were soldiers with machine guns and sand bags.  It was not very happy looking.  People gathered in the square place and listend to a speech about how communists would soon take over.
• His Daughter's depature (note the soldier is her boyfriend, Bill) - Jerry was very shocked that his daughter would sign up for the farm thing.  He thought that she would never do such a thing like that.  He was very against all of the soldiers going into his house.  He didn't accept that this was what happened then in communist places.  He tried to refuse the soldiers but soon realized that this is what his daughter wanted.
• the PTA - (What is this?)
• His job - He was really confused about what he had to do, and why he had to do it all today and couldn't get help on what he was working on.  He got angry at his co-worker and wanted to know why his boss wanted him to finish all of them on that day.
• His younger children's' education - He did not understand why they wanted to go to that privet school.  He thought they were being brainwashed by their school and was wondering how his life turned into a horrible mess.
• and at the church - He just kind of lost it and was really mad at the guy, who said that a Russian created one of those things, when he knew/thought that American people actually built them.  He was very confused.

4. What is Jerry's experience like at trial?      
     Jerry did not really have a chance to do much of anything.  He was already voted for being guilty, even if he had no idea what he was being accused of.  He did not even get a lawyer.  The judge(s?) were just like, yea your guilty deal with it.  It didn't look very fair at all.
 

5. Consider this film in the context of the Red Square Era. If you were a high school student 50 years ago, how would you have reacted to this film in a history class?

     If I was watching this when it actually came out, I would probably be terrified of what Jerry was going through. I would not want to end up like any of his children and all of the oppression was not very appealing.  I can see why everyone was so scared of communism.

The Race to Control Space

“We have vowed that we shall see space filled not with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding"

-President Kennedy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, September 12, 1962

President Kennedy was eager for the United  States to lead the way in exploring space.  The Soviet Union was ahead of the United States, having launched the first satellite Sputnik in 1957 and the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin to orbit around the earth in 1961.

President Kennedy said, “No nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space.” In 1961 Kennedy asked Congress to approve more than twenty two billion dollars for Project Apollo, which had the goal of landing an American man on the moon before the end of the decade.

First, go to this website at the JFK Museum. Read the introduction and the JFK and Space material. 

Read the telegram and the two memos and answer the SIX questions that follow:

Telegram A.

On April 12, 1961 cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin from the Soviet Union orbited around the 

earth in 108 minutes. The same day President Kennedy wrote a telegram to Premier Nikita 

Khrushchev congratulating the Soviets on the first successful manned flight.

Memo B.

A few days later President Kennedy wrote a memo on April 20, 1961 to Vice President 

Lyndon B. Johnson, who was the chairman of the Space Council.

Memo C.

Eight days later, Vice President Johnson responded to President Kennedy’s memo.

1. In the telegram to Premier Nikita Khrushchev, how does President Kennedy say he would like the United States and the Soviet Union to work on exploring outer space?

     In the first telegram, President Kennedy says that he wants to work With Nikita K. and try to work on the space race together.  He wants to share their knowledge and work on the greater benefit for mankind. 

2. In the memo to Vice President Lyndon Johnson, what is President Kennedy's main objective?

     Kennedy's main concern was if the project was moving quickly enough, and to see if they would catch up with the Soviet Union in the space race.  He wanted to know how much speeding up this process would hurt the economy but help the US gain momentum.  What he really wanted to know was if the US would have a chance of winning against the Soviet Union and beat them to the moon.

3. What is the main difference between what President Kennedy says in the telegram and what he says in the memo in terms of how the Americans and the Soviets should explore outer space?

     In the telegram, Kennedy wants to be friends with Nikita and join together to have a common goal for the space race.  In his first memo, Kennedy wants to know the probability of the US beating the Soviets in the race for space. He has two different views of what should happen.

   

4. Why do you think President Kennedy appears to be giving two conflicting statements?

     He perhaps wants to surprise the Soviets and/or trick them to getting to the moon first.  Or Kennedy may just want to lie and gather information from the Soviets about their space ships and steal the ideas.  Unless he knows if they actually want to get to the moon first, or just to be the first men in space.  Either way, Kennedy is concerned about the slow start of  the US and wants to start a faster pace.

5. How does Vice President Johnson connect the space race with the Cold War in his April 28th memo to President Kennedy?

     Johnson says that because the Soviet Union is able to get rockets into space, they have the capability of sending nuclear weapons or just plain bombs into space to be dropped on countries.  They have already tested a rocket and crash landed in onto the moon.  They will soon have technology advanced enough to pose a threat to the rest of the world.  Is this what you meant?

6. What are Vice President Johnson’s suggestions for the President?

     One suggestion that cive president Johnson gave to Kennedy was that they should indeed quicken their process and resources for this race to space.  He also mentioned that the work force for these space ships should be increased.  Johnson thinks that if the US was more involved in the race, then they would be seen as the major world leader, as long as they surpass the Soviet's.  If the US doesn't catch up with the Soviets, then they will lose their chance at being the world leader.  The US should try to improve their technology as well if they wish to win the race.  Johnson also suggests that the US public should know of the activity that is taking place durring this time.  Johnson urges Kennedy that he should push the space projects and give as much support as necessary to them, but he also want to make sure that the safety of whoever is willing to go into space will be safe.

NSC-68 and the Arms Race

1. Study Source 7. According to this source, how serious was the Soviet nuclear threat? 
     The soviets were not a very big threat at the beginning.  They had many forces, but they did not yet have the atomic bomb.  They were not as big a threat as the US was to them.  Though they were thinking of surprising the US and then having the upper hand.  But once the Soviet Union obtained atomic bombs, they were just as strong as the US.  If it grew enough, it would soon be more powerful than the US.

2. What measures is Source 7 calling for? 
     If the USSR became just as powerful as the US, the US would have to be prepared for an air attack from the USSR.  Upgrading their Air sirens and defenses and also a system to protect the citizens.  

3. How would you describe the tone of Source 7? Use examples of words and phrases in the text to support your answer.
     Source 7 seems kind of somber and serious.  It is giving warning to what might be to come in the next years.  "It is estimated that, within the next four years, the USSR will attain the capability of seriously damaging vital centres of the United States."  It speaks of how the USSR will soon be able to attack the US on the same ground as the US would be able to attack the USSR.  The warnings of what is to come is a pressing matter that the source tries to convey to the  reader.

4. Study Source 8. What criticisms are made of Source 7?
     Source 8 is showing the Soviet Union as a bigger threat than source 7 did.  Source 8 says that the USSR  is already a big threat and have the fuel (anger) to keep them going for a while.  Source 7 portrays them as not yet a threat but soon to be one.  They differ in views of how strong the USSR really is.

5. Do you think the author of Source 7 wanted to increase tension and the risk of war? If not, what were his motives?
     I believe that the author of source 7 may want to increase the tention and risk of the war, but I also believe that it is written just as a source of information.  He wants to make sure that others know of the danger that will become larger as the standoff continues.  The author wants to warn people of the hard times to come.  He wanted them to be ready for something terrible to happen, which would increase tention and fear...

6. Do the criticisms in Source 8 mean that Source 7 is not a useful historical source? Explain your answer.

     No, the criticisms in source 8 do not mean that source 7 is not useful.  Source 8 just shows a difference of opinion than source 7.  The same person didn't write both source 7 and 8, so they are obviously going to differ between each other.  Source 8 is just more forward in what will happen rather than source 7, which is more calm about the situation.

The Formation of NATO

1. Look at Source 2. What did NATO members agree to do?    
     From what source 2 states, if one or more of the nations that are members of NATO are attacked, then the other nations that are of NATO will join to defend the nation that was attacked.  Also, each nation part of NATO will do their best to avoid fighting unless Absolutely necessary.

2. The members of NATO argued that this was a defensive alliance. Explain why Stalin was not convinced about this.    
     Stalin didn't believe that NATO was about defense because the US armies were basically invading Europe through a treaty.  Though they were not there to change governments or take land, Us troops were still being put in European countries.  They are there only to be ready to fight.  Stalin saw a growing army in different countries than just protection against him.

3. Study the cartoon in Source 4. Does the cartoon give the impression that Stalin feels threatened by NATO?     
     Well in the cartoon, Stalin is looking at them in a very skeptical way.  He is more like glaring at them than anything else.  The NATO team doesn't really look very friendly towards him.  The guy with the monobrow looks especially unhappy with Stalin.  They look tense and the NATO group is looking down almost leaning forward waiting for Stalin to make his move.

4. Explain how Sources 4 and 5 present NATO in different ways.   
     In Source 4, NATO is just kind of waiting for Stalin to do something really bad.  But in source 5 NATO is shown as a vicious dog ready to jump on the USSR at any moment.  They show 2 different sides to what NATO could be perceived as.

5. Now explain why they present NATO in different ways.     

     I dont really know much about todays NATO.  It must preserve peace throughout the world and theres still the alies and they work together for a common goal...? :D

Berlin Blockade Document Analysis

Document Analysis

1. What type of document is this? What is its purpose?
     Both documents are primary sources.  They are both to the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington DC.  They are to give information to the US with regards for the Soviet Unions plans about Berlin.

2. When was it written? Why is that significant?
     They were both written on the same day, 30 June 1948.  This means that they sent and received just a few days after the letter was written (I think).


3. Who created the document? Who received the document?
     A spy from the US created the documents to share with the president and the Central Intelligence Agency.


4. Who is Marshal Sokolovsky?
     Marshal Sokolovsky was the German general who thought up/ presented the plans of what to do with Berlin.


5. How did the CIA get information of the meeting between Marshal Sokolovsky and German members of the German industrial committee?
     A spy sent by the US had gained access to the meeting between Marshal Sokolovsky and the German members of the GIC.  We obviously have good spies...

6. What were the three Soviet alternatives as they presented themselves when this document was written? What policy did the Soviets pursue over the course of the next nine months? Why?
     The three different choices that the Soviet Union came up with was to start a war with the United States, lift the travel restrictions from Berlin, or give up Berlin to the western part of it, which would also mean giving them the rail lines.  The Soviets decided to go with plan three, which would let them recover their food suplies and make the US and Britain feed the whole of Berlin by themselves...?  Or they would have to lift the travel restrictions into Berlin.
 
7. Stalin stated in a speech on February 9, 1946, "he [Stalin] blamed the last war on 'capitalist monopolies' and warning that, since the same forces still operated, the USSR must treble the basic materials of national defense such as iron and steel, double coal and oil production, and to delay the manufacture of consumer goods until rearmament was complete." Who are the "capitalist monopolies?" How does this statement enlighten the Soviet viewpoint against the United States? Were the Allies justified in canceling the shipments of German reparations to the Soviets at the end of World War II? Why did the Soviets rely so heavily on Germany for food and industry?        
     Stalin was trying to gain support from his followers.  He wanted to make the Us look bad by telling them that they were trying to stop Soviet Union.  He wanted to stock up his weapons and fule for the probability of a war that was bound to happen between the US and the USSR.  He tried to make the US look like the bad guys and turn people against them.

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift

1. What is Source 37 (p. 75) saying about Josip Tito, leader of Yugoslavia?     
     In this cartoon, Tito is accepting money from America.  He might be part of the Communist nation, but he is going behind their backs.  He is not suposed to be accepting money from america, but he is doing it secretly.  He is betraying Stalin.

2. Why do you think Stalin was so hostile to Tito?        
     Stalin didnt want Tito to be helped by the US.  Tito was the week point in his plan to keep the US out of Eastern Europe.  He didnt want Tito to ruin his plans and things...

3. Look back at the map in Source 27 on page 71. How does the geographical position of Yugoslavia help to explain why Stalin did not take any direct action (such as sending in troops) against Tito?     
     Yugoslavia is right on the edge of a body of water, which is across from Italy, and right under Greece, which are both controlled by the US and Britain troops.  If Stalin were to do something, about Tito, the US would surely know about it and take action against Stalin.

4. Read Source 40 (p. 77). What reasons did the Soviet Union give for cutting off West Berlin?       
     When the Soviet Union closed off roads and waterways, they said that it was because of technical difficulties.  Then there were orders to cut off electric power to the western sectors of the USSR.

5. Why do you think the USA did not believe these were genuine reasons?           
     The USA probably thought that it was weird that only half of Berlin had lost power.  They must have been suspicious because why would someone not let them in even if there was no power in the city?

6. How do Sources 41–43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade?            
     In source 41, it basically says that the events that happend did nothing to either side of Berlin.  They were both  stuck, Soviet trying to take all of Berlin while the West Berlin was holding strong but unsure if any other problems would occur.  The confrontation was just a stale mate.  Source 42, in the perspective of US president Truman, states that the US had won this stand off.  They had not been scarred out of Berlin and the blockade was only a test of strength.  Source 43 states that from the perspective of Stalin and his people, they had been tricked by the US and that the blockade was set up by the US.  They did these things to themselves and only made their side weaker.

7.  Which do you think is the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade?       
     Depending on which side the historian is on, and which part of the blockade the historian is researching, any of the three sources could be useful.  If he is looking from the perspective of the Soviet's, then the third source is most useful.  If from the side of the americans, the second one is the most useful.  and if they dont know which side, or if they are showing both, you might say that they would find the first one most helpful.

8.  Which source do you think gives the most reliable view of the blockade?      
     I believe that source 42 is the most reliable.  It may just be because I myself am a US citizen and am biassed towards our own words, but Truman does not make to harsh a judgement of the Soviet Union.  Truman just says that the US was tested and they refused to leave Berlin.

Iron Curtain Separates Europe

1. What is your overall impression of Source 26 (p. 70) and use extracts from the source to support your view. (No fence sitting; you must choose one but not both)
• a reasonable assessment of Stalin’s aims based on the facts
• an overreaction to Stalin’s actions based on fear of and prejudice towards the USSR?        
     Mostly, the statement was very reasonable of what was happening in eastern Europe.  Though exaggerated slightly, the accounts of what is happening is mostly true.  Stalin is taking over countries that do not want to have their government changed and forcing Communism on them.  Stalin is abusing his power over what was given to him and using it unjustly.

2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?
     Yes it seems quite likely.  The US was trying to gain support for their cause to go help Britain stop the USSR from taking eastern europe.  The US had to convince citizens that the USSR had to be stopped and they were overthrowing governments to put Communist governments in favor.

3. Study Source 27 (p. 71) and make a list of three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe. Explain how each factor helped.
     1.  When Communist powers of government did come into effect, they took out all other opposing parties.
     2.  Started from small parties, and when they grew, overthrew the other government and took control.
     3.  Anyone who opposed the USSR was imprisoned and or killed.