CUBA AND THE COLD WAR A Unit Plan for Teachers

Emmett Ryan Global History 12

March 24, 2015

Table of Contents

Outline/structure ` 2 Unit Project 3 Week 1: Capitalism, Socialism, Communism and Cuba 4-7 Week 2: The Cold War 8-10 Week 3: Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis 11-13 Week 4: Timeline presentation/ Thirteen Days movie 14

Outline

This unit focuses on the island country of Cuba and its political history from the time of the

Cuban revolution to the present day. It is designed to cover a multitude of topics and

outcomes required for the completion of Global History 12. The unit begins with a critical

look at the different political ideologies at play during the 1950s and the impacts they have

on our world today. Next is an in-depth analysis of the Cuban Revolution, including the key

figures involved, the political landscape leading up to the revolution and the changes in Cuba

as a result. The third topic covered in this unit is the Cold War. This topic will bring this unit to

the global stage. Here the students will learn about the major events during this period in

history. The following topic will be the study of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban

Missile Crisis. This topic will bring the Cold war back to Cuba and allow the students to see

just how global these issues really were and how close we came to a nuclear war. The final

topic will be a look at the present state of Cuba and its people. There has been talk about

implementing some changes to the American embargo on Cuba and the students will explore

what effects this may have on society.

There is a unit long project that will start on the first day of the unit and continue throughout.

Structure

Unit time: 4 weeks/ 3 classes per week

Class time: 55 minutes

Unit Project: Interactive Timeline of Cuban History

Students will be required to keep detailed notes on the events they are learning about in

class. They will also be required to do supplementary research in order to find more

information to include in their timeline. Students may include any information they find

relevant or interesting. Each entry on the time line will be accompanied by an explanation

into the deeper significance of the event. Students are encouraged to be creative in the way

in which they present their timeline. Students are encouraged to start this project right away

and continually add to it throughout the unit. Time will be made available in the final week of

the unit for individual presentations.

Week 1: Capitalism, Socialism, Communism and Cuba

Learning Objectives:

Understand and explain the following terms and apply them to the political landscape that led to the Cuban Revolution. Capitalism, Socialism Communism and Democracy.

Class 1: Understanding the difference

This class will begin with an introductory PowerPoint explaining the differences between these diverse forms of government.

Next is a short video reiterating the information obtained from the PowerPoint.

The Economic Ideals of the 19th century https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRRsiE9Dkd8

The class will then break into groups and discuss the pros and cons of the political systems discussed. They will make a list of the pros and cons and answer some prompting questions written on the board. The questions are not meant to be marked or graded, they are simply meant to spark debate and conversation.

Each group will briefly present a few of their pros and cons to the class. The class will continue with a group discussion until the end of class.

Class 2: The “Isms” of Rock, Paper, Scissors

This class will begin with a small online test to see if the class has understood the material from the previous class. It is not meant to be marked or graded. It is only meant as a way for the teacher to gauge understanding. Check for Understanding: Capitalism, Communism, Socialism https://app.activateinstruction.org/playlist/resourcesview/id/51b2014207121c2b30000004/rid/51c1fb0c07121cd93a018e19/bc0/explore/bc1/playlist

If the level of understanding is not adequate the teacher can return to the PowerPoint from the previous class or attempt another way to convey the information.

Rock, Paper, Scissor game. This game is meant to show students the differences in the distribution of wealth that exists between Capitalism, Socialism and Communism. The game will have three stages, each stage is meant to represent a different “ism”. Each stage will begin with the teacher giving out candy to the students. How the candy is distributed depends on the stage of the game. The students will then walk throughout the class playing rock, paper, scissors with their classmates, the winner gets to take one piece of candy from the loser. If a student is left without any candy, they have not survived the round. Each player only needs one candy to survive.

Stage 1: Capitalism At the beginning of this stage, the teacher will distribute the candy very unevenly. Some students will have only one candy, while some may have five or six. This represents how some people are born into wealth and some are not. The ones who began with candy will generally end up with the most, while those with few candy will most likely end up with none or very few.

Stage 2: Socialism At the beginning of this stage the teacher will distribute the candy evenly amongst class. Each student will receive two candy. At the end of this round, some students may have a few more or less than at the beginning and some may have none. The gap between the richest and the poorest will be much less than in stage 1. Stage 3: Communism In this stage, again, each student receives two candy. However, before game play begins, the teacher announces that he or she is the leader of the society and will be making certain decisions about the wealth of each individual. Game play starts and the results are similar to stage two, except the teacher asks everyone who now has more than two candy to turn the extras in. The teacher then distributes the extra candy to those with none or one, thus resetting the game to even.

Students will be asked to answer a series of questions relating to the game and to write a report on what they learned that will be due at the end of the week. Both the questions and written report are to be collected for marking.

Inform students that during the next class they will be given time in the computer lab to work on their written reports. Instruct them to bring anything they may need to continue working on the assignment.

Class 3: Castro and the revolution

The class will begin with a recap of the previous class and what was learned about the different political systems. The students will be encouraged to ask questions in order to reinforce their previous learning.

Next, the class discussion will shift to Cuba. What system does Cuba have? Has it always been this way?

Show a short video on Castro and the revolution. This video will introduce students to the struggle between capitalism and socialism that caused the revolution. Was Bautista’s capitalist government corrupt? What was life like for the average Cuban before and after the revolution? Castro and the Cuban Revolution

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fidel-castro/videos/castro-and-the-cuban-revolution

Show students a detailed timeline of the Cuban revolution. This resource is important

for the understanding of the lesson at hand and is also a valuable resource for the timeline project.

The Cuban Revolution http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/historyofthecaribbean/p08cubanrevo.htm

Any extra time can be used to work on the timeline projects.

Week 2: The Cold War Learning Objective: Students will have an understanding of the global landscape that led to the Cold War. They should be familiar with terms such as, balance or power, M.A.D, containment, deterrence, total war, propaganda and East vs. West.

Class 1: Balance of Power

This topic will start with a student centered discussion on their knowledge of the cold war. This will allow students to participate in the class and allow for the teacher to assess the classes’ prior knowledge.

The teacher should then try and guide the discussion by introducing topics such as balance of power, containment, M.A.D., superpower and the idea of East vs. West.

Following the discussion the students will see a PowerPoint explain in detail all of the new terms they have previously discussed. The PowerPoint will teach the students about the origins of the Cold War, the major figures involved in it and the smaller conflicts that occurred as a result.

This short video is a comprehensive yet humorous account of the cold war that will allow students to relax and learn at the same time. The Cold War: Crash Course https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C72ISMF_D0

Class 2: Not So Cold War

This class will be an introduction to a small research paper. Students will choose a conflict that took place as a result of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. They will be responsible to write a short essay on the origins, outcomes and lasting legacies of a chosen conflict. They will also have to relate it back to a broader topic of the Cold War. Possible choices: Vietnam War Nicaraguan Revolution

Iran Crisis of 1946 Cambodian Civil War Greek Civil War Cambodian-Vietnamese War 1st and 2nd Indochina Wars Angolan Civil War Korea War Salvadorian Civil War Laotian Civil War Soviet War in Afghanistan The Congo Crisis Angolan War of Independence

Students will be given time in the computer lab to research their paper. It will be due for the first class of following week.

Class 3: Take Cover!

Since this is a history class, this class will attempt to put students in the shoes of American high school students in the 1950s and 1960s.

Students will view “Duck and Cover”. It is a film made by the American government in order to show citizens what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. They will also be given an online resource that shows how the current government thinks people should prepare for natural disasters.

The 1951 film “Duck and Cover” http://www.coldwar.me/coldwarvideosforkids.html DHS/FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) “Be a Hero” Curriculum for 9-12 Graders http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/ac2a3fd06796f89fcd284ddb3fea4797/FEMA_HS_TG_082613_508.pdf

The students will then be put into groups of three or four. Their task will be to create a family readiness kit in order to enhance their family’s preparedness in the event of a nuclear attack. Activity Objectives: 1. Students will understand the nuclear threat during the Cold War. 2. Students will understand how high school students were trained to respond to the nuclear threat in 1951. 3. Students will be able to compare the 1951 civil defense strategy with today’s strategy for WMD. 4. Students will create a family disaster plan to enhance readiness for a natural disaster or WMD attack.

Week 3: Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis

Learning Objectives: Students will have an understanding of the global landscape that led to the Cold War. They should be familiar with terms such as, balance or power, M.A.D, containment, deterrence, total war, propaganda and East vs. West. Students will now have a clear understanding of the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis from the Point of view of all countries and leaders involved.

Class 1: The Americans are coming!

This class will begin with a discussion about the factors that led to the Americans deciding to sponsor the invasion at the Bay of Pig. Two short videos will follow. The Bay of Pigs Invasion: A Perfect Failure https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Bay-of-Pigs-Invasion-A-Perfect-Failure- Khan Academy: Bay of Pigs https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/euro-hist/cold-war/v/bay-of-pigs-invasion

Students will be then broken up into groups where they must discuss the options faced by the Castro government after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. Students should be reminded that Castro did not know if a full scale invasion was imminent. Students will decide what their response would have been in light of the information at hand. Teachers may prompt students by suggesting they think about the UN, allies, their own military, political diplomacy, etc.

This will lead students into next class’s topic on the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Class 2: A call from a friend

This is an activity designed to put the students in the shoes of the Soviets during the time leading up the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cubans have just come to you (the Soviets) seeking help. They want nuclear missiles placed on their island to deter future American aggression.

Each student must imagine that he or she is an advisor to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev asks you for your opinion. Should the Soviets place nuclear missiles in Cuba? He asks you to consider some facts before you decide:

a. The Soviet Union has few nuclear missiles; many cannot reach the United States. The

Soviet Union does have a massive number of nuclear bombers that can hit the United States, yet the United States can shoot down many of these planes.

b. The United States has a huge number of nuclear missiles and nuclear bombers, many of which can hit the Soviet Union.

c. The Soviet Union has conventional military superiority in Europe; it has a sizeable presence in Cuba, but nothing near the military might that the US can bring to bear in the Caribbean.

d. The Soviet Union has been trying to push the Western powers out of West Berlin. The most recent crisis in summer 1961 has not been resolved, and a major foreign victory in placing nukes in Cuba would be very helpful to Soviet prestige.

e. The United States has tried to invade Cuba by supporting the “Bay of Pigs” invasion in 1961. Our KGB agents in Cuba report that the Americans have repeatedly tried to kill Castro.

f. American intelligence agencies are closely monitoring Cuba. There is a reasonable risk that any missile sites could be discovered before their construction is completed.

Break the class into two groups; one that is pro nukes in Cuba and one that is against it. Give each student some time to think on their own before they meet as a group. Have your students use this information to debate as a class whether to place nuclear weapons in Cuba. At the end of the class, students should vote (not based on whether they were in the pro or con groups of the debate) on whether Khrushchev should place weapons in Cuba. Make sure that your students put themselves into the shoes of an advisor before the Crisis: they do not yet know whether Khrushchev’s plan will work!

Class 3: On the Brink

Students will continue from where they left off from last class. The teacher will show a

video explaining exactly what the Castro government decided to do in response to the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Khan Academy: The Cuban Missile Crisis https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/euro-hist/cold-war/v/bay-of-pigs-invasion This video will explain that Castro chose to reach out to the Soviets for help against the Americans. The Soviets saw an opportunity to not only help out an ally, but to also gain a much needed foothold in the Western Hemisphere. The Soviets placed ballistic missiles in Cuba scaring the Americans and starting the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Interactive simulation activity

Interactive October Crisis Simulation http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/neh/interactives/cubanmissilecrisis/ This simulation gives students all the options considered by Kennedy and his administration. It takes into consideration responses, such as a full scale ground attack, surgical air strikes and back channel diplomacy. Each possible response is accompanied with its pros and cons. This activity will now put the students on the other side of conflict. Individually, they must navigate through the interactive simulation and make a decision. Then they must take the remainder of the class to write a report that states the reasons behind their decision and why they chose it over other options. It may be finished for homework if needed.

Week 4: Movie and project presentations Class 1: Timeline Presentations

Each student will quickly present the timeline they have created. They will focus on the format and style they have chosen, as well as a few key points they have chosen to include.

Class 2: Timeline Presentations/ Thirteen Days

Students will finish their timeline presentations.

Begin movie. Thirteen Days is a movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis, as experienced by Kennedy and his administration. This movie will be a change of pace for the students and a welcomed end to the unit on Cuba.

Class 3: Thirteen days

Conclusion of Thirteen Days