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).        
  The town is actually a town in the USSR where spys in training are living to study capitalism and America for when the Communists take over America.



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)?      
  Jerry does not think his responsibilities are important.  He does not believe that he is important to any of the organizations and does not make a difference.  He would rather do things for himself, like go bowling or watch TV, than deal with his responsibilities.



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
• His Daughter's depature (note the soldier is her boyfriend, Bill)
• the PTA
• His job
• His younger children's' education    
• and at the church     

  The Red Nightmare is that everything is run my the army, children are taken from their parents, and there are no rights or God.  The militarist government is shown by all the soldiers in the Town Square and how the soldiers, oen of whom was the man who wanted to marry his daughter, just come in and take his daughter.  The government also convinces the children that they cannot stay at home so his daughter leaves to go help the Communists by working at a farm and the young children want to go to a state school because their parents will not tach them the proper Communist ways.  Therefore, Communism destroys the family.  Jerry is also affected by the controlling and careless government when they force him to do a certain amount of work in one day even if it is not possible.  There is also a threat that everyone will be punished if he does not finish it. Another time the Communist ways are forced upon the people is how church is replaced with a museum in which the USSR claims t have invented everything that was ever useful, even though it is not true.  This is basically saying that the Communists will take away God. Also, the way Jerry throws over the tables is almost like Jesus that day with the merchants in the temple.  Clearly, Jerry's experience shows that the Red Nightmare is that the Communists will take away rights (such as freedom of speech, which is shown when Jerry is reported for statements he made), choices, the family, and God.

4. What is Jerry's experience like at trial?    
  Jerry's experience at the tril was terrifying.  He was never really told what he was being charged with so it was difficult to defend himself.  Also, he was offered no representation and he was guilty until he could prove himself innocent, which was impossible because there was no real jury and the judges were all officials of the USSR.  The trial was not at all just.

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?

  I would have been frightened by this film.  This film shows that the Communists will attack all of the things I value.  I would be terrified of Communism and this is not even mentioning the fact that the entire film hinted that the USSR was the Twilight Zone.
  

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?      
  President Kennedy states that he hope the USA and USSR will work together to explore space.  He says that he wants this so that knowledge can be gained for all humans by stating that "it is [his] sincere desire that in the continuing quest for knowledge of out space [these] nations can work together to obtain the greatest benefit to mankind". Clearly he wanted the countries to work together to benefit humanity.



2. In the memo to Vice President Lyndon Johnson, what is President Kennedy's main objective?        
  In the memo to Vice President Lyndon Johnson, President Kennedy;s main objective to to beat the USSR in space exploration.  This si clear by the way he demands that all efforts be made to improve programs.  He also asks about any programs that could beat the Soviet's and his main message is about the probability of the USA winning the Space Race. In this memo, it is clear that Kennedy would rather beat the USSR than work with them.



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?        
  The main difference is the way President Kennedy views space exploration. In the telegram, he sees it as something from which knowledge that could benefit all humans could come from.  Therefore, the USSR and USA should work together to help humanity.  In the memo, it is clear that he believes space exploration is more about the competition between the USSR and USA and that the USA needs to be farther ahead in their space developments.  The difference is mainly that in the telegram it is a group effort and in the memo it is more individual.


   
4. Why do you think President Kennedy appears to be giving two conflicting statements?      
  President Kennedy appears to be giving two conflicting statements because he want the USA to win the Space Race.  The telegram is trying to make the USSR stop trying to win by trying to make them feel that it is not a competition and the USA just wants what best for humanity.  This would hopefully make the USSR slow down because there is not race.  The memo states that there is a race and the USA wants to win because it is a memo to someone in charge of the Space part of the government, Lyndon.  There is no reason to hide the his true intentions.  Also, the president urging the USA to win the race would hopefully increase efforts.  The fact that President Kennedy really wanted to win the Space Race is why the two statements are conflicting.



5. How does Vice President Johnson connect the space race with the Cold War in his April 28th memo to President Kennedy?       
  Vice President John connects the space race with the Cold War in the memo by talking about leadership.  He states that the other countries, such as the ones in Eastern Europe, will side with the country that is looking more powerful.  Since Stalin has been winning the space race, the other countries might look up to him, which would be spreading Communism and be the exact opposite of the goal of the Cold War, since the goal of the USA in the Cold War is to contain Communism.  Also, Johnson ties in the arms race by mentioning the importance of technology in both space exploration and appearing stronger than the USSR.  That is how Johnson connects the space race with the Cold War.


6. What are Vice President Johnson’s suggestions for the President?      
  Vice President Johnson suggests ways that the USA could beat the USSR and how this could be done.  If the USA worked hard enough, they could put a man on the moon first as well as develop space meteorology devices, communication satellites, and navigation tools.  Also, the government could give NASA a total of five hundred million dollars.  This money could help work be done faster by having people working all of the time, but the current funds did not allow this, so more money could be given.  Another suggestion is to speed up the work on solid, liquid, and nuclear boosters.  The main suggestion is that the USA needs to fund the programs because, without the money, the USA will not be working hard enough to beat the USSR.

NSC-68 and the Arms Race

1. Study Source 7. According to this source, how serious was the Soviet nuclear threat?      
  According to Source 7, the Soviet nuclear threat was very serious.  This was because the Soviet Union would gain even more atom bombs and drop the bombs on US bombs to hurt the USA even more.  Also, there was little chance that America would be able to hurt the USSR back because Britain was not a stable enough place to send atoms bombs out from.


2. What measures is Source 7 calling for?     
  In order to save America from the atom bombs of the USSR, Source 7 is calling for air warning systems to be improved and put into place.  It also calls for a intense civilian defense group that would be trained very well and easily used with the military.  According to the source, these are th eonly things that could save the USA.


3. How would you describe the tone of Source 7? Use examples of words and phrases in the text to support your answer.     
  The tone of Source 7 is pessimistic.  According to the source, the Soviet Union is capable of anything and any way they could hurt the USA is possible. This is shown by how it ends with the statement that the "atomic capability of the USSR can be expected to grow to a point where [...] the possibility of a decisive initial attack cannot be excluded".  The fact that it could not be excluded supports the pessimistic state of mind surrounding the source in which anything bad that can be imagined could happen, even if it would be excluded as an idea if the writer was thinking realistically.  Also, the statement that "it is doubted whether such a blow, even if it resulted in the complete destruction of the contemplated target systems, would cause the USSR to sue for terms or prevent Soviet forces from occupying western Europe".  This blow is referring to how the USA could hurt the USSR with their bombs.   The way the source dismisses any hope from an attack by the USA shows that there is a pessimistic view because, basically, no matter what anyone does, the USSR's takeover of other countries cannot be stopped.  The third statement that shows how pessimistic the source is is the view that "Britain with its present inadequate air defense" could never be enough to stop the USSR.  This is, again, showing the view that the USA could just never stop the USSR.  Clearly, Source 7 has a very pessimistic tone.


4. Study Source 8. What criticisms are made of Source 7?    
  Source 8 criticizes Source 7.  Source 8 states that Source 7 exaggerated facts in order to make the USSR's power seem limitless and like the USA could never defeat them without more weapons.  Source 8 states that the report only said this so that more money would be given to defense and unnecessary weapons would be made.  Those are the criticisms Source 8 made of Source 7.


5. Do you think the author of Source 7 wanted to increase tension and the risk of war? If not, what were his motives?     
  Source 7 did want to increase tension and the risk of war.  The increase tension would come from the fear of the USSR that the source creates and this fear is create by telling people that it would be very difficult to beat the USSR.  The call for civilian defense is alo almost like a call for a draft or preparation for a domestic military and both of those indicate war.  Also, if the USA implemented that or made more weapons, the USSR might feel threatened and start a war.  The author of Source 7 might have wanted to create this tension and rick of war because the document was created by the American National Security Council, which is a defense organization that would have its budget increased if there was a risk of war.  That is why the author wanted to increase tension and risk of war.

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

  The criticisms in Source 8 do not mean that Source 7 is not a useful historical source.  One value of Source 7 is that is shows what the government thought the USSR was possible during the 1950s and that could be useful in understanding why the USA made decisions after this report because it was created in 1950.  Also, this source is valuable because it shows the tone in which the US government presented the USSR and issues with nuclear weapons, which shows what type of reaction they wished to receive from Americans reading the report.  Therefore, Source 7 is valuable because of its exaggeration and incorrect statements because those can be used to evaluate the American reaction to the nuclear threat.

The Formation of NATO

1. Look at Source 2. What did NATO members agree to do?    
  The NATO members agree to go two things.  This first is that they agree to not try and attack any other countries and the second is that they will all help out another country if that country is attacked.


2. The members of NATO argued that this was a defensive alliance. Explain why Stalin was not convinced about this.    
  Stalin was not convinced that the members of NATO were taking a defensive alliance.  Stalin felt that NATO was a direct attack against him.  NATO contained many European countries and America, so it felt as if it was the rest of the world against him.  Also, this alliance seemed to just be a way to justify all the countries attacking stalin if he tried to spread Communism.  Since the rest of the "world" (Europe and America) was setting themselves up to fight Stalin under NATO, Stalin felt that this was quite provocative and not at all defensive.


3. Study the cartoon in Source 4. Does the cartoon give the impression that Stalin feels threatened by NATO?     
  The cartoon does not give the impression that Stalin feels threatened by NATO.  That is shown by how the cartoon shows a card game in which Stalin holds many cards as if he is in control of the game.  If he is in control fo the game, he is not threatened.  Also, the cartoon shows Stalin sitting strongly in his spot, as if he would never move, and that does not give the appearance of being threatened.  Therefore the cartoon does not show Stalin as feeling threatened.


4. Explain how Sources 4 and 5 present NATO in different ways.   
  Sources 4 and 5 present NATO in different ways.  Source 4 presents NATO as extremely civilized people dealing with the USSR.  This is shown by having all of the men in NATO sitting together in their suits across for Stalin playing a nice game of cards and waiting patiently for Stalin to take his turn.  Source 5, on the other hand, shows NATO as a savage dog that is just trying to attack the USSR's "Republic" in Germany.  Clearly the two ways NATO is presented are very different.


5. Now explain why they present NATO in different ways.     
  Source 4 and Source 5 have reasons for presenting.  Source 4, which is assumed to have been put out by the USA or a country in NATO, displays NATO as being innocent and civilized.  This means that, if there is a conflict, it has to just be Stalin acting up because it cannot be NATO's fault.  This would give the public another reason to hate the USSR and Communism.  Source 5, which displays NATO as a savage, was put out to the people of the USSR. Since the capitalist NATO countries are clearly attacking them, this would give the people of the USSR a reason to hate capitalism.  Both sources do use the cartoon to evoke feelings of hatred toward the people they are trying to conduct a war against and that is why they convey NATO as they do.

Berlin Blockade Document Analysis

1. What type of document is this? What is its purpose?      
  Both documents are reports and memorandums from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  The purpose of these documents is to report on the decisions being made by the Soviet Union regarding Berlin and West Germany.


2. When was it written? Why is that significant?     
 They were written on June 30, 1948 and that is significant because they are events that had just happened and were probably events that the Soviet Union did not want the rest of the war knowing about.


3. Who created the document? Who received the document?     
 They were written by R.H. Hillenkoetter in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) created the document for President Truman.


4. Who is Marshal Sokolovsky?     
 Marshal Sokolovsky is an official from the Soviet Union who met with German officials about how the Berlin Blockade would affect East Germany and how to solve this issue. He decides to let the West feed their own parts of Berlin (West Berlin).


5. How did the CIA get information of the meeting between Marshal Sokolovsky and German members of the German industrial committee?      
   The CIA had a spy or imformant at the conference who supplied them with information.
  

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 alternative were to start a war with the USA, Britain, and France, stop the blockade, or just let the three western countries take care of feeding the people in West Berlin.  They felt that they were not in a good position to start a war because they did not have the supplies to do so and that if they lifted the blockade they would look weak.  Therefore, having the West feed their people was the best option and would create a challenge for those countries and Soviet wanted to create hardships for them.

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?        
  The capitalist monopolies are American and British companies.  This statement enlightens the Soviet viewpoint against the US.  That is because Stalin is saying that companies of the US and Britain are responsible for starving people and the lack of goods for the people in the country.  This would make the Soviets seem like the victims and the US seem like an attacker out to kill innocent people.  Also, although it does not seem fair, the Allies were justified in stopping the Soviets from taking such a large amount of money from Germany.  Even though the Soviet Union lost many men in the war, punishing Germany too harshly would risk another war and, with the discovery of the atomic bomb, they might actually have been able to take over the world in World War III.  The lack of money was especially unfortunate for the Soviet Union because they desperately relied on Germany for food and industry because the rest of the Soviet Union, mainly Russia, was in a drought.  This meant that the rest of the Soviet Union could not grow food, so they needed German food.

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift

1. What is Source 37 (p. 75) saying about Josip Tito, leader of Yugoslavia?     
  Source 37 states that Josip Tito is not loyal to the Soviet Union and is greedy.  The Source shows that he is not loyal by making him wear a cloak that says "Judas" and Judas is the ultimate betrayer in history, having been the one who betrayed Jesus.  So he is a betrayer because he is interacting with the United States by accepting their money and the USSR, whose government he was part of, hated the USA.  Tito is also shown as being greedy because he will do anything, even beg America, to obtain money.  That is what Source 37 shows about Josip Titio.


2. Why do you think Stalin was so hostile to Tito?        
  Stalin was so hostile to Tito because he was afraid of losing control of Yugoslavia.  Originally, Yugoslavia was only country to resist being taken over by the USSR, thus already being a threat to the government.  Then when Tito was contemplating taking the Marshall Aid money, he was even more fo a threat to Stalin because he was not following Stalin's orders.  Therefore, Stalin was hostile to Tito because Tito was threatening his power.


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?     
 Stalin did not take any direct action, such as sending troops against Tito, because of the geographical position of Yugoslavia.  Yugoslavia is surrounded by two countries that were not part of the USSR.  As part of the Truman Doctrine, the USA might have tried to help Yugoslavia through Austria and Greece to resist Stalin.  This might have also started a war and Stalin did not want a war so he did not take direct action aginst Yugoslavia.


4. Read Source 40 (p. 77). What reasons did the Soviet Union give for cutting off West Berlin?       
  The Soviet Union cut off West Berlin.  They stated that they were not allowing traffic and barges in because of technical difficulties and they did not have enough coal to give West Berlin electricity.  thos were the reason the Soviet Union gave.


5. Why do you think the USA did not believe these were genuine reasons?           

  The USA did not believe these were genuine reasons because they knew the true plan of the Soviet Union.  The Soviet Union wanted to take over all of Europe and probably the world.  Taking Berlin by cutting off the rest of the world so that Berlin would be poor was a perfect plan for the USSR.  Communist appealed to the poor, so cutting off Berlin was taking one little bit of Europe at a time.  Also, taking Berlin was like a test to the USA.  It was seeing how much the USSR could do before the USA would start a war and is equivalent to a little child testing the rules.  The third reason the USA did not believe that the USSR gave genuine reasons is that there is a small chance that all of these technical problems would happen at the same time.  Therefore, the USA did not believe the USSR's reasons.

6. How do Sources 41–43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade?            
  Source 41, 42, and 43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade.  Source 41 reports the Berlin Blockade to be a tie.  Neither side won and the whole situation just increased the tension between the USA and USSR.  Source 42 states that the USA "won" by showing the USSR how strong they are.  Source 43 states that the USSR had nothing to do with the Berlin Blockade and the USA is full of liars who imagined it.  Those are how the Sources differ because they all blame different sides and state that different sides won.


7.  Which do you think is the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade?       
  Out fo Sources 41, 42, and 43, the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade is Source 43.  That is because this source shows the views published by the Soviet Union about the Berlin Blockade almost forty years later.  This may not be the most accurate depiction of the event, but it shows the views the USSR wished to publicly announce and how they looked back on the event after the fact.  Therefore, this is the most interesting and useful source for a historian studying attitudes towards the Berlin Blockade.



8.  Which source do you think gives the most reliable view of the blockade?      

  The most factual and reliable view fo the blockade is Source 41 because it was written by a historian who was not swayed by emotions present at the time of the blockade because it was written about thirty five years after the blockade.

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?        

  Source 26 is a reasonable assessment of Stalin's aims.  At the time it was made, Stalin had taken the "Soviet influence" to mean that they could control other countries, so the source was correct in stating that the Soviet Unions is "not prepared to co-operate with any non-Communist controlled government in eastern Europe".  The source is accurate because the Soviet Union was not allowing the countries under its influence to hold elections for the type of government they want, but just directly controlling and implementing governments for the Soviet Union.  The other reason this is a reasonable assessment is because it states that Stalin is planning to take over the world and "the immensity of the aim should not betray [others] into believing that it cannot be achieved".  This was a good assessment of the facts at the time because a weapon had been developed, the atom bomb, and people believe that, once a country obtained it, it could be used to take over other countries very easily, therefore a country with the bomb could take over the world.  So it was accurate when the source states that the Soviet Union might be able to take over the world. Clearly the source was a reasonable assessment of the facts.

  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?      
  It seems likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government.  This is because Britain and America usually agreed on how to handle the Soviet Union.  Also, the government could win over the public and convince them that funding the Cold War was a good thing by producing documents like this that are meant to scare people into fighting the Soviet Union.  Such documents were most likely produced by the American government.



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.     

•   The Communists disbanded the monarchy of Romania in 1947 after a Communist was elected president in 1945.  This was making sure that there was no other important person in the country besides a Communist.  Without the monarchy, there was not important group to criticize the Communists or threaten their power.
• The Soviet Union set up the German Democratic Republic in 1949 in its part of germany and used its army to control it. This "Democratic Republic" gives the illusion of being free, but can still be controlled by the Communists and, with the help of the military, no one would be brave enough and strong enough to rebel against them.
• In Czechoslovakia, the Communists one the election in 1945 and then became the biggest political party.  In 1948, other parties were banned.  This helped the Communists take power in Eastern Europe by making their party strong and then making sure no other party would ever threaten its strength because they would not exist.  This would also make people accustomed to Communism.