Cold War: A conflict of espionage, propaganda, and proxy wars
Overview of Week 5 - Intro to the Cold War
This week (Week 5! of Covid-schooling) we have begun a mini-unit on the Cold War - the ideological struggle that dominated the second half of the 20th century. It was a struggle between capitalism and communism that was fought in many different ways including:
- Arms Races and weapons buildup
- Propaganda
- Espionage and spy agencies
- Proxy wars - we'll talk more about this next week (ex. Korea, Vietnam, etc.)
- Space and technology race
Was it a 'cold war'? Not entirely. While the USA and USSR didn't fight each other directly, there were many instances were they supported and backed conflicts all over the world that were characterized by intense, fierce and violent conflict.
TASK: BACKGROUND INFO - To start things off, watch this video summary of the Cold War #39 by Crash Course World History to help give you an overview. Pause when needed. Pay attention to the following thinking questions:
- Describe the concept of 'MAD' (Mutually Assured Destruction)
- What was the idea of "3 worlds" - and how this idea was started
- Why did the Cold War end?
Interested? Got your attention? You might also enjoy these optional overviews of the Cold War in Asia (Crash Course), or the Chinese revolutions in 1911 & 1949 (Crash Course).
CLASS MEETING POWERPOINT: Now that you have an overview of the Cold War, here is an overview of the Cold War powerpoint that we reviewed in our Class meeting. You can see some images and maps that describe the development of the communist and capitalist 'spheres of influence' and ensure that you are caught up.
What Am I Doing This Week?
- You will choose ONE topic of interest, and read the information about it
- Complete the assignment that is designed for you topic choice
OPTION 1 - The Mystery of Kim Jong-un,
OPTION 2 - Cold War Espionage and Spy Weapons.
Choose the one you are most interested in and then complete the assignment for your topic. Assignment due on TEAMS by Sunday, May 9th, 2020.
As we learned in our government section, the Kim family has ruled North Korea since just after World War II. Three generations of totalitarian leaders, based on the ideology of "Juche". Kim-Jong-un went missing in early April, and wasn't seen for 19 days. This past weekend, he was reportedly seen at a factory opening - but this was reported by the North Korean official media, and many are unsure if this is a cover-up.
TASK: Briefly investigate the history of the Kim family and the flashpoint of the Korean War (1950-1953). Then compare news sources and develop your own theory about Kim Jong-un's disappearance. Was he just quarantining from Covid? Have the pictures been doctored? Did he just have dangerous heart surgery? Do the research, fill in the chart, and then you decide, after investigating the facts.
Optional Extension links - Want to know more about Korea's history?
OR
The CIA (USA) and the KGB (USSR) are the most famous spy organizations in the world. While the KGB no longer exists, their legacy still exist, and their key operatives still dictate power and policy in Russia. While there were active conflicts during the Cold War - like the Korean War, Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, much of the fighting and tension during the Cold War was fuelled by espionage.
Espionage was a key tool of the Cold War and helped both superpowers (the United States and the Soviet Union) in their policies to expand their influence. These countries conducted espionage against each other and other countries to get information about:
Military Secrets – One country’s military secrets may be of interest to another, especially if the two countries have a history of conflict. The military information may involve secret defense planning by a country’s military, its methods of operations, its personnel, its secret specialized equipment or weapons in use by that military, or the military’s capabilities in any location of the world.
Government Secrets – This may involve information about a government’s secret approach to another country or to specific issues like the environment or foreign spending. This may also involve the spy attempting to learn information about the country’s own intelligence service, its operations and personnel within that intelligence service - like double-agents, or even locations of CIA or KGB spies
Economic Secrets – Countries spy on other countries (and the companies in that country) to get an economic advantage. Secondly, the company’s information may be used by the military and is secret due to its final use in the military. An example of this is the companies who produce the material used by the United States Air Force to make certain aircraft “stealth”. Companies in the United States may be providing the United States military with some of the elements that go into making an airplane invisible to radar.
Military Secrets – One country’s military secrets may be of interest to another, especially if the two countries have a history of conflict. The military information may involve secret defense planning by a country’s military, its methods of operations, its personnel, its secret specialized equipment or weapons in use by that military, or the military’s capabilities in any location of the world.
Government Secrets – This may involve information about a government’s secret approach to another country or to specific issues like the environment or foreign spending. This may also involve the spy attempting to learn information about the country’s own intelligence service, its operations and personnel within that intelligence service - like double-agents, or even locations of CIA or KGB spies
Economic Secrets – Countries spy on other countries (and the companies in that country) to get an economic advantage. Secondly, the company’s information may be used by the military and is secret due to its final use in the military. An example of this is the companies who produce the material used by the United States Air Force to make certain aircraft “stealth”. Companies in the United States may be providing the United States military with some of the elements that go into making an airplane invisible to radar.
HERE IS THE ASSIGNMENT OPTION TWO: ESPIONAGE IN THE COLD WAR
Your task for this option is to investigate the history of the two spy organizations, explore some of the secret weapons that were used during this time by the operatives, and then to choose at least one spy agent or operation to investigate further.
Optional Extension Links:
Former CIA Operative Explains how disguises were used
History of Cold War spying and how it works
Overview of the Cold War espionage
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