Process

 You may be wondering how to make head or tail of the research. This page then, will guide you through the quest of building that most convincing perspective.

 


  1. Here's a list of general links to jumpstart your research.

 

General Resources:

1. Background info on Cold War and its origins:

http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/coldwar/

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/gcselinks/modern/coldwar_origins.html


2. Search engines:

Google, Yahoo, Lycos, Dogpile, Altavista. 

 

3. Cold War links directory: (Very useful!)

http://history.acusd.edu/gen/20th/coldwarlinks.html

[ Check out the Cold War International History Project website. A Cold War perspectives portal. Primary documents in virtual archives.]

Harvard Project for Cold War Studies: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/ 

 

 

 

2. Within your groups, you are to assume one role each. These roles will make your research more efficient. Each member will research on his 'area of expertise' and report back his findings during group discussions. The roles (and descriptions) are:

 

a) a media-savvy photojournalist:

You will sieve through documentaries, photos, news archives, press conference speeches or interviews with important politicians or leaders.

Resources you will find helpful:

CNN Interactive on Cold War, http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/

BBC History, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/coldwar/index.shtml

 The History Channel, http://www.historychannel.com/

The Pravda (Russian newspaper) online edition, http://english.pravda.ru/

Cold War International History Project (see link under General Resources)

 

b) a historical biographer:  

You will be in charge of uncovering the little-known bits on relevant WWII / Cold War political figures - personalities, background info, motivations, political strategies. Delve into the minds of Churchill, Roosevelt, George Kennan, Stalin and Molotov  to understand better how good relations sour.

Resources you will find useful:

Harry Truman Biography:

http://www.krohm.com/tewsp/nl/coverpge.htm

CNN - Truman Profile

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/truman/

Stalin's part in the Cold War:

http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/coldwar/G3/cs1/default.htm

 George Kennan & Containment Policy:

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkennan.htm

Post-War Estrangement between the Big Three:

http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/soviet.exhibit/coldwar.html 

Article X "Sources of Soviet Conduct": 

http://www.historyguide.org/europe/kennan.html 

Churchill's Iron-Curtain Speech Interactive Website:

http://www.churchillspeeches.com/

 

c) a political science analyst: 

You will review the political climate, international order as well as policies taken by governments in the period 1945-1947. Especially understand the psyche of the Truman administration and the Stalinist politburo - why they acted and reacted the way they did.

Resources you will find useful:

White House website:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

American Foreign Policy in 20th Century:

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/decade/decade.htm

(You can also find Soviet foreign policy history in this website)

Soviet/Russian Intelligence Directory:

http://www.fas.org/irp/world/russia/index.html

The Making of Soviet Foreign Policy

(Adobe PDF document. Type the phrase in Google search.) 

 

 d) a security/arms strategic expert:

 You will examine the threat of nuclear power, and the significance of weapons and military might in the post-WWII international order.  Scrutinize the effects of dropping the A-Bomb, the message behind trial bomb explosions carried out by both Americans and Soviets and the rationale behind the security blocs (NATO, Warsaw Pact) created.

Resources you will find useful:

Overview on Nuclear Arms Race: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/nuclear_arms_race.htm

Experience of the Nuclear Bomb: (info on both US and USSR plans and project)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/

Soviet Nuclear Weapons Program:

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Sovwarhead.htm

CNN - The Bomb: 

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/ 

The hydrogen bomb:

http://www.aip.org/history/sakharov/hbomb.htm

Readings on NATO: 

http://www.stratnet.ucalgary.ca/elearning/NATO/Readings/formationofnatoalliance.htm

Soviet Perceptions of formation of NATO:

http://www.history.machaon.ru/all/number_02/analiti4/2/

Background on Warsaw Pact:

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=Warsaw%20Pact

Comparisons between NATO and Warsaw Pact:

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/index.htm

Soviet/Russian Intelligence Directory:

http://www.fas.org/irp/world/russia/index.html

 

 e) an economics researcher:

 You will examine the politics of economics. Ideological antagonisms such as the capitalist free economy vs. the command-state economy, the European Economic Recovery (EER), the Marshall Plan and the COMECON. Look at the division of Germany from both the US and USSR viewpoints.

Resources you will find useful:

Marshall Plan commemorative site, http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/marshall/

Official Marshall Plan site, http://www.usaid.gov/multimedia/video/marshall/

Real Documents on Marshall Plan, http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/marshall/large/index.php

European Economic Recovery Commission (1946) Archives,

http://www.ena.lu/europe/pioneering/economic-committee-europe-european-recovery-1946.htm

 


3. All of you are to keep a group blog, which you can decorate and fill up with as many entries/posts as you like in your assigned role. Your blog is an informal way of informing your group members on interesting finds, or to share reflections and comments on what you have uncovered. It is also a virtual online discussion space, as well as a window for me to monitor your progress.

 

Create group blog accounts on blogspot.com. (Group Leader to email me the group's URL)

 

Entries should be:

            - made frequently (every few days)

            - no limit on content, but no one-liners either

            - relevant to topic,

            - interesting and thought-provoking

            - in proper Oxford English (no colloquial or sms spelling)
 

Unsure of what to write in your group blog?

  Write about anything that catches your eye on the topic of Cold War, or even how you are going about your research.

  Highlight interesting pieces of evidence as a reminder for group discussions.

  Post simple reflections on concepts, issues or events in the course of your exploration through this topic (online and in class). Reflect on how the Cold War could have affected you if you were living in that era, or whether you see any vestiges of it in aspects of your life now.

 You reply or add on to one of your friend's previous posts. It can jolly well start one of those enlightening discussions in your life!

 

 

You must now examine the pool of data and transform it into the argument you want. This is where your historical and group dynamics skills (thinking, consensus-building and essay-writing) come in handy.

 

Below is the general process guide checklist to building your perspective:

 

1. WebQuest Process Guides for Students:

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/processguides/

 

Your written proposal and blogs should be taking shape nicely by now.

 Now it is time to think about your oral presentation.
 

Oral presentation guidelines:

1. Presentation format: panel report, or any other creative format

2. Group of 4: 8 min max.

    Group of 5: 10 min max.

* Please keep to time limit, or you will be penalized. 

3. All members should participate.
 

 

Useful links on oral presentation skills:

1. University level presentation process guide. Tips on oral presentation:

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Skills/pack/pres.html

2. Making Effective Oral Presentations

http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/skills/oral.htm

3. Types of Oral Presentations

http://people.hsc.edu/faculty-staff/cdeal/students/types.htm