The KING’S Medium Term Plan – History
Y11 Learning Cycle 1 Programme
Module
Crises of the Cold War and Détente 1960-1980
Subject
Challenging
Question
How did the crises of the Cold War manage to avoid nuclear Armageddon in the year 1960-1980
Lines of Enquiry
Lines of Inquiry
This unit is about the key events that occurred during the Cold War in the period 1960-1980 including moments of extreme tension and
softening of the relationship between East and West. Students will study the causes and consequences of events on the relationship
between the USSR and USA as well as looking at other possible outcomes the events may have had.
Week 1: To what extent did the Berlin Wall personify the divide of the Cold War?
Week 2: Could the Cuban Missile Crisis have led to a nuclear holocaust?
Week 3: Why did the crisis in Prague occur and what were the consequences?
Week 4: How much did the Cold War really defrost during détente?
Week 5: Was détente doomed to fail?
Week 6: Revision, learning homework – incorporate the skills developed this semester. Assessment week.
Week 7 and 8: Gap teaching – from assessment analysis.
By the end of this learning cycle, students in history will be able to answer questions based around:
Topic 5: The Crises of the Cold War and Détente 1960-1980
Key issue: How close was the world to war in the 1960s?
• The U2 Crisis 1960: the purpose of U2; the responses of the USA and the USSR to the crisis; the effect on the Paris Summit
and the peace process
• The situation in Berlin: the Berlin Wall; Kennedy’s response.
• The nuclear deterrent: progress with nuclear disarmament; the space race in the 1960s
• The Cuban Missile Crisis,1962: the effect of Castro’s seizure of power in Cuba; Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs; Khrushchev
and the missile crisis of 1962; Kennedy’s response; the danger to the world; the results of the crisis; the effect on Kennedy and
Khrushchev
• Czechoslovakia, 1968: Dubcek and the Prague Spring; why it concerned the USSR and the Warsaw Pact and their response to
it; the effects on East-West relations; the Brezhnev Doctrine.
Key issue: Why did Détente develop and collapse in the 1970s?
• Reasons for Détente: the motives of the USSR, USA, China and West Germany
• The progress of Détente: SALT I, 1972; Brezhnev-Nixon Summits; the Helsinki Agreement, 1975
• The Soviet involvement in Afghanistan: reasons for Soviet involvement; reaction of President Carter and the USA to the war
• The failure of SALT II; the Olympic boycotts; deployment of Soviet and US missiles in Europe
Students will use a mixture of the following historical techniques to do this;
AO1 Recall, select and communicate their knowledge and
understanding of history
AO2 Demonstrate their understanding of the past through
explanation and analysis of:
•key concepts: causation, consequence, continuity,
change and significance within an historical
context
•key features and characteristics of the periods
studied and the relationship between them
AO3 Understand, analyse and evaluate:
• a range of source material as part of an historical
enquiry
•how aspects of the past have been interpreted and
represented in different ways as part of an historical
enquiry
All success criteria are either weekly or focused around one of the primary topics of the week. Where possible these are tied to
specific exam questions and these are referenced in brackets beside.
Week 1/2
(2-3 Hours class
learning + 1
home learning)
To what extent did the Berlin Wall personify the divide of the Cold War?
Hypothesis 1: – The U2 incident was blown out of proportion by the USA
Hypothesis 2+3: – The Berlin Wall made nuclear holocaust a possibility
Learning intention
• Students will understand what happened during and as a result of the U2 incident and the Berlin Wall
Knowledge
The U2 Crisis 1960: the purpose of U2; the responses of the USA and the USSR to the crisis; the effect on the Paris Summit and the peace process. On
1st May 1960 - thirteen days before the summit - an American U2 spy plane was shot down over Russia and the pilot, Gary Powers, was captured. At
first, the Americans tried to say that it was a weather plane, but they were forced to admit that it was a spy plane when the Russians revealed that much
of his plane had survived, and that they had captured Gary Powers alive. When the summit met on 14 May, the first thing Khrushchev did was to demand
that the US president, Eisenhower, apologise. When Eisenhower refused, Khrushchev went home. The Paris meeting collapsed and there was no Test
Ban Treaty. There was no discussion about the problem of Berlin - which, ultimately, led to the Berlin Wall. The incident was seen as a defeat for the US so they elected John F Kennedy as president because he promised to get tougher with the Russians. Wall built because of spies and defectors and
economic difficulties, solved a lot of these issues but negative for propaganda, West don’t respond, forms a point of contention for the rest of the Cold War
and a symbol of the divide, leads to further tension
Success Criteria
* Students can evaluate the impact of the Berlin Wall on the Cold War (June 2013, 2015 10 mark)
Students will:
Level 2 Develops one cause – starts with description
KGP 4: Students can describe the Berlin Wall and why it was created. Can assess the effect of the Berlin Wall and division of Germany on the Cold War
for top of this.
Level 3 A selective and structured account covering both bullets points (this and another cause)
KGP 5 -6: Assess the part the Berlin Wall played in the development of the Cold War with well described features as in KGP4 but with explicit ties to the
question.
Level 4 A balanced and well-argued answer, linking both parts, focused on the question
KGP 7-8 – Students can compare the Berlin Wall to another event in order to explain which event was a larger threat to world peace. This should be done
evenly with comparisons made explicit in the answer.
Highly developed/complex understanding of the rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar. It is well structured with an appropriate form and style of
writing. Specialist vocabulary is used effectively. This will link the two bullet points for KGP8
Overview of lessons this week:
•
Students will study the U2 Crisis and Paris Summit and the impact that these had on each other and on the Cold War in general. This is to provide
context for the next two lessons.
•
Students will study the reasons behind the creation of the Berlin Wall as well as the events that occurred during its creation including American
reaction. This should include access to sources and finally a past paper question.
REACH time will be completed this week
Home learning:
Pupils will complete a revision task due next Monday
Progress Outcomes:
AO1 – Describe the Paris Summit and U2 Crisis, Berlin Wall and response of the West
AO2 – Explain why the Berlin Wall was set up, explain the consequences of the Wall
AO3 – Evaluate a source on the Berlin Wall to assess its usefulness.
Week 2/3
(2-3 Hours class
learning + 1
home learning)
Could the Cuban Missile Crisis have led to a nuclear holocaust?
Hypothesis 4+5: - The world stood on the brink of annihilation during the Thirteen Day Crisis
Hypothesis 6: – The Cuban Missile Crisis made the world a safer place
Learning intention
• Students will understand the causes, events and consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Knowledge
(Berlin Wall creates further tension between East and West, Kennedy elected to “get tough with the Communists”, America place missiles in Turkey, Fidel
Castro takes over Cuba 1959, America had many business interests in Cuba, Castro nationalizes American companies in Cuba, America stop all aid to
Cuba and stop importing Cuban sugar, 1960 the USSR agree to buy Cuban sugar and Castro becomes a communist, CIA train Cuban exiles to eliminate
Castro at the Bay of Pigs but fail, Castro publically asks for weapons to defend Cuba against America, America discover missiles in Cuba and crisis
begins, Kennedy can’t invade Cuba as it would start a war, US blockade Cuba to prevent missiles from being imported, Khrushchev declares blockade will
be seen as an act of war, US troops prepare to invade Cuba and planes carry nuclear weapons, US secretly agree to trade missile sides – Cuba for
Turkey, Khrushchev backs down first, u2 plane shot down but Kennedy ignores this and agrees.)
Success Criteria
* Students can evaluate the impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the key individuals involved (June 2012, 2014, 2015 – 10 mark)
Students will:
Level 2 Develops one cause – starts with description
KGP 4: Students can describe the Cuban Missile Crisis and why it happened. Can briefly assess the effect of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the impact
individuals had on avoiding war
Level 3 A selective and structured account covering both bullets points (this and another cause)
KGP 5 -6: Assess the part that individuals had to play in avoiding war in detail/in why the Cuban Missile Crisis happened and how much of a threat it
posed to world peace with well described features as in KGP4 but with explicit ties to the question.
Level 4 A balanced and well-argued answer, linking both parts, focused on the question
KGP 7-8 – Students can compare the Cuban Missile Crisis to another event in order to explain which event was a bigger threat to world peace OR which
individual had the more significant impact on the outcome. This should be done evenly with comparisons made explicit in the answer. This will link the two
bullet points for KGP8
Progress Outcomes:
AO1 – Describe the thirteen days of crisis, describe the events that preceded the Crisis
AO2 – Explain the causes and consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis, explain how the Munich Crisis worsened relations between east and west
Overview of lessons this week:
•
Students will study the causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis, looking at changes in Cuba and their relationship with the USSR before looking at the
events of the 13 days of crisis
•
Students will investigate the consequences and historical thinking surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis based on past paper questions. This will
lead to students answering a ten mark question.
Home learning:
Pupils will learn a selection of key words in order to complete a spelling test due next week
Week 3:
Why did the crisis in Prague occur and what were the consequences?
(2-3 Hours class
learning + 1
home learning)
Hypothesis 7: – The Prague Spring showed the USSR was fragile
Hypothesis 8: – The Iron Curtain was indestructible
Lesson 3 of this week will include the middle cycle test
Learning intention
• Students will be able to explain the causes, events and consequences of the Prague Spring
(Knowledge – complaints made about lack of freedom and poor economy in Czechoslovakia, Novotny – the Czech President asks Brezhnev for help but
doesn’t receive any, Novotny is replaced by a reformer – Dubcek, new model of socialism is introduced for four months with freedom of speech
introduced and industry controls relaxed, Dubcek said they would stay in the Warsaw Pact but allowed Tito to visit, Brezhnev announces no country will
be allowed to leave communism or the Warsaw Pact, 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops march on Prague and arrest Dubcek, Czechoslovakians don’t fight the
Soviets but stand in front of tanks and put flowers in the soldiers hair, Jan Palach burns himself alive in protest, a supporter of Russia – Gustav Husak is
placed in charge)
Success Criteria
From June 2011 test paper * Students will evaluate the importance of causes in the development of the Cold War (June 2013, 10 mark)
From the examiners report - students will:
Students will:
Level 2 Develops one cause – starts with description
KGP 4: Students can describe the events of the Prague Spring and reforms of Dubcek and explain Brezhnev’s response and the fear of the Domino effect
on Europe
Level 3 A selective and structured account covering both bullets points (this and another cause)
KGP 5 -6: Assess the part the Berlin Wall played in the development of the Cold War and explains why the West did not react to the Prague Spring with
well described features as in KGP4 but with explicit ties to the question.
Level 4 A balanced and well-argued answer, linking both parts, focused on the question
KGP 7-8 – Students can compare the Prague Spring to the Berlin Wall in order to explain which event was a greater threat to world peace. This should be
done evenly with comparisons made explicit in the answer. This will link the two bullet points for KGP8
Progress Outcomes:
AO1 – Describe the Prague Spring, describe the reforms of Dubcek
AO2 – Explain the consequences of the Prague Spring,
Overview of lessons this week:
•
Students will study the causes of the Prague Spring and the subsequent events looking at a variety of sources.
•
Students will look at the impact of the Prague Spring on the relationship between the East and West and the impact of Brezhnev Doctrine
REACH Marking week
Home learning:
Students will complete a reflection activity from the Roaring Twenties module as recap
Week 4
(2-3 Hours class
learning + 1
home learning)
How much did the Cold War really defrost during détente?
Hypothesis 10: – Détente was a sign of people power
Hypothesis 11: – SALT thawed the icy relations of the Cold War forever
Learning intention
• Students will understand the events that occurred during détente
(Knowledge – America was shocked by the Vietnam War and wanted to stay out of world affairs. There was also a vociferous Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament movement in the West, The arms race was very expensive for both superpowers. The price of oil rocketed in the 1970s, and both
superpowers experienced economic problems. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: powers with nuclear weapons agreed not to give any other countries
nuclear technology, 1971 US table tennis team played China, 1971 US drops it’s veto to let China in the UN, 1972 Nixon visits China, SALT1 Treaty both
countries agree to limit their anti-ballistic missiles and bombers, The Helsinki Agreement – recognised Soviet control over Eastern Europe and concluded a
trade agreement)
Success Criteria
* Students will evaluate a source to suggest the impact of détente on international relations (yet to appear in a high mark question)
Level 2 GP4: Uses general knowledge to agree/disagree with the source/gives simple evaluation of the source
Eg shows some understanding of the successes of détente such as SALT and the arms race OR Simple comments on the provenance of the source:
Level 3: GP5-6: Agrees or disagrees either using source or own knowledge
EITHER
Evaluation of provenance of source, eg explaining the motive/purpose/audience, placed in the context of the Cold War.
OR
Uses specific knowledge of détente and why it existed – could make reference to SALT, China getting into the UN, The Helsinki Agreement, impact of
economic problems, Vietnam, the impact of CND groups
Level 4: GP7+: Uses source and knowledge to reach conclusion
Both parts of GP5-6.
Highly developed/complex understanding of the rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar. It is well structured with an appropriate form and style of
writing. Specialist vocabulary is used effectively.
Progress Outcomes:
AO1 – Describe the features of detente, describe different events that are part of detente
AO2 – Explain the causes and consequences of détente on the Cold War
Overview of lessons this week:
•
Students will study the background to détente and the first events that took place during this period of peace
•
Students will study the arms treaties and the Space Race to determine the impact détente had on the Cold War
Home learning:
Pupils complete a reflection by completing spider diagrams on an aspect of the Race Relations module.
Week 5
(3 Hours class
learning + 1
home learning)
Was détente doomed to fail?
Hypothesis 12: - Afghanistan destroyed détente
Hypothesis 13+14: – Détente was doomed to fail from the beginning
Learning intention
• Students will understand how and why détente failed
(Knowledge –The Non-Proliferation Treaty did not stop other countries developing nuclear weapons (e.g. China, and perhaps South Africa and Israel).
Neither Russia or America kept to the SALT1 agreement. Neither side reduced their conventional weapons. Further talks were much less successful and a
SALT2 Treaty in 1979 added little. In the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, America supported Israel, and Russia supported Egypt and Syria. The Helsinki
Agreement achieved nothing - it confirmed the Iron Curtain and Russia ignored its promises about human rights. Table tennis and space meetings were
just one-off propaganda stunts. Brezhnev said that Communists would still try to destroy capitalism. Some historians suggest that Nixon only went to China
to drive a wedge between Russia and China, Soviets invade Afghanistan to support communist government there, US boycott 1980 Olympics in Moscow,
Ronald Reagan describes USSR as an “evil empire” and increases arms spending, The failure of SALT II; the Olympic boycotts; deployment of Soviet and
US missiles in Europe)
Success Criteria
* Students will evaluate the reasons behind the failure of détente (yet to appear on an assessment)
Students will focus on:
Level 2 Develops one cause – starts with description
KGP 4: Students can describe the events that led to the failure of détente such as SALT2, Olympics, Afghanistan
Level 3 A selective and structured account covering both bullets points (this and another cause)
KGP 5 -6: Assess how much of a failure détente really was by looking at successes and failures of détente such as relationship with China, SALT1 and 2
with well described features as in KGP4 but with explicit ties to the question.
Level 4 A balanced and well-argued answer, linking both parts, focused on the question
KGP 7-8 – Students can compare the successes and failures of détente in order to make a substantiated judgement on whether or not it was a failure
overall or marked a significant shift in superpower relations. This should be done evenly with comparisons made explicit in the answer. This will link the
two bullet points for KGP8
Overview of lessons this week:
•
Students will study the decline of and the events that triggered the decline. This will primarily focus on Afghanistan and the response
•
Students will study détente on the whole whether or not it was doomed to fail or if it was forever doomed to fail due to the icy relations between
the superpowers.
Home learning:
Pupils will revise for assessment week next week.
Gap Analysis Reinforcement
Gap
Reinforcement
This end of module time will be allocated to re-teaching any gaps discovered in each individuals knowledge as a result of the assessment
process
Extended Learning
• Create a heat graph of how frosty or hot the relationship between the USA and the USSR was at various points
• Investigate what different historians suggest about the significance of each of the events
• What impact did the Cuban Missile Crisis have on the rest of the world?
• Compare the different leaders of the USSR and USA and their policies
Also, recommendation to purchase the “GCSE History: AQA B, Modern World History” textbook to aid with revision