Essential Question: How did the Soviet Union collapse and what were its effects? Standard: SS6H7c. Explain how the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the end of the Cold War and German reunification. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should introduce the essential question and the standard that aligns to the essential question.

Europe After WWII Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should use the slide to remind students of the “iron curtain” and Europe after WWII from the previous lesson.

At the end of WWII, the Allied powers divided conquered Germany into four zones. Each zone was occupied by either the United States, Great Britain, France, or the Soviet Union. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide. The students do not necessarily need to write down any of the information. The slide is used to provide background information for the Berlin Wall. The same was done with Germany’s capital city, Berlin. It became an island of democracy within Communist East Germany.

Within a short period of time after the war, living conditions in West Germany and East Germany became very different. West Germany was set up as a capitalist society and saw rapid economic growth. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide. The students do not necessarily need to write down any of the information. The slide is used to provide background information for the Berlin Wall. East Germany was set up as a Communist society and the economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely restricted.

By the late 1950s, many people living in East Germany wanted out and headed to West Berlin. Hundreds of thousands of people left East Germany for West Germany, many who were young, trained professionals. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide. The students do not necessarily need to write down any of the information. The slide is used to provide background information for the Berlin Wall. By the early 1960s, East Germany was rapidly losing both its labor force and its population.

Desperate to keep its citizens, East Germany decided to build a wall to prevent them from crossing the border. It became known as the Berlin Wall. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide. http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall

How would you feel if you lived in East Germany? How would you feel if you lived in West Germany? Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should pose the question to the class and briefly (1-2 minutes) discuss student responses.

The Berlin Wall is often used to signify the Cold War. The Cold War came to an end in 1991 along with a decline in Communism. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide. So What Happened?

Death of Communism in Eastern Europe Activity Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should facilitate the Death of Communism in Eastern Europe Activity [linked on the curriculum map] where students examine events that occurred after World War II and during the Cold War to determine possibly causes of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe which ultimately led to the end of the Cold War. Students should work in small groups to conduct the activity. Groups can be student selected or chosen by the teacher (differentiated if needed).

Economies of Eastern Europe After WWII, the economies of Eastern European countries struggled The Soviets tried to strengthen the economies by promoting industrialization The emphasis was on heavy industry, but the investments were badly managed and usually the plants were located in regions that lacked the raw materials. The communist belief was that farming must be done collectively and that planning has to be made by the government who owned the agricultural equipment too. Due to the Communist policies, there were shortages of food, clothing, and other basic items Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide while the students record the BOLD information on their graphic organizer.

Dissatisfaction with Communism Protests against Communist policies occurred in U.S.S.R. satellite countries such as Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. By the summer of 1990, all of the former Communist regimes of Eastern Europe were replaced by democratically elected governments. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide while the students record the BOLD information on their graphic organizer.

Impact of Mikhail Gorbachev He believed that the Soviet Union needed reform in order to revive both the Soviet economy and society. He implemented reforms in the Soviet Union such as the ability of citizens to freely voice their opinions He realized that the Soviet Union's economy was seriously suffering from the excessive spending on nuclear weapons and ended the Arms Race with the U.S. Although he implemented economic, political, and social reforms, his policies did not revitalize the Soviet Union's economy. On the contrary, the economy took a severe downturn. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide while the students record the BOLD information on their graphic organizer.

Loosening Control During the “Iron Curtain” years, Soviet troops remained stationed throughout Eastern Europe as a reminder of Soviet dominance over other countries. The Soviet military often intervened when people in Eastern European countries protested communist rule. With a struggling economy and the new Soviet leader Gorbachev, the Soviets stopped helping Eastern European governments put down domestic protests against communism. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide while the students record the BOLD information on their graphic organizer.

Fall of the Berlin Wall Communism was weakening, but the East German Communist leaders insisted that East Germany just needed a moderate change rather than a drastic revolution. On the evening of November 9, 1989, an announcement was made by an East German Communist Party official that citizens were free to cross the country’s borders. The Berlin Wall was flooded with people from both sides. Some began chipping at the Berlin Wall with hammers and chisels. There were huge celebrations along the Berlin Wall, with people hugging, kissing, singing, cheering, and crying. Without Soviet support, the East German government let go of their power. A new government was elected and the reunification of Germany was official. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide while the students record the BOLD information on their graphic organizer.

Fall of the Berlin Wall Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should use the slides to show images of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Break-up of the Soviet Union The political system and economic system of the Soviet Union was authoritarian and highly centralized. After many years, changes were made. Economically, the planned, highly centralized command economy was replaced by the slow introduction of a market economy. The change was difficult to achieve though because of production and distribution problems. Politically, the constitution allowed for more freely-elected bodies. Many non-communists were elected. Nationalism and demands for independence were increasing in the individual republics. The failing Soviet economy, the ability of citizens to criticize, and the new political freedoms all weakened the power of the Soviet Union. Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should present the information on the slide while the students record the BOLD information on their graphic organizer.

Break-up of the Soviet Union Soviet Union before the Break-up 15 Independent Republics after the Break-up Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should use the images on the slide to illustrate the Soviet Union before and the individual countries after the break-up.

It has been said recently that the current President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, would like to restore the former Soviet Union. Regardless of whether the statement is true or false, how might the restoration of the USSR benefit Russia? Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should pose the question to the class and ask for volunteer answers. The teacher should briefly discuss student responses with the class.

By 1991… Eastern European countries previously under the Soviet Union’s influence moved away from Communism to democratic forms of government and more open economies Germany was reunified The Soviet Union collapsed into 15 independent republics The Cold War was over Instructional Approach(s): The teacher should review the main events of the lesson.

What did the tearing down of the Berlin Wall signify? How might you feel if you lived in East or West Germany on November 9, 1989? WRITING PROMPT FRIDAY What did the tearing down of the Berlin Wall signify? Instructional Approach(s): Have students turn to a partner and discuss the question on the slide. Partners can be determined by the students or the teacher can provide more specific directions such as turn to the person directly in front/behind you or to the right/left of you, etc. It may be necessary to have a group of three if you have an uneven number of students. Do not allow more than 1-2 minutes of discussion time. The teacher should be walking around listening and redirecting discussions as needed. The teacher can briefly discuss student responses.