Power, Ideology, and Terror in the Atomic Age Worksheet
The Cold War
Answer each of the following questions in a single paragraph:
1. What role did atomic weapons play in the Cold War? Summarize nuclear developments from 1945 to 1991.
2. What important events and symbolism in Berlin helped define the Cold War?
3. Why did European communism collapse?
Terrorism and the West
Answer each of the following questions with a short sentence or phrase:
1. Why were many Palestinians angered by the creation of Israel in 1948?
2. Why did the United States and the Soviet Union each support different terrorist organizations?
3. What happened to the Arab countries that attempted direct military action against Israel?
4. What motivated Palestinian terrorism?
5. What is jihad?
6. What motivated paramilitary groups in the Troubles of Northern Ireland?
7. What motivated the Red Army Faction and the Red Brigades?
8. What motivated the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City?
9. What are the motives of the ETA and loyalist paramilitary forces in Spain’s Basque country?
10. What were the four major events of September 11, 2001?
11. What were the motives of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda?
The Lessons of History
Answer each of the following questions in one paragraph:
1. How did American and Soviet involvement in Afghanistan contribute to the Taliban’s takeover in that country? What were the unintended consequences for the United States of Taliban rule in Afghanistan? Was the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors a part of the Cold War, a religious or ethnic clash, or a conflict between good and evil? Defend your answer.
2. How has oil contributed to world events and conflicts since 1973? What historical lessons should Western governments remember in dealing with oil-rich countries like Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran?
3. Which of the following historical events should inform Western treatment of suspected terrorists? Select one and defend your choice:
a. The Reign of Terror in revolutionary France b. Prisoner of war treatment during World War II c. Internment of Jews and of Japanese-Americans during World War II d. Decolonization e. Prisoner of war treatment during the Vietnam War
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