Add a Curriculum Bundle to Your Account!
Please select a bundle.
The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.
Here are the teacher pack items for The Cold War in Latin America:
Overview In this experience, students examine scenarios and choose between the undesirable and the unacceptable. Then they watch a video and read about the Cold War in Latin America, and how it brought about military dictatorships. They focus on Argentine politics. Next they analyze formerly classified documents about U.S. involvement in Argentina’s “Dirty War” and summarize what the documents show about the connection between the military regime and the Cold War. Finally they research a military junta that ruled a non-Latin American country and evaluate if it was related to the Cold War. Students will collaborate in small groups for scene 3 to scene 4. Objectives
During the Cold War, the United States supported anti-communist regimes, including both democracies and dictatorships. This tension was prominent in Latin America, where revolutions and coups were common in the period between 1960 and 1990. In this experience, you will learn about the impact of the Cold War on the governments of Latin America.
Objectives
You may be familiar with the musical Evita, about the second wife of Juan Perón, who served as Argentinian president from 1946 to 1955 when his government was overthrown by a military coup. He returned from political exile in 1972 and was elected for a second stretch as president from October 1973 until his death in July 1974. His third wife, Isabella, became president until her government was overthrown by the Argentinian military in 1976.
Peron’s wife Eva was so popular that there were public demands for her to run as Vice President in the 1952 election alongside her husband. However, she was too ill at that point, and she passed away in 1953.
Eva Peron addressing a crowd of Argentinian women.
In the next scene you will learn more about the Peronists in Argentina. You will also watch a video that talks about the classic approach of diplomacy that chooses the undesirable over the unacceptable. Before moving on, think about that distinction. Look at the following scenarios and decide if they are undesirable or unacceptable.
Ask for volunteers to define the two terms:
Ask students: Which is the more severe of the two, undesirable or unacceptable? The latter is. Undesirable could be accepted if necessary; unacceptable cannot be accepted under any circumstances. Choosing the undesirable over the unacceptable is like choosing the lesser of two evils.
Scenario 1: Due to high fuel costs and climate change, your local government decides that there will be a curfew every evening from 8PM until 6AM the following morning. All businesses must close and people must stay in their homes.
Scenario 2: Your school board decides to suspend the football program due to mounting injuries to players.
Scenario 3: Three students in your school are allergic to peanuts. Your school removes from the menu all products with allergens, including all nuts, wheat, and other gluten-based grains.
Point out that there are no correct or incorrect answers to these scenarios. The choice depends on the priorities and circumstances of the person or body making the decision.
