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Website
PBS

Pbs: Red Files: Secret Soviet Moon Mission

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS offers biographies and stories from the early days of the Soviet Space program, which prompted the Space Race and nuclear arms race between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union.
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Primary
Other

Jimmy Carter Library & Museum: State of the Union Address 1979

For Students 9th - 10th
President Carter, in his 1979 State of the Union Address, comments on SALT II and the arms race.
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Website
Other

Parallel History Project: Nato and the Warsaw Pact

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides documentation and further information about the development of NATO and the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War, their mutual threat perceptions and military plans, and their significance for our time.
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Website
Other

Welcome to the Cns Website

For Students 9th - 10th
Resource from the Non Nuclear Proliferation Studies. Provides links to news items, publications and content related to the arms race.
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Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Atomic Fears and the Arms Race

For Students 9th - 10th
Looks at the nuclear arms race in the 1950s as the United States and the USSR both stockpiled nuclear weapons. Includes 1951 propaganda video showing schoolchildren how to 'Duck and Cover' in the event of a nuclear attack. [9:15]
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Arms Race

For Teachers 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text male animals that have evolved in order to fight for a mate. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Article
Other

Jewish News: Gorbachev, Shamir Mark Decade of Soviet Aliyah

For Students 9th - 10th
This article provides insight into religious persecution in the former Soviet Union and Gorbachev's efforts to curb intolerance.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: The Presidency and the Cold War: Ronald Reagan

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Portrait Gallery presents a look at presidential actions and decisions about the Cold War. Click on Ronald Reagan to see how his anti-Communist beliefs led to increases in the defense budget, but also, by the end of his...
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Handout
US Department of State

U.s. Dept. Of State: Archive: The Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the text of treaties concerning Anti-Ballistic Missiles.
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Article
Other

Atom Central: Tsar Bomba King of the Bombs

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about a Soviet bomber that was made to be a statement of intimidation by the Soviet Union to the United States.
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Article
Other

Atom Central: The Atomic Cannon

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the Atomic Cannon, the largest nuclear capable mobile artillery piece manufactured by the United States in 1953.
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Article
Other

Atom Central: Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program, a post-World War II, U.S. military defense system.
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Atomic Fears and the Arms Race

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the impact of nuclear proliferation in the 1950s, including fears of atomic bombs and increasing militarization.
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Handout
Digital History

Digital History: Detente

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the most remarkable foreign policies of the 20th century, Nixon pursued detente in hopes of easing tensions with the Communist world.
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Primary
Atomic Archive

Atomic Archive: Developing the Hydrogen Bomb

For Students 9th - 10th
Links to seven different documents regarding the hydrogen bomb and its development during the Cold War. Excellent resource.
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Handout
Other

Temperament in Revolution Gorbachev

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent article about Gorbachev's appointment, goals, accomplishments, and personality.
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Article
Other

Ellsworth american.com: Antiballistic Missiles

For Students 9th - 10th
The article on antiballistic missiles primarily only discusses how Congress has approved their development under Reagan's "Star Wars" plan.
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Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: The Cold War for Kids: Arms Race

For Students 4th - 8th
Kids learn about the history of the Arms Race during the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union building nuclear weapons stockpiles.
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Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Quiz: Cold War Arms Race for Kids

For Students 4th - 8th
History Questions: Arms Race Quiz, Test, and WebQuest
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Primary
Other

Halting the Arms Race: 1983 Uua General Resolution

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource presents a 1983 statement by the Unitarian Universalist Association regarding the arms race. The statement is more specifically addressed to the U.S. Congress.