Rounding up the Reds

On 9 February 1950, senator Joe McCarthy began his relentless campaign to eradicate Communism from the US. Five years after the dawning of the Cold War, McCarthy delivered a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, in which he accused more than 200 members of the State Department of being members of the Communist Party.

Today, students have little awareness of the paranoia and political ideologies that polarised nations during this period. Allenk has shared a number of resources about the Cold War years:

The “Red Scare” PowerPoint, with study questions and images, introduces early tensions in the 1920s and the Palmer Raids.

A learning objective-led presentation on McCarthyism.

Search for answers with a Korean War crossword.

Why did the US lose the Vietnam War? Find arguments with a survey.

Test students’ knowledge about the fall of the Soviet Union with an “Egghead” plenary.

Revise the whole period with “Cold War Pictionary” or “Odd One Out”.