Fall of the Soviet Union to Present

Here is the rest of the information we have left to learn in 5th grade Social Studies!

5.6.1 Use a map to identify the regions of United States political involvement since the fall of the communist states, including places in the Middle East, Central America, theCaribbean, Africa, the Balkans in Europe, and Asia. (P, G, H)

Students must be able to use a map to identify the various regions of United States political involvement since the fall of the communist states. Students should be able to identify the Middle East, Central America, Africa, and Asia. The indicator implies that students should know these regions because of United States’ political involvement, so it is important that students understand why and how the United States was/is involved in these regions.

The United States is involved in the Middle East [Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq] because of this region’s reserves of oil and the U.S.’s economic dependence on oil. Religion (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) has also played a role in the conflict in the Middle East and in the role of the United States in the region [Israel]. As a result of the atrocities of World War II against the Jews, the United States supports the Jewish state of Israel through diplomatic recognition and military aid. Opposition to the state of Israel by the Palestinians, who are Muslims, has led to wars and terrorist activities in the region. When Iraq invaded Kuwait to take their oil fields in the early 1990s, the United States led the international community in its liberation of Kuwait. The presence of the American military in the Muslim country of Saudi Arabia in preparation for this war led to the formation of the al Qaeda terrorist group against the United States. Al Qaeda masterminded the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This led the United States to overthrow the governments of Afghanistan, which was harboring al Qaeda, and Iraq, which the United States mistakenly believed was developing weapons of mass destruction. The United States continues to support the creation of democratic governments in Afghanistan and Iraq with American troops and to support Israel’s right to exist.

The United States has been involved in Central America [Mexico] and the Caribbean [Haiti and Cuba] since the 19th century. American economic investments in the region led to American military interests and involvement. The United States has a military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Immigrants from Central American and Caribbean countries regions have impacted American policy.

The United States has limited its involvement to diplomacy and humanitarian aid to drought-stricken and war-torn areas in Africa [Somalia, Darfur].

The United States took a military and diplomatic leadership role in stopping the human rights violations and ethnic cleansing in the Balkan region of Europe [Serbia and Croatia].

The United States has also been involved in Asia: the Far East [China], the near east [Russia] and southwest Asia [Afghanistan]. The Chinese economy is quickly increasing to rival the United States’ economy and the U.S. trade relations with China are of concern. Russia also represents a growing economy and a nuclear power. The United States continues to have troops in Afghanistan.

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5.6.2 Explain how humans change the physical environment of regions and the consequences of such changes, including use of natural resources and the expansion of transportation systems. (P, G, E)

Humans alter the physical environment and these changes have consequences. Students should be able to make a causal connection between human actions and their short term and long term effects on the environment. Examples to include when discussing this connection are: the production of oil, natural gas, and petroleum products; coal mining; increasing urban population and consumerism; and the expansion of transportation networks, including the prevalence of and impact of automobiles. Each of these activities involves the creation of byproducts that contribute to pollution of the environment. Pollutants contribute to air and water pollution, impact the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Global warming has resulted from the hole in the ozone layer caused by pollutants and led to the melting of the polar ice caps. Concerns about global warming and about the worldwide extinction of plants and animals have prompted conservation efforts. Increases in world population and the demand this places on limited world resources has resulted in an increased awareness that Americans use more resources and create more pollution than others in industrialized nations. However, this has not resulted in significant policy changes in the United States. Because these environmental impacts have occurred throughout American history, they may be discussed at any time in the curriculum when they are a natural result of historical changes such as during industrialization of the late 19th century or in the post-World War II period of expanding population and consumerism.

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5.6.3 Explain how technological innovations have changed daily life in the United States since the early 1990s, including changes in the economy and the culture that were brought about by computers, electronics, satellites, and mass communication systems. (E, H)

As technological advances are made, culture changes. The technological impact on the culture and daily lives of people is woven throughout history. Just as the introduction of radio in the 1920s and the prevalence of television in the 1950s impacted the daily life of Americans, so too did significant developments in technology change the daily lives of Americans since the early 1990s. Improvements in the area of computers, electronics, satellites, and global communication systems have changed the way
that Americans communicate with one another and with others around the world. This worldwide and rapid communication has opened up avenues of trade that include services as well as faster trade in goods. This increasing global trade has had an impact on the American economy as Americans compete for jobs with others around the world. Some American industries have downsized as operations are moved to countries where labor costs are cheaper. This has severely impacted the daily lives of those who have lost jobs and status. Technological advances have also increased in the area of personal entertainment such as personal computers, the Internet, cellular phones, email, personal digital assistant (PDAs), digital music players (IPod/mp3), and satellite television and radio. Increasingly this has brought about cultural conflict as some traditional cultures resist the encroachment of American values along American products and entertainment on their traditional societies.

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5.6.4 Identify examples of cultural exchange between the United States and other countries that illustrate the importance of popular culture and the influence of American popular culture in other places in the world, including music, fashion, food, and movies. (G, H)

Music includes the development and spread of American jazz, rock and roll, country music and American musical theater. However these “American” musical genres were also heavily influenced by other world cultures. The creation of American jazz is the result of African Americans sharing of their cultural heritage and was transferred to Europe during World War I. Rock and roll developed from jazz and the blues but was heavily influenced by the Beatles and other rock groups that originated in England.
Country music developed in the colonial backcountry that was heavily settled by the Scots-Irish who brought their musical traditions with them. Some Americans enjoy classical music which had its origins in Europe and many immigrants to America continue to enjoy the music of their native cultures.

In fashion, the most important example of the influence of American popular culture is the prevalence and popularity of blue jeans throughout the world. These are thoroughly American as they originated during the California Gold Rush. American movie stars help to spread the popularity of other fashions, however, high fashion is still heavily influenced by European designers.

American foods are the result of adaptation from the cultures of immigrants to the United States. There is no truly authentic American food despite the saying “American as apple pie,” except for perhaps corn which the Native Americans cultivated. However, American fast food companies have heavily influenced other cultures. You can find McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Coca Cola and many other American fast food restaurants in most places around the world.

Since the 1920s, American movies and television have spread American culture around the world. This has caused some misperceptions around the world about typical American experiences. Some countries in the Middle East ban American movies because their R-rated content offends their religious and moral values. Some “American” movie stars hail from many other English-speaking countries including, England, Scotland, Australia and Canada. Increasingly other nations are developing their own movie productions which reflect their own cultural values such as the Indian film industry in Hollywood. Ideas for television shows have originated in other parts of the world and spread to the United States. For instance, some reality shows and some game shows were started in other parts of the world.

Sports are an important part of American popular culture. A version of stick ball, which Americans call baseball, has transferred to other cultures, particularly to Japan, as a result of the American occupation after World War II. Basketball has also been adopted around the world. However most of the world still prefers soccer to American football and soccer is becoming increasingly popular in the United States.


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5.6.5 Summarize the changes that have taken place in United States foreign policy since 1992, including the globalization of trade and the war on terrorism. (P, H, G, E)

Changes that have taken place in United States foreign policy since 1992 are primarily related to the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and the end of the Cold War. In order to summarize changes the student has to understand that the fundamental policy driving foreign policy pre-1992 was containment. The Cold War influenced all American foreign affairs for almost a half-century. In the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has been the dominant military power.

As a result of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has taken an increasingly active and leading role in addressing the issue of global terrorism. Centering its attention on the terrorist group known as al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, the United States has directed its efforts by taking military action in Afghanistan, against the Taliban government suspected of protecting bin Laden, and against the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who was suspected of developing weapons of mass destruction. The Taliban government in Afghanistan was defeated and a newly elected democratic government is beginning a new era. The Saddam Hussein-led government in Iraq was defeated. However, no weapons of mass destruction have been found. Free elections were held in Iraq; however, the fighting between rival factions of Islamic militants continues to threaten the stability of the new democratic government. As of the spring of 2008 [the date of this writing], the United States continues to be committed with both military and diplomatic efforts to the establishment of democratic governments in each nation and to the rebuilding process in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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5-6.6 Compare the position of the United States on the world stage following World War I, World War II, and the collapse of the communist states. (P, H)

The position of the United States on the world stage has changed over the course of the twentieth century and into the 21st century. The power and influence of the United States in international affairs has continued to grow from the conclusion of World War I to the fall of the Soviet Union and the present. However, the role of the United States is being called into question today.

Following the success of the Allied powers in World War I, the United States became a major voice at the peace talks, however the United States retreated into isolationism in the post-war period. Woodrow Wilson helped to forge the nation-states of eastern Europe and championed the establishment of an international peace organization, the League of Nations, through his influential role at the negotiation of the Treaty of Versailles. However, the United States Congress refused to ratify the treaty. During the
1920s, the United States took a role in world affairs, but did not join the League of Nations. In the 1930s, Congress passed the Neutrality Acts limiting America’s role in the world in an attempt to avoid involvement in any future wars. However, this became impossible when the Japanese attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor.

In the years following World War II, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union required that the United States take an increasingly more active role in world affairs in order to contain communism. In order to carry out this policy of containment, the United States assisted in the rebuilding of Europe through the Marshall Plan and its defense through the North American Treaty Organization
(NATO). The U.S. provided military protection and supported the economic development of its World War II enemies, Germany and Japan, in order to contain the USSR. The United States fought wars in Asia to prevent the spread of communism as part of the policy of containment. The Korean War resulted in a stalemate, while the Vietnam War ended in the communist takeover of that nation. In Latin America, the United States attempted to contain the spread of communism by isolating Cuba and supporting dictators who were pro-American. In the Middle East, the United States guaranteed the right of Israel to exist and warned the Soviet Union not to become involved [Eisenhower Doctrine] in disputes in the region. Both the United States and the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons and space technology in order to protect themselves from each other and became the world’s military “superpowers.”

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the United States was left as the sole economic, diplomatic, and military superpower. However, today the United States’ economic position is being called into question by changes due to globalization of trade. Diplomatically, other countries are questioning the United States’ unilateral decisions that have global implications such as the war in the Middle East, energy policy and global warming. The military resources of the United States are being stretched to their capacity as a result of the continuing commitments of the Cold War and commitments of the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq.