In this lesson, students read about how many African nations stagnated under brutal rulers and government-run economies, after gaining independence from European colonial powers, and how today, many of these nations are striving to establish democratic rule and free-market economies. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students form small groups, each of which will become a committee to advise the president on what the U.S. role in Africa should be.

Students examine current disputes between nations, and then, after learning about current tensions among Japan, China and South Korea, research and create timelines outlining the development of relationships among these nations. They then write letters from the perspective of a leader of one nation to a leader of another nation studied in class.

Few geo-political events have resonated through the past 70 years like Neville Chamberlain?s decision to pursue the policy of appeasement in reaction to German aggression leading up to the Second World War. Leaders throughout the world have invoked appeasement to justify military action ever since. The decisions that went into Chamberlain?s policy, however, were far from straightforward. Historians have continually debated and reinterpreted these events. In this lesson, students address the issue of appeasement and explore and weigh evidence against and in favor of the policy.

This cooperative learning activity helps students examine the development of a small country in a time of transition, in this case the breakup of the Soviet Union, which coincided with a national disaster and a war. Using photographs, maps, and historical information, students will write diary accounts of a teenager's life in Armenia.

This lesson is designed to give students a brief overview of the Berlin Wall from its construction in 1961 to its demise in 1989.

With this online resource, students will consider the impact of the construction of the Berlin Wall on East-West relations and the Cold War.

In this activity, students examine a source that focuses on youth organizations in East Germany in order to better understand communist society. It helps students see that communist organizations offered positive experiences that supported values they share. This helps students develop empathy for individuals who lived under communism, and paves the way for understanding the enthusiasm with which some individuals lived in communism, and the ambivalence many experienced at its end.

In this lesson, students will be able to define a "cold war" and understand the circumstances of its formation and early development as a conflict driven by competing interests and goals for the postwar world. Students will be able to understand how the Cold War endured until 1991 by examining issues such as the proliferation of nuclear armaments, mutually assured destruction, the balance of power, and the role of alliance systems such as NATO and the Warsaw Pact; and study particular Cold War events to apply general ideas and observe the Cold War's effects on Russian, European, and American society.

This lesson will explore the implementation of the war-making power from the first declared war under the Constitution—the War of 1812—to the Iraq War. Using primary source documents, students will investigate how the constitutional powers to initiate war have been exercised by the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government at several key moments in American history. They will also evaluate why and how the balance of authority in initiating war has changed over time. Students will assess and evaluate the current balance of power.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Ukraine has been an independent democratic nation. Given its location between Europe and Russia, it often must balance the political tensions between Russia and the West. This tension came to a peak in late 2013, when the president of the Ukraine chose not to sign an economic agreement with the European Union and instead pursued closer ties to Russia. This upset many people living in Ukraine who took to the streets in extended protests resulting in the eventual removal of the Ukrainian president and several other high-level officials of the government. Shortly thereafter, a new pro-Europe leadership was installed by parliament. Amidst all this uncertainty and political change in Ukraine, Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March of 2014, taking control of airports, naval bases, and key bridges. Within weeks, Russia claimed Crimea as their own. Successful students will be able to ask questions to define how the cultural and ethnic diversity of this area might contribute to the current conflict.

This resource provides facts, arguments, photos, video footage, etc. about the pros and cons of the Cuba Embargo; useful for teacher planning or student-friendly enough to use as a source for research.

Students will play the role of White House advisers, exploring policy options and recommending the best strategy for preventing war in East Asia.

In this lesson, students read about the historical development of the European Union. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students will imagine that the United States, Canada, and Mexico have formed a North American Congress and discuss which legislative areas should be assigned to the North American Congress and which should remain with the national legislatures of the countries.

In this lesson, students learn about the development of the European Union. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students consider whether the U.S. should join the EU nations in a transatlantic federal union.

Students will examine the effect of the Syrian crisis on the lives of young people from that country, especially those who are refugees.

In this lesson, students will explore the rise of Taliban power in Afghanistan and the impacts of Taliban rule upon Afghan women.

This presentation is intended for use with the lesson plan "Forbidden Faces: Effects of Taliban Rule on Women in Afghanistan." In this lesson, students will explore the rise of Taliban power in Afghanistan and the impacts of Taliban rule upon Afghan women.

This lesson plan is designed as a guide that offers different ways to engage your students in the article "Fractured Lands" by Scott Anderson, published by The New York Times with support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. In "Fractured Lands," Anderson explores the modern Middle East through the eyes of six individuals, tracing their lives from the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq through the Arab spring, up to the present day. While these people come from different countries, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, their interlinked narratives provide a window into a turbulent region and help the reader understand the macro-narrative of modern Middle Eastern history. Throughout "Fractured Lands" Anderson raises questions about leadership, governance, identity, dissent and the consequences of history, which enrich our understanding of current events and may also help us better anticipate the future.

This lesson plan is designed as a guide that offers different ways to engage your students in the article "Fractured Lands" by Scott Anderson, published by The New York Times with support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. In “Fractured Lands,” Anderson explores the modern Middle East through the eyes of six individuals, tracing their lives from the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq through the Arab spring, up to the present day. While these people come from different countries, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, their interlinked narratives provide a window into a turbulent region and help the reader understand the macro-narrative of modern Middle Eastern history. Throughout “Fractured Lands” Anderson raises questions about leadership, governance, identity, dissent and the consequences of history, which enrich our understanding of current events and may also help us better anticipate the future.