The 1980s and 1990s: new technology, the end of the Cold War and the Gulf War

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The end of the Cold War, 1985 to 1991 (cards A to D). Card A, President Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate, West Berlin, June 12, 1987 (excerpt): "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Card B, dates, in our words: Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet leader in March 1985. Reagan and Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty on December 8, 1987. On November 9, 1989, the East German government opened the border and crowds took down the Berlin Wall. Germany was united again on October 3, 1990. On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union came to an end. Card C, the treaty in practice, in our words: the INF Treaty took effect on June 1, 1988, and gave the two sides three years to destroy intermediate-range missiles. By then the Soviet Union had destroyed 1,846 missiles and the United States 846, a total of 2,692. Card D, President Reagan on signing the treaty, December 8, 1987 (excerpt): "On the Soviet side, over 1,500 deployed warheads will be removed, and all ground-launched intermediate-range missiles, including the SS-20's, will be destroyed. On our side, our entire complement of Pershing II and ground-launched cruise missiles, with some 400 deployed warheads, will all be destroyed."

2. 1.

   Card A is Reagan's speech of June 12, 1987. Which use of it is sound, Ari asks?

   • As evidence of Gorbachev's reply, since the speech addresses him directly
   • As evidence of why the Wall opened, since the opening followed his appeal
   • As evidence of what Reagan urged, set against what happened later
   • As weak evidence, since a speech made in Berlin was aimed at the crowd
3. 2.

   Reagan spoke on June 12, 1987, and the Wall opened on November 9, 1989. With card B's other events, what does the gap suggest, Bo asks?

   • The INF Treaty explains the opening, since it was the main event between them
   • Other events fell between them, so the speech alone cannot explain the opening
   • The speech started a process that card B's events carried out, so it explains the opening
   • The gap is too long for any link, so the speech can be set aside
4. 3.

   Which statement best fits cards A and B on why the Wall opened, Esme asks?

   • The INF Treaty was the cause, since it was signed nearest the opening
   • Reagan's appeal was the cause, since card A is the one card that asks for it
   • Reagan's appeal was one of several events, and the cards do not rank them
   • Gorbachev's rise in 1985 was the cause, since a new leader opened the way for the rest
5. 4.

   Card C says the Soviet Union destroyed 1,846 missiles and the United States 846. Read with card D, which explanation fits, Jun asks?

   • The Soviet side destroyed 2.2 times as many because it held 2.2 times the warheads
   • The Soviet side fell behind the treaty schedule, so it had more left to destroy
   • The treaty bore harder on the Soviet side, which makes the exchange unequal
   • The Soviet side held more of these missiles; card D points the same way
6. 5.

   A student subtracts card D's promised warheads from card C's missiles destroyed to see whether the promise was kept. What is wrong with that, Kira asks?

   • They count different things, and card D is a forecast made at the signing
   • Nothing: warheads and missiles count the same thing, so the check is fair
   • Card D is a speech, so its numbers cannot be checked against anything
   • Card C counts just the Soviet side, so it cannot be compared
7. 6.

   What does card D show best, set beside card C, Luz asks?

   • The Soviet side's own count, since Reagan quotes it from the Soviet record
   • The final result of the treaty, since card D's numbers match card C's totals
   • What Reagan said would be removed, before it was carried out
   • What was destroyed, since a signer of the treaty knew the plan in full
8. 7.

   The treaty took effect June 1, 1988, with three years to destroy the missiles. What follows from when the Soviet Union ended, Milo asks?

   • It ended seven months after the deadline, so its end made the cuts possible
   • It ended about seven months before the deadline, so its end cut the destruction short
   • About seven months after the deadline, so the cuts were done while it stood
   • It ended about five months after the deadline of June 1, 1992
9. 8.

   A student writes, "Reagan's Berlin speech ended the Cold War." How strong is that claim given cards A to D, Noah asks?

   • Strong: Reagan and Gorbachev signed a treaty the same year, which shows the speech worked
   • Weak: the speech made a request, and the cards show other steps and later dates
   • Strong: the Cold War ended in the years after the speech and no card gives a rival cause
   • Weak: card A was written by Gorbachev and not by Reagan himself
10. 9.

    Which statement about the kinds of card is right, Ren asks?

    • A and D are Reagan's words, B and C our summaries; speeches show aims
    • B and C are our summaries, so they are weaker evidence than the speeches
    • A and D are Reagan's words, so they show the treaty's results better than C
    • A, B and D are first-hand, since each reports what Reagan said or did
11. 10.

    Which question can cards A to D answer, and which can they not, Zee asks?

    • They give why it ended, since card B ends with Gorbachev resigning
    • They give the date the Soviet Union ended, not why it ended
    • They show whether the INF Treaty weakened it, since the treaty came first
    • They show whether Reagan's speech hastened it, since card A calls for an opening