The Legacy of Churchill’s Sinews of Peace Speech 1946-1989

1. The Legacy of Churchill’s Sinews of Peace Speech 1946-1989

2. “The Sinews of Peace” Winston Churchill • To what extent did Winston Churchill’s Sinews of Peace speech define the Cold War? • What was the goal of Churchill’s speech? • What is the tone of his speech? • Identify passages that indicate Churchill’s views on peace and war http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.radiochemistry.org /speech_archives/text/churchill2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.radiochemistry.org/ speech_archives/text/churchill2.shtml&h=231&w=190&sz=6&hl=en&start=7&tbnid=CsPY_HE5_PFc9M:&tbnh=108&tbnw=89&prev=/images%3Fq%3DWinston%2B Churchill%2B1946%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DRNWE,RNWE:2004-50,RNWE:en%26sa%3DG

3. Stalin’s Response • How does Stalin describe Winston Churchill? • What does he say are Churchill’s aims in his speech? • Why does Stalin compare Churchill to Hitler? To what effect? • What does he say is the goal of the Soviet Union? http://library.usu.edu/Specol/digitalexhibits/\masaryk/images/stalin.jpg

4. The Truman Doctrine • Why does Truman want Congress to go to the aid of Greece? Turkey? • What does he want Congress to do? • Why does Truman say the United Nations can not help? • According to Truman, what is the significance of the geographic location of Greece and Turkey? • What does Truman say will happen if the United States does not intervene? • Find passages that reflect the ‘iron curtain’ imagery of Churchill’s speech http://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosiero:Harry-truman.jpg

5. The Berlin Airlift • Research the Berlin Airlift at the following web site: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/berlin_airlift/large/docs.php?action=docs • Identify the actions of the Soviet Union that led to President Truman’s decision • Place the Berlin Airlift in the context of the Cold War • Assess the extent to which it demonstrates Winston Churchill’s description of the iron curtain in his “Sinews of Peace” speech http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/BERLIN_A/BAPIC_53.HTM

6. Towards a Strategy of Peace • Define what peace means to President Kennedy • How does Kennedy describe American attitudes towards the Soviet Union? • What do Americans and Soviets have in common, according to Kennedy? • Describe the line that Kennedy draws in his quest for peace. • Assess the extent to which this speech demonstrates Winston Churchill’s description of the iron curtain in his “Sinews of Peace” speech http://www.lib.msu.edu/vincent/findaids/kennedy.jpg

7. Gorbachev’s Speech to the UN • Describe the world that Gorbachev sees as emerging in 1988 • What are some of the revolutionary changes that Gorbachev describes? • What else does he say needs to be done? Why? • How has the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union changed over five and a half decades? • Assess the extent to which this speech demonstrates Winston Churchill’s description of the iron curtain in his “Sinews of Peace” speech http://pac.nevada.edu/PACINFO/gorbachev_mikhail(300).jpg

8. “Tear Down That Wall” • Why does Reagan say he is drawn to Berlin? • What has the Berlin wall represented since it was erected? • How has West Berlin changed since 1947, according to Reagan? Why does he emphasize these changes? • How does he describe life in Eastern Europe by comparison? • What changes does he say are happening in Eastern Europe? • What does Reagan hope will happen as a result of his speech? • Assess the extent to which this speech demonstrates Winston Churchill’s description of the iron curtain in his “Sinews of Peace” speech http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image: ReaganBerlinWall.jpg#file

9. Cold War Websites • The History Place - World War Two in Europe Timeline • http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/berlin_airlift/large/docs.php?action=docs