Is the Cold War Over? SWBAT: explain how events in the Ukraine connect to the Cold War. Homework: prepare for the essay portion of your final. You will take this on TUESDAY. Do Now: what do you already know about what’s happening in the Ukraine?

Final Essay  5 paragraph essay  Opening paragraph  3 body paragraphs  Closing paragraphs  You cannot chose random people, places, and events. We must have discussed them in class.  Example: a British Monarch  Good choice: Elizabeth I  Bad choice: Victoria I  You cannot use random information from Wikipedia.  Example: Quest. 4: artist  You CAN discuss Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel  You CANNOT discuss Michelangelo’s Moses  Utilize the class website to jog your memory.  You will not get to use any notes when writing the essay. Any prep you do, you will have to study and know when you sit down to write.

Petro Poroshenko Viktor YanukovychVladimir Putin Who’s Who

Where is Ukraine? Crimea

Some History  For most of its history, Ukraine has been a disputed territory, but by 1921, most of Ukraine had been taken over by the Soviet Union. The rest of the Ukraine was belonged to Poland.  Following the Invasion of Poland in September 1939, German and Soviet troops divided the territory of Poland and their Ukrainian population became reunited with the rest of Ukraine, but was still part of the USSR.  In 1954, Crimea was transferred from the Russia to the Ukraine to commemorate an important treaty.  On 16 July 1990, the new parliament adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine and it became an independent nation.

Read  Read  promise-and-a-cold-war-fight.html

Protests in Kiev

So, what’s happened since then?  Threatened by the removal of Ukraine’s pro- Russia leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin convinced Parliament to approve the moving of Russian troops into Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.  Crimea is an autonomous region of eastern Ukraine that has remained loyal to Russia.  But why Crimea?

This is why…

Taking control and international condemnation  By March 2, Russians had assumed military control of Crimea.  The U.S. condemned the aggression, along with other leaders (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom).  In a statement, President Obama called Russia’s actions a “violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” that “would negatively impact Russia’s standing in the international community.”

Crimea’s Referendum  On March 6, the Crimean parliament made a request to become part of the Russian Federation. Crimea planned to hold a referendum on March 16, whereby citizens could vote on the proposal.  With the March 16 referendum, Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia  The United Nations on March 28 declared the March 16 referendum invalid, saying it violated the Ukrainian constitution.  The U.N. said it will ignore Russian claims to Crimea.  Meanwhile, Russia rejected the U.N. resolution.

Failures in Diplomacy  In mid-April, pro-Russian rebels (separatists) seized buildings in about 10 towns and cities across eastern provinces that represent Ukraine’s industrial centers.  On April 17, diplomats representing EU, Russia, the U.S. and Ukraine met in Geneva and agreed that all parties would refrain from “violence, intimidation, or provocative actions” and that all “illegal armed groups will be disarmed.” In addition, all illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners; all illegally occupied streets, squares and other public places in Ukrainian cities and towns must be vacated.  In late April, the U.S. said Russia had failed to live up to an agreement to end the crisis, as promised on April 17.  Ukraine has warned it will consider any crossing into its territory by Russian troops an invasion, and that they will respond with force.

Discussion Questions  Crimea voted via referendum to secede from Ukraine and join with Russia. What was the response from the international community?  Should the international community respect Crimea’s choice? What about the US in particular?  Can you think of any similar events in history? What can we learn from them about this situation?  What does this suggest about the continuation of the Cold War?