1. The Thaw 1953-62: What was the reaction of the US to Russian policies?
Lesson Aim: To assess the reality of the thaw.
TASK: Bingo! Draw a six grid square and fill them with any words you like from below:
Peaceful Co-existence.
Stalin
Khrushchev
Beria
Malenkov
De-Stalinisation
Iron Curtain
Politburo
Berlin
Austrian State Treaty

2. Coursework Stuff.
Essays.
Food next lesson!

3. Go to a table and answer one of the key questions…..
To what extent was the policy of peaceful co-existence a reflection of changing personalities in the soviet leadership.
How do you think the US would have viewed Russia’s policy of ‘peaceful co-existence’?
How far do the agreements over Austria and Finland show that Khrushchev had changed the nature of super power relations?
Does there seem to be a ‘thaw’ so far?
Write these questions in the middle of the table so they can annotate.

4. Make a note of this at the top of your page so you don’t get confused!
Stalin died in 1953.
Beria took over in the power vacuum after Stalin.
Khrushchev in power from 1957
How did America react to this new policy?
Eisenhower president:
Kennedy president:

5. What was Truman like? What were his attitudes?

6. The policy of Eisenhower and Kennedy during ‘the thaw’ 1953-62
In what ways did the ‘New Look’ mark a change from the conclusions of NSC68?
How different was Eisenhower’s policy to Truman?
In what ways did ‘flexible response’ differ from Eisenhower’s policy?
How similar was Kennedy’s approach to that of Truman previously?

7. To what extent was there a thaw?
H/W: Take some notes on the key developments, p85-6. Be prepared to discuss with the class your opinions on Thursday.