Cold War Pop is an educational series exploring the history of the Cold War through popular media. The idea behind this series is to give educators resources to discuss, analyze, and investigate in digestible videos. This is not meant to be a comprehensive history – just small gateways into larger conversations with your students. Currently, there are three episodes focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis and X-Men: First Class; the Space Race and The Iron Giant; and the Red Scare and Stranger Things. If you have suggestions, or ideas – feel free to contact me!
EPISODE 1 – ”CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS and X-MEN: FIRST CLASS”
What if history happened differently – and involved people with extraordinary abilities? Well, that’s what the X-Men franchise often explores in their stories – the origins of fictional characters grounded in real-world historical moments. Matthew Vaughn’s 2011 film, X-Men: First Class continues that tradition – this time exploring the story through the lens of the Cold War. You are about to watch an assembly of clips from X-Men: First Class, then you’ll watch a video from that time period to encourage your own analysis. As you watch, I recommend you consider this question – Why do you think it’s difficult to talk with people (or mutants) that have wronged you?
Did you see some connections between the fictional and the real life events of the Cuban Missile Crisis? What was different, or inaccurate? Now, let’s watch an excerpt from JFK’s October 22, 1962 Speech on the Cuban Missile Crisis that – for clever viewers – was remixed in the film. Reflect on this question: How did the possession of nuclear weapons affect the relationship between the Soviet Union and the U.S.?
EPISODE 2 – ”THE SPACE RACE and THE IRON GIANT
What if you were a kid growing up in the 1950s and you discovered something metal crash landed in your town just after the launch of Sputnik? Well, that’s the setting and plot of Brad Bird’s 1999 film, The Iron Giant. Hogarth lives in Norman… I mean, Rockwell, Maine. And he befriends a giant robot that has lost its memory of being a planet destroyer – a walking atomic weapon. An FBI agent named Kent is trying to discover the origins of the robot and wants to destroy it, but he must get Hogarth to tell him the Giant’s location… You are about to watch 1 clip from The Iron Giant (about 1 and 40 seconds total), then you’ll watch a video from that time period to encourage your own analysis. As you watch, I recommend you consider this question – Why do you think winning (or being first) is important?
Did you see some connections between the fictional and the real life events of the Space Race? Take note of the urgent language of Agent Kent and compare it to the excerpt from Universal Newsreel and NASA’s JPL media reel. Reflect on this question: How do you think the Space Race led to technology innovation in both the U.S. and the Soviet Union?
EPISODE 3 – ”RED SCARE and STRANGER THINGS”
What if your town was overrun by Soviets and you had to gather your friends to stop their “evil” plot? Well, that’s what 1984’s Red Dawn and 2019’s Stranger Things Season 3 have in common – a small mid-western town’s fear of the Red Army becomes less of a “red” scare and more of a reality. You are about to watch 11 clips from Season 3 of Stranger Things (about 2 and half minutes total) – take note of the words they use to describe Soviets/Russians, then you’ll watch a video from that time period to encourage your own analysis. As you watch, I recommend you consider this question – Why do you think people fear the “other” (e.g., people that are different)?”
Did you see some connections between the fictional and the real life events of the Red Scare? What was different, or inaccurate? Now, let’s watch an excerpt from Reagan’s Speech on the “Evil Empire” – and make some mental notes to how he describes the Soviets/Communism. Reflect on this question: How did you think American fears of Soviet (Communist) infiltration spread?