Russia Invades Ukraine: Will There Be Another Cold War?

Dear Educator,

In March, we celebrate Women’s History Month. Typically, Maps101 would focus on women who have had an impact on our world, but instead, world events have caused us to put a pause on this celebration of women to bring you and your students the context for what is happening in Eastern Europe. 

On February 24, 2022, Russia began invading Ukraine, Russia’s southwestern neighbor. Both countries had been part of the former Soviet Union before it broke apart in the early 1990s. While the rest of the world awaits the outcome, many are reminded of the Cold War years when the Soviet Union and the United States stockpiled weapons as a show of force. As events unfold, it is unclear what the outcome will be, but we can look to historic events to better understand today. Some wonder if current events may even lead to another cold war.

Maps101 this week is focused on providing you easy access to the maps you need to discuss this momentous current event in class. We are also featuring a biography of Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, and a GNN article on the background of the current conflict. Next, we will revisit the space race, the arms race, and the Red Scare—all aspects of the Cold War—to help students understand the history of the United States and Russia. Discuss the similarities between those times and today and ask if students think there will be another cold war. What do they think will be the outcome, or what do they think should be the outcome?

An important place to start a discussion of the current events happening in Eastern Europe is to identify the countries involved. This political map of Russia is ideal for the classroom. It is leveled appropriately to include the details needed for study without too much information for the K-12 student.

In addition to providing a map of Russia, students should see Ukraine. Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe. In addition, Ukraine globally exports a large amount of grain—especially wheat and corn—and is one of the world’s breadbasket countries. Its climate is better situated for agriculture than much of Russia. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine on February 24, 2022. These countries have a long history together. Both were part of the former Soviet Union. This week’s GNN article explores the context of this ongoing conflict, while the map provides insight into where troops were stationed to begin the invasion.

To understand some of the origins of the Cold War, it is important to learn about the role of the Soviet launch of Sputnik and the ensuing Space Race. This article helps students understand the background of this era in U.S. and world history.

This Lesson Map is a full exploration of the origin and results of the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. There is a student edition that is ideal for students to learn about this topic. It includes engaging photographs and delves deeply into this topic but stays at an appropriate level for middle school or high school learners. The teacher edition includes a wide variety of activities at point of use. Activities are also leveled for approaching-level learners, on-level students, and beyond level, as wells as English language learners.

In addition to the Space Race, the U.S. and the Soviet Union also engaged in an arms race during the Cold War. This is when the development and warehousing of nuclear weaponry was at the forefront of global concern. Lesson Maps provide a full lesson for students as well as a complete guide for teaching the topic for teachers.

To further extend the topic, students can benefit from learning more about communism and the Red Scare—the era when Americans were on high alert and afraid of the Soviets, in particular, since they had nuclear weaponry. As with all Lesson Maps, there is a robust student edition and a teacher version with a wide variety of activities to teach the topics that are covered.

Finally, let’s look at one more map. This map shows how the Cold War affected areas throughout the world. Text boxes explain the pertinent incidents covered in this map.

This is a small sample of the kind of content available to you with your Maps101 subscription. Every week, the editors at Maps101 will provide you with highlights from our extensive collection in this GeoJournal newsletter. We suggest you make a folder to store them for future reference. Expand your students’ world with Maps101!