Lesson: The Kitchen Debate: Consumerism, Democracy and the Cold War              

# Days: 1 (55 min.)

Course: U.S. History 11 or IB-prep 9 American History

Standards:

U.S. History; Post-War United States 1945-1972; The student will understand the Cold War, its causes, consequences and its military conflicts; 1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of key events of the Cold War and the causes and consequences of the Korean War. 

U.S. History; Post-War United States 1945-1972; The student will understand the social and economic changes in the United States, 1945-1960.  2. Students will understand the post-war economic boom and its impact on demographic patterns, role of labor, and multinational corporations.

Content and Habits of Thinking: U.S/Soviet Cold War relations, Space Race, Eisenhower/Nixon administration, suburbanization, consumerism

Guiding Questions: What were some of the underlying ideological differences that lead to the Cold War?  What role did post-war technological innovation play in Cold War politics?  What role did post-war technological innovation play in the development of a consumer culture?  What role did the individuals with distinct personalities play in Cold War politics?

Lesson Sequence and Instructional Strategies:

Warm-up: As a journal, ask the students to reflect on the causes of the Cold War?  (ideally the students would have read a section from the textbook as homework the night before)  Discuss their responses, making a list on the board, reviewing key background if necessary.

Extended Independent Practice: Introduce the Kitchen Debate by showing the students the picture of Kruschev and Nixon from the 1959 exposition in Moscow of the latest home technologies (see Document 1, attached).  Ask probing questions about what they see in the picture, such as, who is present?  Where does it appear to be taking place?  What do they seem to be talking about?  When does it appear to be taking place?  Gradually reveal more background about the Kitchen Debate (see comments section below for more background) and have them answer the context questions on the Kitchen Debate Questions sheet (see attached).

After you have given some background on the Kitchen Debate ask for four volunteers, or select four students ahead of time, who will do a dramatic reading of the debate for the class (there are only two lines not by Nixon or Kruschev, so the other two readers can act more like translators if you want).  You may want to set-up the room with “props” (such as a dishwasher) and have the students look through it ahead of time so it goes more smoothly.

While the students are doing their dramatic reading, the rest of the class will be taking notes using the worksheet (see Kitchen Debate Questions, attached).

Reflection/Debriefing/Sharing:  Debrief by reviewing their answers to the questions on the worksheet.  Have a discussion with the class about how the Kitchen Debate relates to the causes of the Cold War, discussed earlier.  Discuss the role that different beliefs about technology, the role of women and property rights played in the differences that were at the heart of Cold War conflicts.  Discuss the role of the personalities of the two speakers in escalating the conflict.  Discuss what the debate says about post-World War II America and the importance of the availability of household appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines for the creation of a consumer culture.

Assessments: Have the students turn in their Kitchen Debate Questions for credit.

Instructional Considerations (Group Work, Differentiation, Safety, Permissions): Instead of working individually on the Kitchen Debate Questions, have the students work in mixed-ability pairs, if appropriate.

Materials/Resources: see attached for copies of the Kitchen Debate photo, transcript, and worksheet.  Resources for this activity may also be accessed at http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=176 and http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/eames/images/vc9636.jpg

Comments: The Kitchen Debate took place in Moscow, Russia on July 24, 1959 at the American National Exhibit, featuring the latest household appliances available in the United States.  It involved vice-president Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev speaking through interpreters with several reporters present to record the exchange.  It was meant to be a friendly exchange but escalated into a heated argument over the benefits of two political/economic systems and their underlying worldviews.  As a result of the Soviets launching Sputnik in 1957 tensions were high.  What is interesting about this debate is that involved a discussion of household appliances, rather than issues of geopolitical significance and that both sides, of course, claimed victory in the impromptu debate.