Oklahoma Social Studies TOT.C.9.7
The Standard
Describe the decay and dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, including the effect of the Reagan Doctrine, American support for anti-Communists in Afghanistan and Nicaragua, and diplomacy related to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty).
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how economic troubles, Gorbachev's reforms, and independence movements weakened the Soviet Union before its breakup in 1991. They connect U.S. aid in Afghanistan and Nicaragua to the Reagan Doctrine and describe what the INF Treaty changed.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can put major events in order and explain why Soviet republics sought independence. They can separate internal causes from U.S. pressure and identify the missiles eliminated by the INF Treaty.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think U.S. aid to Nicaraguan Contras directly caused the Soviet breakup. They may also think the INF Treaty ended all nuclear weapons or that Gorbachev's reforms quickly fixed Soviet economic problems.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Name one internal cause of the Soviet breakup, explain how U.S. aid in Afghanistan and Nicaragua fit the Reagan Doctrine, and identify the missiles eliminated by the INF Treaty.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Place dated cards for Afghan aid, Contra aid, Gorbachev's reforms, the 1987 INF Treaty, and the 1991 breakup on a string timeline.
Ask students to write: Which mattered more to the Soviet breakup, economic troubles or U.S. pressure? Use two timeline cards as evidence.
Sort cards labeled shortages, Afghan aid, Contra aid, and INF into internal problems, U.S. support, or arms control; explain each choice.
Compare a 1988 Soviet map with a current map, then label three countries that became independent after 1991.
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