GCSE Modern World History
Mao's China
Here is a great textbook chapter on China's establishment as a communist state in 1949 and the effects of World War II on the nation. The first page prompts learners to complete a timeline activity as they read the material,...
ProCon
Cuba Embargo
President John F. Kennedy bought 1,200 Cuban cigars the night before he enacted the Cuban trade embargo in 1962. Should the United States maintain the embargo? Using the website, pupils explore the topic to prepare for a class debate or...
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Communist Party Usa
Wikipedia offers a comprehensive encyclopedia entry on the Communist Party USA. Content includes a focus on this party's formation and history, its ideology, relations with other groups, leaders of the party, current activities, and much...
University of Washington
University of Washington: Communist Party Usa History and Geography
Maps and charts detail electoral support, showing the number and percentage of votes for Communist candidates in every county and state from 1922 to 1946, party membership by state or district from 1922-1950, the intense geography of...
George Washington University
Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project: House Un American Activities Committee
A description of the genesis of the House Un-American Activities Committee and the bullying inquisition of those the committee accused of having Communist leanings.
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania: The Hollywood Blacklist
This site describes what went on in Hollywood during the Red Scare of the 1950s when many actors and directors were asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about possible communist activity in Hollywood.
PBS
Pbs: Commanding Heights: Mao Zedong
This is a great biography of Mao Zedong (1893-1976). Looks at his early life, political activism, military leadership, unifying China, and policies implemented under his rule. A great site for learning about Chinese History in the 20th...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Anticommunism in the 1950s
Looks at the paranoia of the 1950s when Americans lived in fear of communism. The House Committee on Un-American Activities created blacklists of people working in Hollywood, McCarthyism flourished, and the Rosenberg couple were tried...
The History Cat
The History Cat: Red Scare America
Describes the events that took place during the McCarthy Era and actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Ordinary Americans feared being identified as a Communist sympathizer and libraries removed books from their shelves...
Black Past
Black Past: Civil Rights Congress (1946 1956)
This encyclopedia entry talks about the Civil Rights Congress, a group that gave legal defense for blacks, but was hampered by its support of the Communist Party during the Cold War.
George Mason University
Blacklisting Hollywood's Communists: A Qualified Defense
This site from George Mason University describes the blacklisting of Hollywood communists during the Red Scare.
Black Past
Black Past: Robeson, Paul
This encyclopedia entry tells about Paul Robeson, famous baritone, and his struggles for racial equality. A link to a website for more information on African-Americans is provided.