During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union stood on opposite sides of a conflict. Each side felt threatened by the other's political ideologies or beliefs, and both prepared for war. The buildup of nuclear-powered submarines by both sides illustrates a key component of this conflict: competition. In this lesson students will discuss the concept of competition while considering the disaster that befell the Soviet Union's first nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine, K-19. They will explore their ideas about competition by adopting the perspective of K-19's captain and creating a log of the submarine's first mission.

Geography, world history

Standard 13: "How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface"

Two to three hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Blank Xpeditions outline maps of the world, one for each student
• Wall map of the world
• Drawing materials

Students will

• discuss the concept of "competition";
• discuss their understanding of the Cold War;
• consider reasons why Soviet officials rushed K-19 into service;
• identify the United States and the countries of the former Soviet Union on a map;
• locate the key points of K-19's journey on a map; and
• consider the K-19 tragedy from the perspective of its captain.

Write the word "competition" at the top of the board. Ask students to brainstorm some types of competitions with which they are familiar. They might mention various sports activities, video or board games, or academic competitions, such as math contests or spelling bees. Write their answers on the board.

Discuss the meaning of the word "competition." Point to the examples on the board, and ask the students to explain what makes the activities they identified competitive. Which ones involve teams? Which ones involve individuals? What are the various goals and outcomes of the competitions they mentioned? Who wins? Who loses? Are there situations in which good things can come out of a loss? Should a competitor try to win at all costs?

Referring to the examples on the board, show students how their ideas illustrate many different forms of competition. Then, have them look at a world wall map, and ask about competition that occurs on a larger scale, between countries. Ask them for examples of current or past conflicts.

Ask students what they know about the Cold War. What was it? Which countries were involved? Depending on what students already know, give them enough basic facts to put this lesson in context:

• The Cold War was a heated competition that took place between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1945 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
• This competition is called the Cold War because, while both sides prepared for war against the other, no direct fighting between the two ever actually took place.
• The Cold War included a race to build more and more sophisticated submarines as a means for countries to defend their territory in the event of war.
• By the late 1950s the United States had already produced a nuclear-powered submarine, and the Soviets were determined to catch up. Their first nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine underwent initial sea trials in 1960. Its name was K-19.

Tell students that they are going to create a captain's log detailing K-19's first mission, which began on June 18, 1961. To do this, they will need to imagine what it was like to be Captain Zateyev at the time K-19 set out to sea. As captain of a Soviet submarine, Zateyev would have understood very well the tension that existed between his country and the United States.

Using the Internet, have students work through K-19: The History. As they experience the making of K-19, its first mission, and the reactor core accident, have them note evidence of the Soviets' desire to rush the sub to completion. From the captain's perspective, ask the students to consider what might have led Soviet officials to ignore signs that K-19 was not yet ready for service. What aspects of competition identified earlier might have influenced this decision? Did Soviet officials feel pressure to meet the challenge of their opponent? Why would they rush the sub to sea before adequate safety systems were put in place?

Distribute blank world outline maps to the class. With the help of a world wall map, have students locate the United States and the countries that make up the former Soviet Union. Ask students to use two different colors to outline or fill in the opposing sides on their maps. Then, ask them to note the points of K-19's journey on their maps. Have them label the points with details, such as the date, time, name of location, and the event that took place there.

Finally, have students consider what it was like for the captain to send members of his crew into the reactor core area. How did their acts of bravery prevent greater loss of life onboard K-19? Could this incident have been averted if Soviet officials had listened to the requests of Captain Zateyev and others that emergency backup cooling systems be installed on all nuclear subs?

Who wins? Who loses? Inform students that K-19 was not the only submarine accident that occurred during the Cold War's forty-five year history. The United States and the Soviet Union combined lost five nuclear-powered submarines which remain at the bottom of the sea. All five sank as a result of accidents at sea, while a number of others experienced accidents but managed to return home. Highlight the extent to which this competition affected both sides by directing students to the Major Sub Disasters section of the K-19 Web site.

Have students write a captain's log of K-19's first mission. Their account will be made up of two parts. Part one will be factual and will include the maps they created indicating the dates, times, and locations of the events that took place. Part two will be more subjective. Students will indicate their feelings about the disaster that took place onboard K-19. Looking back on the experience from the captain's point of view, they will consider the aspects of competition that may have contributed to their submarine's accident. They will conclude by proposing alternatives to the submarine build-up that caused losses on both sides.

Provide students with the following writing prompts to structure their writing:

• How did Captain Zateyev feel knowing that crew members had lost their lives because safety precautions had been ignored?
• What was it about the Cold War era that led the Soviets to rush K-19 into service before it was ready?
• Is there another way in which the United States and the Soviet Union could have resolved their differences?

Propaganda played a role in the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both sides made efforts to convince other countries to align with their beliefs while discrediting the beliefs of the other side.

To examine the way in which propaganda can be used to influence the thinking of others, have students explore the Evolution of Submarines section of the K-19 Web site. Ask them to choose one submarine from the list and create an ad campaign that convinces their classmates why their submarine is better than two others on the list. The students must recognize that each submarine has its strengths and weaknesses. Their task will be to highlight their submarine's strengths relative to the weaknesses of the other two.

For a list of resources exploring the events of the Cold War, visit CNN's Cold War Experience.

CNN Interactive: Cold War
National Geographic: K-19 and Other Subs in Peril
PBS: NOVA OnlineSubmarines, Secrets, and Spies
Smithsonian: Fast Attacks and BoomersSubmarines in the Cold War