Polar Bears, The Cold War and Questions of Duty: The U.S. Intervention in Northern Russia (1918-1919)

This lesson asks students to examine a little-known facet of World War I: the American intervention in North Russia, which began in 1918. Through primary and secondary sources, students will discover the reasons for President Wilson's approval of the mission to Russia; use contemporary accounts to assess the morale of the soldiers; and, if time allows, students will use included sources to discern whether the seeds of the Cold War were actually sown in the snows of North Russia in 1918 and 1919.