I had three participants in my interview about the Cold War. They varied in age and gender. Jane Doe is a 40 year old mother who completed high school. Jim Johnson is an 18 year old male who just began his Associates degree. James Black is a 52 year old man who finished high school. Each had similar and differing answers depending on the question asked.
To get a basic understanding of their knowledge of the Cold War I asked, “Did you ever study the Cold War in school? If so, what are some aspects of the Cold War that you remember?” Responses to this question seemed to change according to age. James, being the oldest of the interviewed subjects stated that he honestly did not know if they learned about it in school. He stated with a chuckle, “That was a long time ago, but I think the Berlin wall was involved.” He stated that everyone seemed to be anti-communism. Jane, also felt that school was so long ago that she was unsure. She did state that she felt fairly certain that she did learn about this subject while in school. Jim, the freshest out of school was much more confident in his answer. Jim stated, “Yes, the Cuban missile crisis was the peak of the Cold War. It was a time when Soviet Russia set up a missile base in Cuba, which was the closest to America. It caused great distress.”
When I asked the subjects, “What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the term Cold War”, the answers were similar. James’s answer was the most basic stating, “Russia and nuclear war. A standoff and a general lack of trust.” Jane went a little farther in depth with, “After WWII with the rise of communism. China.” Jim by far had the most to say. This may be due to the fact that he just finished high school. “Soviet Russia vs. United States and a rise of nuclear warfare. International relations being strained and a struggle for a balance of power were being sought. Cold and chilly. Communism.” From the questions answered, it was obvious that all those interviewed believed Soviet Russia and the United States to be involved with this part of history. The last question I asked was, “Can you name any key events that we mainly associate with the Cold War?” Once again, there was a similar theme to the answers. James and Jim both mentioned the Cuban Missile Crisis. Jane and James also stated the Communism as an event in itself. James also said, “I’m not sure, but I think there was a Kitchen Debate.” Overall, the subjects interviewed did touch base with the description of the Cold War that was given. It was defined as, “the geopolitical tensions, and proxy wars fought between the United States and the Soviet Union”. The subjects stated that there was a struggle for a balance of power and they all stated this took place between the United States and Soviet Russia. While time may have their memory a little foggy, for the most part they were still correct. Jane’s statement saying the Cold War involved China was correct. “Its origins, however, go back to the late nineteenth century when the United States decried Russia's colonial claims on the Manchurian region of China” (Fisher, 2004). Also, the Kitchen Debate was briefly brought up. This also holds true to common knowledge of the Cold War and what lead up to it. “In 1959, this correlation sparked the famous "kitchen debate" between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the American National Exhibition in Moscow over which political economy promoted the better home life” (Fisher, 2004). Even though the subjects varied in age, their knowledge was still accurate. They may have pulled from different areas to describe what they know their collective knowledge was fairly accurate in description. Granted there is always more to the story.
References:
FISHER, CHRISTOPHER T. "Cold War (1950–1972)." Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 233-238. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 7 Oct. 2012.