Political Trends in Post-World War II America

Guide high school students through a critical analysis of significant post-World War II American political crises from 1950 to 1976 with video excerpts from the American Masters film Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny, primary source historical readings, including political philosopher Hannah Arendt’s writing, and a political cartoon. This resource explores how Arendt, a survivor of European totalitarianism and a commentator on the ‟banality of evil,” interpreted key events like McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers, and Watergate.