Lesson Plan: How Nixon’s 1972 China Visit Set the Stage for Today’s Tensions Over Taiwan

Subjects:

U.S. History, Government/Civics, World History

• This lesson can be used in a U.S. History class as part of a unit on the Cold War or the Nixon administration. This lesson can be used in a Government/Civics class as a lesson on the executive branch and the president’s role as chief diplomat. In a World History course, it can be used while studying the global Cold War or examining current international relations.

Essential Questions:

• How did President Nixon’s decision to visit China to craft a U.S.-China alliance affect the Cold War?
• How did the conflict over Taiwan threaten to derail negotiations between the United States and China?
• How does the compromise over Taiwan negotiated by President Nixon continue to influence U.S.-China relations?

Lesson Objectives:

Students will:

• Explain the importance of diplomacy and building alliances in foreign policy.
• Assess the success of President Nixon’s strategy in building a U.S.-China alliance.
• Compose a rationale for a recommended U.S. response to a hypothetical Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Materials:

• Retro Report video “How Nixon’s 1972 China Visit Set the Stage for Today’s Tensions Over Taiwan” (Transcript)
• Student Activity handout
• U.S.-Taiwan Background Readings:
  • U.S. Relations With Taiwan | U.S. Department of State
  • Taiwan: Background and U.S. Relations | Congressional Research Service
  • Why China-Taiwan Relations Are So Tense | Council on Foreign Relations
  • U.S. Military Support for Taiwan in Five Charts | Council on Foreign Relations
  • How to Avoid a War over Taiwan | Stimson Center
  • What Price Are Americans Prepared to Pay for Defending Taiwan? | Cato Institute
  • Taiwan & Tensions with China: Five Recommendations for US Policy | Center for International Policy

Procedure:

1. Distribute the Activity handout to your students and have them research the vocabulary terms listed. (Note: You can assign the vocab research for homework or classwork the day before running this lesson to save time.)
2. Have students read the discussion prompts on the Activity handout and discuss them in small groups. Have groups share their answers with the entire class.
   1. These questions will help students think about both historical and contemporary alliances, and set the stage for making comparisons between the U.S.-China relationship in the 1970s and tensions over Taiwan today.
3. Show the class the Retro Report video “How Nixon’s 1972 China Visit Set the Stage for Today’s Tensions Over Taiwan” and answer the focus questions on the Activity handout.
4. After viewing the video, lead the students in a post-video discussion. Consider using the following questions:
   1. How did Nixon’s use of ambiguous language about Taiwan resolve the issue with China?
   2. Which countries could the United States form alliances with in current times that would strengthen our geopolitical position?
   3. China’s economy and military have grown significantly since Nixon forged the U.S.-China alliance. Which is the greater area of concern for the United States, China’s economic power or military power?
5. Assessment: Students assume the role of foreign policy advisor for the president. Have students examine four potential actions the United States could take if China was poised to invade Taiwan, decide which action they would recommend to the president, and explain why their preferred action is the best choice.
   1. U.S.-Taiwan Background Readings: Most of these readings are at a high school reading level. For teachers using this lesson with middle school students or with students who need additional support, choosing one or two readings is advised. Teachers can create scaffolds and/or use other critical reading strategies to help students make sense of the information and content connections.
   2. U.S. Relations With Taiwan | U.S. Department of State
   3. Taiwan: Background and U.S. Relations | Congressional Research Service
   4. Why China-Taiwan Relations Are So Tense | Council on Foreign Relations
   5. U.S. Military Support for Taiwan in Five Charts | Council on Foreign Relations
   6. How to Avoid a War over Taiwan | Stimson Center
   7. What Price Are Americans Prepared to Pay for Defending Taiwan? | Cato Institute
   8. Taiwan & Tensions with China: Five Recommendations for US Policy | Center for International Policy

About the Author:

Ryan Werenka teaches Social Studies at Troy High School in Troy, Mich. He was named the 2021 Michigan History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Ryan teaches AP U.S. Government and Politics and AP Comparative Government and Politics.

Standards

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies

• D2.His.1.9-12 Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
• D2.His.3.9-12 Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.
• D2.His.4.9-12 Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
• D2.His.5.9-12 Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.
• D2.His.14.9-12 Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
• D2.His.15.9-12 Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.
• D2.Civ.3.9-12 Analyze the impact of constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements on the maintenance of national and international order.
• D2.Civ.11.9-12 Evaluate multiple procedures for making governmental decisions at the local, state, national, and international levels in terms of the civic purposes achieved.

Common Core Literacy Standards

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).