The Iron Curtain & Truman Doctrine (1947) Readers Theater Script (Grades 11-12)

Launch your Cold War unit with a staged inquiry into the split between East and West—from Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ warning to Truman’s pledge to aid Greece and Turkey. Students voice policymakers and critics to examine how containment took shape.

Focus: Students trace how post‑war tensions, speeches, and policy memos crystallized U.S. containment.

Summary:

• Yalta and Potsdam frame post‑war fault lines.
• Fulton speech coins the “iron curtain.”
• Kennan outlines long‑term rivalry.
• Truman asks Congress to support Greece and Turkey.
• Marshall Plan and early blocs formalize division.

What’s Included

(a single PDF with links to Google Docs/Slides; if print format is preferred you can download from your Google Drive to Word/PDF/PPT/etc.)

• Readers Theater script (~9 pages, 10 scenes, ~15 characters, editable Google Doc/PDF)
• Teacher Guide (10 pages) with scene summaries, primary‑source context, CCSS alignment, discussion questions
• Student Worksheet deck (25 Google Slides) covering vocabulary, short‑answer, analysis & extension tasks
• 20‑question self‑grading Google Forms quiz

Skills Addressed

• Close reading of landmark speeches and memos
• Fluency through evidence‑based role‑play
• Weighing perspectives on intervention vs. isolation
• Academic vocabulary: containment, sphere, doctrine

Primary Sources

• Winston Churchill, “The Sinews of Peace (Iron Curtain)” (1946)
• George F. Kennan, “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” (1947)
• Harry S. Truman, Truman Doctrine address (1947)

Will this script meet your needs?
First try the free Korean War Script in the series below. 

Cold War & Civil Rights Bundle | 8 Readers Theater Scripts | SAVE 40%

1. The Iron Curtain & Truman Doctrine (1947)
2. The Korean War (1950–1953) [FREE DOWNLOAD]
3. The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
4. The Vietnam War and Protests (1955–1975)
5. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
6. Montgomery Bus Boycott & Civil Rights Act of 1964
7. March on Washington & Malcolm X (1963–1960s)
8. Nixon and the Watergate Scandal (1972–1974)

Standards (CCSS)

• W.11-12.2
• SL.11-12.1
• SL.11-12.4
• L.11-12.4
• CCRA.R.2
• CCRA.W.2
• CCRA.SL.1
• CCRA.L.4
• RH.11-12.1
• RH.11-12.2
• RH.11-12.3
• RH.11-12.6
• RH.11-12.7
• RH.11-12.8
• RH.11-12.9