Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils undergo a period study which tells a story about a period that shaped the world we live in today: the Cold War. They look at the key events, developments, people and stories that defined the relationship between the USA and the USSR in this period.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain the impact of the Berlin Wall on the city and people of Berlin and on US-Soviet relations.

Key Notes

• Escalating tensions after the Vienna Summit (June 1961) led to an increase in people attempting to leave East Germany.
• In August 1961, to stop people leaving East Berlin, East Germany began to build what would become the Berlin Wall.
• The Berlin Wall made it extremely difficult and dangerous to move between East Berlin and West Berlin.
• The Berlin Wall confirmed the division of Berlin and Germany between East and West until it fell in 1989.
• The Berlin Wall reduced the chance that the superpowers would go to war over Berlin and temporarily reduced tensions.

Vocabulary To Learn

• summit: a meeting between leaders to discuss significant issues or make important decisions
• refugee: someone who has been forced to leave their home country because of war, persecution, natural disaster, or violence, and seeks safety in another country
• border guard: someone who makes sure that rules are followed when people and goods cross from one country to another; someone who protects the borders of a country
• socialist: relating to a system of government where all property is owned by the community and resources are shared equally
• symbol: something that is used to represent something else

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Some people underestimate the length of the Berlin Wall and believe that it only divided the city of Berlin.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Berlin, 1958-61: increased tensions Study Guide
• Causes of tension between the USA and USSR by 1945 Study Guide
• Cold War crises, 1958-70 Study Guide
• Détente and SALT I Study Guide
• Gorbachev's 'new thinking' Study Guide
• Reagan and the 'Second Cold War' Study Guide
• Soviet influence over Eastern Europe by 1948 Study Guide
• The Berlin Crisis (1948) Study Guide
• The Cold War arms race Study Guide
• The collapse of the Soviet Union Study Guide
• The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) Study Guide
• The Cuban Revolution and the Bay of Pigs Invasion Study Guide
• The end of the Cold War, 1970-91 Study Guide
• The fall of the Berlin Wall Study Guide
• The Helsinki Accords and SALT II Study Guide
• The Hungarian Uprising (1956) Study Guide
• The impact of the atomic bomb on US-Soviet relations Study Guide
• The origins of the Cold War (1941-58) Study Guide
• The Prague Spring (1968) Study Guide
• The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Study Guide
• The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) Study Guide
• The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan Study Guide