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 why there was tension and disagreement between the USA and the USSR at the end of the Second World War.

Key Notes

• The Grand Alliance put aside their differences during the Second World War to defeat their common enemy, Nazi Germany.
• Tensions emerged amongst the Grand Alliance because of different ideologies and priorities.
• Important agreements were made at the Tehran Conference and the Yalta Conference about the post-war world.
• Tensions increased at the Potsdam Conference for a range of reasons including a change in US President.
• The Soviet occupation of eastern Europe remained a source of significant tension between the USA and USSR.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Cold War: a period between c. 1945 and c. 1991 of intense rivalry and tension between the USA and the USSR
• USSR: a collection of states known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; also known as the Soviet Union
• ideologies: sets of beliefs and ideas
• communist: relating to a system of government where all property is owned by the state and resources are shared equally
• capitalist: relating to an economic system where businesses and resources are owned privately for profit

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• There was only significant tension between members of the Grand Alliance at the Potsdam Conference when the war had ended and Roosevelt had been replaced by Truman as US President.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Berlin, 1958-61: increased tensions Study Guide
• Berlin, 1961-63: the Berlin Wall 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