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 causes and consequences of the Cold War crises that took place between 1958 and 1970.

Key Notes

• Between 1958 and 1970, a series of crises increased tensions between the USA and the USSR.
• The Second Berlin Crisis resulted in the building of the Berlin Wall which confirmed the division of Germany and Berlin.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis almost led to nuclear war and highlighted the dangers of following a policy of brinkmanship.
• After the Cuban Missile Crisis, the USA and the USSR took action to prevent a similar crisis happening in the future.
• The invasion of Czechoslovakia damaged the USSR's relationship with the USA and also with some other communist states.

Vocabulary To Learn

• crisis: a time of very great difficulty and danger
• ultimatum: a demand that if rejected will bring about an end of peaceful talks and could lead to forceful action
• revolution: a rapid and important change
• blockade: an act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving
• Warsaw Pact: a military alliance of Eastern European countries led by the Soviet Union during the Cold War; it was formed in 1955 in response to NATO

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• There was only one Cold War crisis involving Berlin: the USSR's blockade of Berlin in 1948 and the Berlin Airlift launched by the Western powers in response to this.

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
• Causes of tension between the USA and USSR by 1945 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