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 Gorbachev's 'new thinking' and its impact on US-Soviet relations.

Key Notes

• By the mid-1980s, the USSR was facing a range of serious problems.
• Gorbachev became Soviet leader in March 1985, determined to reform communism in the USSR.
• Through his policy of perestroika, Gorbachev reorganised and restructured the Soviet state.
• Through Gorbachev's policy of glasnost, the USSR adopted a more open approach to government and foreign relations.
• Reagan worked with Gorbachev to reduce Cold War tensions and important steps were taken to limit nuclear weapons.

Vocabulary To Learn

• standard of living: the level of wealth, comfort, and access to goods and services available to a person or community
• martial law: when the military takes over the normal functions of government in an emergency
• reform: to make changes in order to improve something
• market competition: when businesses compete to win customers by providing better products, services, or prices than others
• disarmament: the process of reducing or eliminating military forces and weapons to promote peace and security

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Gorbachev succeeded Brezhnev as leader of the Soviet Union in March 1985.

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
• Cold War crises, 1958-70 Study Guide
• Détente and SALT I 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