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 how the USSR established satellite states to take control of eastern Europe between 1945 and 1948.

Key Notes

• Stalin agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe at Yalta but had no intention of allowing this.
• Stalin believed Soviet control of Eastern Europe was essential to protect the USSR from any future invasion.
• From 1945 to 1948, the USSR used similar methods to turn most Eastern European countries into Soviet satellite states.
• The USSR's establishment of satellite states in Eastern Europe significantly increased Cold War tension.
• Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech in 1946 was a response to Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe.

Vocabulary To Learn

• sphere of influence: a region of the world in which one country is dominant
• buffer zone: an area that provides protection
• satellite state: a country that is dominated by another country
• coalition government: a government in which two or more political parties work together to run a country
• rigged election: an election in which unfair tactics or cheating are used to influence the outcome

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Students may believe that the Iron Curtain was a real barrier (often mixing it up with the Berlin Wall).

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
• Gorbachev's 'new thinking' Study Guide
• Reagan and the 'Second Cold War' 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