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 analyse the events of the Berlin Crisis of 1948.

Key Notes

• The USA, the USSR, Britain and France disagreed about how to administer a divided Germany and a divided Berlin.
• Stalin's response to the creation of Trizonia and the introduction of the Deutschmark in 1948 led to the Berlin Crisis.
• Between June 1948 and May 1949, the USSR set up a blockade to force the Western allies to abandon Berlin.
• The Western allies responded to the Berlin Blockade by successfully supplying Berlin from the air.
• The Berlin Crisis confirmed the long-term division of Germany and Berlin and led to the creation of NATO.

Vocabulary To Learn

• blockade: an attempt to prevent goods, people or supplies from entering or leaving a certain area
• airlift: the transportation of people or goods by air, often used when other forms of transport are not available
• crisis: a difficult or dangerous situation, often with the potential for serious consequences, requiring immediate action or resolution
• collective security: a system where countries cooperate to protect one other from threats, agreeing to respond together if any member is attacked or faces aggression

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was West Germany.

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
• Soviet influence over Eastern Europe by 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