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 arms race led to an increase in Cold War tension between the USA and the USSR.

Key Notes

• The establishment of NATO (1949) and the Warsaw Pact (1955) divided Europe into two rival alliance systems.
• The American development of the atomic bomb started an arms race between the USA and the USSR.
• In 1953, hopes that new leaders in the USA and USSR would improve relations were short-lived: the arms race continued.
• The development of ICBMs (1957) meant the USA and USSR could fire nuclear weapons at targets in different continents.
• Both the USA and the USSR developed huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons as a form of deterrence.

Vocabulary To Learn

• arms race: when countries compete with each other to build up their military strength
• superpower: a country that has great power and influence globally; the USA and USSR were superpowers during the Cold War period
• summit: a meeting between leaders to discuss significant issues or make important decisions
• ICBM: intercontinental ballistic missile; missiles that could fire a nuclear warhead at targets in different continents
• deterrence: using the threat of force to prevent something from happening

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• NATO was established in response to Stalin setting up the Warsaw Pact.

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 Berlin Crisis (1948) 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