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 Cold War developed and then intensified between 1945 and 1958.

Key Notes

• Ideological differences meant there were tensions between the USA and USSR even when they were allies during WW2.
• From 1945, the Soviet creation of satellite states and the US development of the atomic bomb increased tensions.
• Concerned about Soviet expansion, Truman committed the USA to a policy of containment in 1947.
• In 1948, the Berlin Crisis significantly increased Cold War tensions.
• The Cold War intensified during the 1950s due to the escalation of the arms race and the Soviet invasion of Hungary.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Cold War: a period between c. 1945 and c. 1991 of intense rivalry and tension between the USA and the USSR
• ideology: a set of beliefs or ideas
• satellite state: a county that is dominated by another country
• arms race: when countries compete with each other to build up their military strength
• containment: using American influence and military resources to prevent the spread of communism into non-communist countries

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Historians agree that the Cold War started in 1945 with the end of World War Two.

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 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 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