Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils undergo a wider depth 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 international relations in this Cold War period.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain why there was tension and disagreement between the USA and the USSR at the end of the Second World War.

Key Notes

• The Grand Alliance put aside their differences during the Second World War to defeat their common enemy, Nazi Germany.
• Tensions emerged amongst the Grand Alliance because of different ideologies and priorities.
• Important agreements were made at the Tehran Conference and the Yalta Conference about the post-war world.
• Tensions increased at the Potsdam Conference for a range of reasons including a change in US President.
• The Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe remained a source of significant tension between the USA and USSR.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Cold War: a period between c. 1945 and c. 1991 of intense rivalry and tension between the USA and the USSR
• USSR: a collection of states known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; also known as the Soviet Union
• ideologies: sets of beliefs and ideas
• communist: relating to a system of government where all property is owned by the state and resources are shared equally
• capitalist: relating to an economic system where businesses and resources are owned privately for profit

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• There was only significant tension between members of the Grand Alliance at the Potsdam Conference when the war had ended and Roosevelt had been replaced by Truman as US President.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis Study Guide
• Consequences of the Korean War Study Guide
• Construction of the Berlin Wall Study Guide
• Détente and SALT 1 Study Guide
• Hungary and Soviet power in Eastern Europe Study Guide
• Initial stages of the Cuban Missile Crisis Study Guide
• International responses to the Prague Spring Study Guide
• Khrushchev and peaceful coexistence Study Guide
• NATO and the Warsaw Pact Study Guide
• Outbreak of the Korean War Study Guide
• Soviet influence over Eastern Europe Study Guide
• Tensions between the superpowers by the late-1960s Study Guide
• The 'loss' of China and the Cold War Study Guide
• The 13 Days of the Cuban Missile Crisis Study Guide
• The Bay of Pigs Invasion Study Guide
• The Berlin Crisis, 1948-9 Study Guide
• The Brezhnev Doctrine Study Guide
• The collapse of French Indochina Study Guide
• The Cuban Revolution and its consequences Study Guide
• The growth of communism in China Study Guide
• The impact of the atomic bomb Study Guide
• The nuclear arms race Study Guide
• The origins of the Cold War, 1941-58 Study Guide
• The Prague Spring Study Guide
• The reasons for Détente Study Guide
• The Space Race Study Guide
• The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan Study Guide
• The U2 Crisis Study Guide
• US involvement in the Vietnam War Study Guide