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 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

• 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
• Early causes of tension between the USA and the USSR 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
• 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