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Year 11 - History

Tensions between the superpowers by the late-1960s

Wider Depth Study - Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972

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 different causes of tension between the USSR and USA by the end of the 1960s.

Key Notes

  • The arms race continued in the 1960s.
  • The Vietnam War created tensions between the USA and USSR.
  • The USA was critical of the Soviet's record on human rights.
  • Many rights were heavily restricted in the USSR, or not respected at all.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • censorship: to examine books, documents, or films and remove parts of them that are not considered acceptable
  • dissident: a person who publicly disagrees with and criticises their government
  • gulag: severe prisons used in the Soviet Union where prisoners had to perform forced labour

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • From the 1950s onwards, the USSR's human rights record continually improve.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

The arms race continued in the 1960s. The Vietnam War created tensions between the USA and USSR.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'censorship'

to examine books, documents, or films and remove parts of them that are not considered acceptable.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: From the 1950s onwards, the USSR's human rights record continually improve. Correction: Under Khrushchev, more respect was shown for political and social freedoms but these restrictions were tightened again once Brezhnev took power in 1964.

More Lessons In This Unit

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