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 development of the atomic bomb increased tension between the USA and the USSR.

Key Notes

• The USA set up the secret Manhattan Project to develop the world's first atomic bomb by July 1945.
• The USSR used espionage to find out about the development of the atomic bomb before it was announced.
• The USA used atomic bombs to force Japan to surrender but also to demonstrate American power, especially to the USSR.
• The Soviet response to the American atomic bomb was to develop their own atomic bomb, which they achieved by 1949.
• The Long and Novikov Telegrams reveal that relations between the USA and the USSR had become very hostile by 1946.

Vocabulary To Learn

• atomic bomb: a type of nuclear weapon; a powerful and destructive bomb that gets it power from the energy released when atoms are split
• nuclear weapon: a highly destructive explosive device that gets its power from nuclear reactions
• espionage: secret activities, such as spying, carried out by one government or group to gather confidential information from another, typically for strategic advantage
• telegram: a short written message sent via a telegraph line
• embassies: special buildings where diplomats work to represent their country's interests in other countries around the world

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• There is agreement about why the USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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
• 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 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