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 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

• 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 impact of the atomic bomb Study Guide
• The nuclear arms race 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