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 the significance of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.

Key Notes

• Truman was concerned that high levels of poverty would allow communism to spread more easily in post-war Europe.
• The Truman Doctrine committed the USA to a policy of containment.
• The aim of the Marshall Plan was to stop the spread of communism by providing economic support to Western Europe.
• In response to the Marshall Plan, Stalin established Cominform and Comecon.
• The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan (and the Soviet response they provoked) widened the divide between East and West.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Truman Doctrine: Truman's idea that it was the USA's responsibility to prevent the spread of communism around the world
• containment: using American influence and military resources to prevent the spread of communism into non-communist countries
• isolationism: an approach to international relations that is based on not getting involved in the affairs of other countries
• Marshall Plan: an American programme of economic aid that aimed to stop the spread of communism by supporting countries to recover from the Second World War

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• The USA always considered it had a responsibility to protect Europe from threats.

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 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 U2 Crisis Study Guide
• US involvement in the Vietnam War Study Guide