A treaty signed in Tokyo Bay ended the Second World War, but struggles for independence and a Cold War confrontation seemed to emerge almost immediately.

The US and the Soviet Union rose as global superpowers as other empires crumbled in the face of resistance. The two trends worked together to shape the late twentieth century.

The Cold War and decolonization were struggles that can be studied through all three frames of the course, giving us different pictures of how they were related.

Orient yourself in time and space as you begin Unit 8, by using maps to make predictions about the Cold War conflicts and decolonization movements you’ll study in this unit.

A black and white version of the world in 1945 CE, that can be cropped to specific regions and easily printed.

A full-color political map of the world in 1945 CE, highlighting the major states, communities, and cities you’ll learn about in WHP.

An individualized tracker for new words encountered in Unit 8. Add to it as the unit progresses.

In Unit 8, continue the routine of building a class word wall, an important visual cue and literacy support.

This vocab guide provides a summary of the key vocabulary for the unit.

Vocab cards for each of the key words in this unit.

Here’s the new Unit Problem! Respond to this based on what you currently know… don’t worry if it’s not much—you’re going to learn a lot more!

After 1945, the superpowers engaged in a race to obtain the most and best nuclear weapons. How should we measure the threat posed by the spread of these weapons?

Students use this activity to begin collecting relevant evidence from the OWID and WHP websites to support a prediction about the future.

In this simulation, students are given “Top Secret” files to try to piece together what led to the Cuban Missile Crisis and recommend a course of action to President Kennedy.

World War II devastated the world. While many economies recovered and grew, the Cold War also produced a global system of inequality between rich and poor nations.

From the 1940s to 1990s, the United States and Soviet Union struggled with each other to reshape the world. We call this global competition the Cold War.

Who started the Cold War? Dig into this big and important question by putting your sourcing skills to work.

We call it the Cold War, but it got pretty hot in many places. After they won the Second World War, the two superpowers decided to spend the next 45 years continuing to fight.

We call it a “cold” war because there were fewer guns and bombs than usual. But the conflict between superpowers created “hot” conflict all over the globe.

What were the causes and effects of the Cold War? Use the Quick-Sourcing Tool to assess the primary sources in this collection to find out!

What were the causes and effects of the Cold War? The primary sources in this collection will help you formulate a response to this question.

As the two superpowers struggled for control in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Central America, new leaders and movements sought to direct their nation’s future.

As Asian nations threw off the yoke of foreign colonial control and the Cold War intensified, wars in Korea and Vietnam reshaped East Asian politics.

The Cold War and decolonization were two parallel trends. How did these two trends contribute to each other?

The Cold War lasted for decades. Often, it appeared that one side was winning at certain points of time. Have a look at the events and decide who was “winning.”

From a literal wall in Berlin to the figurative “iron curtain”, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union is a dramatic story of the barriers we build and tear down with ideology.

Remember drawing the frames in Unit 1? Time to do it again! How has your understanding of the frames changed?

Revisit the Question Parsing Tool and improve your ability to figure out what you are being asked in writing prompts.

After World War II, empires crumbled and fell. Was this the result of changing global structures, or the actions of anti-colonial activists and populations?

After World War II, independence movements across the world sought freedom from empire. John Green describes how nation-states were forged through nonviolence and revolution.

In the 19th century, millions rose up against their colonial rulers. Historical sources clarify how nationalism, sovereignty, and the idea of being a member of a community contributed to these uprisings.

Women in Africa played a key role in anti-colonial movements. Examine their efforts in different regions of Africa, and consider how colonialism still impacts women today.

African women were crucial to the anti-colonial struggle. They participated in boycotts and armed struggles, playing key roles that have often been overlooked.

Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana, which achieved independence in 1957. He used his position to advocate in the Cold War and decolonization struggles.

During the Cold War, Middle Eastern leaders sought to cast off the burden of old European colonialism. But they had to account for a Cold War between two new imperial superpowers.

China’s revolution was both communist and anti-colonial, even though the country had never been formally colonized.

The Chinese Communist Revolution drew on earlier world revolutions, but in many ways, it went further. It’s an important case in any global history of revolutions.

What were the causes and effects of the spread of communist states? Use the Quick-Sourcing Tool to assess the primary sources in this collection to find out!

What were the causes and effects of the spread of communist states? The primary sources in this collection will help you formulate a response to this question.

How has your understanding changed since the beginning of the unit? Time to revisit the Unit Notebook!

How did colonial subjects resist foreign control? Of course, there were vast differences, but we can get some answers by looking closely at Ghana as a case study.

Legalized racism and colonialism were tied together. One of history’s most glaring examples was the system known as apartheid in South Africa.

In this activity, students will use the overviews from Units 7 and 8 to conduct a Continuity and Change Over Time (CCOT) analysis.

It’s time review the map predictions you made at the beginning of the unit, as you examine a series of new maps to help you think about the unit problem.

A full-color political map of the world in 1945 CE, highlighting the major states, communities, and cities you’ll learn about in WHP.

A full-color political map of the world in 1975 CE, highlighting the major states, communities, and cities you’ll learn about in WHP.

A full-color thematic map of Decolonization and the Cold War in 1975 CE, meant to help you support, extend, and challenge the frame narratives.

You’ve been evaluating sample essays throughout the course. Now it’s time to use your expert understanding of the writing rubric to evaluate an essay by one of your classmates!

Believe it or not, it's almost the final DBQ for the course! In this essay, you’ll evaluate the extent of the interconnection of decolonization and the Cold War in select regions.

These DBQ writing samples provide example essays to help support writing instruction in different ways—use as you see fit in your classroom!

During the Cold War, the two superpowers raced to build the most destructive arsenal in history. This competition caused several terrifying crises and launched the space race.

Despite the suffering caused by the world wars, conflict between states still happens today. Why? And what can we do about it?

African Americans and Africans created links to support each other in the struggles against colonialism and racial oppression.

Between about 1945 and 1997, most of the colonies around the world became independent. This is a chronological account of that transformation.

Oil was the most important resource of the last century. In the Middle East, colonialism, decolonization, and economic liberalization all shaped the history of oil production.

A worldwide struggle for decolonization, plus a struggle for racial equality and civil rights in the United States, became entangled in the Cold War that followed WWII.