Origins of the Cold War
Driving Question: What led to the competition between Soviet-style communism and American capitalism?
After the Second World War, the world’s two strongest nations championed opposing visions for the world. Learn how competing ideologies, broken economies, and new weapons set the stage for a high-stakes global conflict.
Learning Objectives
- Use evidence to understand how economic and political systems fueled early Cold War tensions.
- Create arguments using historical evidence to support claims and communicate conclusions through informal writing.
- Use the historical thinking practices of contextualization and causation to understand a specific Cold War crisis.
Vocab Terms:
- containment
- decolonization
- ideological
- intervention
- nuclear
- protest
- superpower
- union
Opener: Origins of the Cold War
Coming soon!
What Caused the Cold War?
Dive into the early tensions that sparked the Cold War. Discover how the race for influence, clashing ideologies, and new global challenges reshaped the world after 1945.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- Why did the United States create the Marshall Plan?
- What are the two explanations for the economic recoveries in Germany and Japan?
- How did former colonial powers maintain economic control after independence?
- What strategies did African and Asian leaders use to resist economic dependency?
- Who was left out of postwar prosperity in the United States?
After you read
Respond to this question: How did decolonization and the Cold War together reshape global production and distribution after 1945?
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- What was the basic conflict at the center of the Cold War?
- What were the three main features of the Cold War?
- Why did Stalin want greater Soviet influence in Eastern Europe?
- What was the policy of containment, and what example shows it in action?
After you read
Respond to this question: Which of the course frames best explains the causes of the Cold War, and why?
Mutually Assured Destruction
The Cold War wasn’t just about politics—it was about survival. Learn how the arms and space races fueled global tensions and how leaders navigated the threat of nuclear war.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- What was the arms race?
- What does MAD mean?
- What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- How did the Cuban Missile Crisis affect international relations?
- How was the space race linked to the arms race?
After you read
Respond to this question: Do you think the space race offered hope for greater international cooperation, or was it just another extension of Cold War competition? Use evidence to support your answer.
Closer: Origins of the Cold War
Coming soon!
A Cold War World
The Cold War shaped the second half of the twentieth century through a fierce rivalry between two superpowers. Explore how the competition unfolded across the world.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- What evidence supports the claim that the Cold War was a “clash of civilizations”?
- Why did the Cold War start during World War II?
- What was the Marshall Plan?
- What is MAD?
- What are some examples of how Soviets and Americans fought indirectly?
After you watch
Respond to this question: How does focusing only on US and Soviet actions limit our understanding of the Cold War as a truly global conflict?