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Setting the Stage for the Cold War and Decolonization

Driving Question: What historical factors after 1945 contributed to the emergence of the Cold War?

The Cold War and decolonization were two events tangled together in a intricate web of economics, conflict, diplomacy, and espionage. The Cold War was a global struggle between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union. This overview lesson introduces you to the ways that people and governments tried to reshape the global order after the Second World War.

Learning Objectives

  1. Explain the historical context of the Cold War after 1945.
  2. Analyze historical imagery to make predictions about the Cold War.

Vocab Terms:

  • Cold War
  • dependency
  • ideological
  • nationalize
  • nonalignment
  • propaganda
  • superpower
STEP 1

Opener: Setting the Stage for the Cold War and Decolonization

Propaganda is one of the most effective tools to shape public opinion—but how do we recognize it when we see it?

STEP 2

Devastation of Old Markets

Amid the Cold War, there was a great disparity between wealthy and struggling nations. But what led to this inequality?