The Cold War
Teacher Resources
Lesson Guide
This guide includes all the usual stuff on pacing, guiding questions, and sample answers, but it will be especially useful as you prepare to teach the Cold War Simulation activity that opens this lesson.
Decolonization and the Cold War Thematic Map
Help students visualize the connections between the Cold War and decolonization by showing them this map. Remember to use the deep zoom feature by clicking on the + sign in the magnifying glass.
Driving Question: What were the causes of the ideological struggle of the Cold War, and how did it impact global conflicts and alliances?
How did the Cold War start? At the end of World War II, the victorious allies lost both their shared enemy and their shared purpose. The two most powerful allied nations, United States and the Soviet Union, swiftly moved to consolidate their relative positions, resulting in the division of post-war Europe. The two nations soon became known as superpowers as they avoided direct conflict by involving themselves in the opposite sides of other countries’ conflicts, while also promoting their favored ideologies of capitalism or communism.
Learning Objectives
- Explain the causes and effects of the ideological struggle of the Cold War.
- Use the historical thinking practice of sourcing to assess different perspectives of who started the Cold War.
- Use the historical thinking practice of causation to categorize the multiple causes of the Cold War.
Vocab Terms:
- capitalism
- communism
- containment
- ideological
- non-alignment
- self-determination
- superpower
Alert! Your students are solving a mystery in this activity—so be careful not to give away the name of the Cuban Missile Crisis or any other important details until they begin their detective work! Read the Lesson Guide for the full instructions. You’ll need to print out one set of Top Secret Documents for each group of 3–4 students and add the documents to envelopes labeled “Top Secret.”
Put your causation, contextualization, and claim testing skills to the test to solve a Cold War mystery.
Why did the US and the Soviet Union switch from allies to enemies after World War II? Explore the factors that led to the Cold War and how these tensions escalated during this 45-year battle of ideologies.
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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 events marked the beginning of the Cold War?
- What was the policy of containment and where did this policy originate?
- What alliance systems were created during the Cold War?
- What tools did the US and Soviet Union use to try to win the Cold War?
- How did the US eventually win the Cold War?
After you watch
Respond to these questions:
- To what extent does this video help explain the causes and global impacts of the Cold War?
- What lasting Cold War impacts are visible in our world today?
Don’t forget to use the Sourcing Feedback Form to give your students quick feedback on their sourcing skills.
Want to know who started the Cold War? And does the answer to that question change depending on who’s making the claim? Compare two different sources to get to the root of this important question.
Did you know: The famous Washington–Moscow “hotline” created after the Cuban Missile Crisis was never actually a red telephone. It began as a secure text communication link. Typed messages reduced the risk of mishearing something in a crisis.
As you’ve seen throughout this lesson, the causes of the Cold War are varied and complex. Use your causation skills to evaluate the most important ones.
The Cold War had many hot spots. In this activity, you’ll choose one Cold War event and write a breaking news story from a perspective of your choice.
The Cold War shaped half of the twentieth century through a fierce rivalry between two superpowers. Explore how the competition unfolded across the world with this article.
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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 difference at the heart of the Cold War conflict?
- What does this author identify as the three main features of the Cold War?
- Why did Stalin want to expand Soviet influence in Eastern Europe?
- What was the policy of containment and what does the author use as an example of this policy?
After you read
Respond to the following questions:
- To what extent does this article explain the causes and effects of the ideological struggle of the Cold War?
- The Cold War was a conflict that divided nations across the world. Which of the AP themes do you think best describes why the Cold War happened?
