Cold War
The Cold War was a race for power. Capitalism and communism were locked in competition for supremacy. These classroom-ready lessons and teaching materials cover the story of the Cold War—from the nuclear arms race to proxy wars to decolonization—around the globe. Help students use their historical thinking skills to understand this decades-long conflict in all its complexity.
How to Teach the Cold War
PD: Teaching the Cold War
Grasp the stakes of the Cold War and key moments in the conflict and leave with teaching tips to make this history relevant for students.
Blog Post: The Cold War Ended in 1991...Right?
Time for you and your students to put on your history goggles and take a look at Russia-China tensions: Is this Cold War II?
Gamifying the Cold War
Check out teachers’ ideas about a fun way to engage students in debate about who won the Cold War.
Sourcing
Find tools and activities to help build your students’ sourcing skills so they’re prepared to analyze the Cold War Source Collection.
Teach Tomorrow: Lessons on the Cold War
Lesson 8.2
Origins of the Cold War
The Cold War conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union was a confrontation between two different ideologies, but it was also a global struggle for control over the future of the world.
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Lesson 8.3
The Global Cold War
From Vietnam to Afghanistan, the Cold War became a global struggle. As the US and USSR battled for influence, they reshaped global politics and impacted lives far beyond their borders.
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Cold War Activities and Resources
Simulation: Cold War Crisis
Activity
Simulation: Cold War Crisis
Use your causation, contextualization, and claim-testing skills to solve a Cold War crisis. Step into the role of a leader and decide whether to ease tensions or escalate conflict.
Cold War: An Overview
Article
Cold War: An Overview
The Cold War came down to competing visions of world order as the two superpowers promoted communist and capitalist ideologies in a struggle for supremacy.
Sourcing: Who Started the Cold War?
Activity
Sourcing: Who Started the Cold War?
Put your sourcing skills to use by writing an essay that attempts to answer the question, “Who started the Cold War?”
Source Collection: The Cold War
Article
Source Collection: The Cold War
Explore how competing visions of government and society shaped global politics and conflicts as Cold War tensions unfolded around the world.
Decolonization and the Cold War Thematic Map
Visual Aid
Decolonization and the Cold War Thematic Map
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.
Arms Race, Space Race
Article
Arms Race, Space Race
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.
Writing Assessments for the Cold War
Pre-Writing: Cold War and Decolonization
Assessment
Pre-Writing: Cold War and Decolonization
Get ready for writing by crafting a claim and gathering supporting evidence to decide how the Cold War and decolonization are intertwined.
DBQ Sources: The Cold War and Decolonization
Assessment
DBQ Sources: The Cold War and Decolonization
Analyze the documents to explore how Cold War rivalries influenced anticolonial movements and struggles for independence.
Writing: The Cold War and Decolonization
Assessment
Writing: The Cold War and Decolonization
Time to write! Demonstrate your understanding of the connections between the Cold War and decolonization.
