Course Content
7.1.1 The end of the Second World War
The end of the Second World War: Yalta and Potsdam Conferences; the division of Germany; contrasting attitudes and ideologies of the USA and the USSR, including the aims of Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt, Attlee and Truman; effect of the dropping of the atom bomb on post-war superpower relations.
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7.1.2 The Iron Curtain and the Evolution of East-West rivalry
The Iron Curtain and the evolution of East-West rivalry: Soviet expansion in East Europe; US policies; the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, their purpose and Stalin’s reaction; Cominform; Comecon; Yugoslavia; the Berlin Blockade and Airlift.
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7.2.1 The significance of events in Asia for superpower relations
The significance of events in Asia for superpower relations: USSR's support for Mao Tse-tung and Communist revolution in China, and the military campaigns waged by North Korea against the UN and by the Vietcong against France and the USA.
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7.2.2 Military rivalries
Military rivalries: the arms race; membership and purposes of NATO and the Warsaw Pact; the space race, including Sputnik, ICBMs, Polaris, Gagarin, Apollo.
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7.2.3 The ‘Thaw’
The ‘Thaw’: Hungary, the protest movement and the reforms of Nagy; Soviet fears, how they reacted and the effects on the Cold War; the U2 Crisis and its effects on the Paris Peace Summit and the peace process.
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7.3.3 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia: Dubeck and the Prague Spring movement; USSR’s response to the reforms; the effects the Prague Spring had on East-West relations, including the Warsaw Pact; the Brezhnev Doctrine.
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7.3.4 Easing of Tension
Easing of tension: sources of tension, including the Soviets' record on human rights; the reasons for Détente and for SALT 1; the part played by key individuals Brezhnev and Nixon.
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GCSE AQA Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972

 

Key Term

Definition

Cuban Revolution

1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in Cuba.

Fidel Castro

Communist leader of Cuba after 1959.

Fulgencio Batista

Cuban dictator overthrown by Castro.

Bay of Pigs

Failed US-backed invasion of Cuba in 1961.

CIA

US intelligence agency involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between USA and USSR over missiles in Cuba.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader who placed missiles in Cuba.

John F. Kennedy

US President during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Quarantine

US naval blockade of Cuba during the crisis.

Nuclear Missile

Weapon capable of delivering a nuclear warhead over long distances.

Arms Race

Competition between the USA and USSR to build more powerful weapons.

Deterrence

Preventing war by threatening severe retaliation.

Superpower

A country with enormous military and political influence.

ExComm

Kennedy’s Executive Committee that managed the crisis.

Hotline

Direct communication link created between Washington and Moscow after the crisis.

Cold War

Period of tension between the USA and USSR after 1945.

Sphere of Influence

Area where a country has political and economic control.

Nationalisation

Government takeover of private businesses and industries.

Diplomacy

Managing international relations through negotiation rather than war.

Limited Test Ban Treaty

1963 agreement limiting nuclear weapons testing.

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