3. Cold War 1945-1975 (1991) 4 minutes – in groups of 3-4 spidergram / jot down everything you know (or think you know) about the Cold War… Prompts: Who? Why? Where? Leaders? Wars? Outcome? Completely stuck??? Look at the timeline on p. 336-337.

4. Cold War 1945-1975 (1991)

5. Wartime alliances During World War II (1939–45) each of the major powers was part of an alliance. 1939 Great Britain and France were allied against Nazi Germany. The USSR had signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany.

6. 1941 The USA joins the war when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The USSR joins the alliance with Great Britain and the USA.

7. 1. What made the USA and USSR become allies in 1941? 2. Why might the situation change after 1945?

8. What is a ‘superpower’? A superpower is the term used to describe the most powerful countries. Before World War II there were a number of ‘superpowers’. Britain, France and Germany were all European superpowers before 1945. At the end of World War II, all these countries were in ruins or crippled by the long years of war…. The post-World War II world was dominated by two superpowers – the USA and the USSR.

9. Cold War game You are an advisor to successive US Presidents. Can you make it from 1945 to 1975 without triggering nuclear war? Rules… Each player takes one counter. Throw the dice in turns to move. Read each square as you land on it and follow the instructions…

10. 1. The USA and USSR were WWII allies. Despite their differences their leaders, Roosevelt and Stalin, got on quite well. 2. At Yalta in Feb 1945 they seemingly reached agreement on a number of things. 3. But at Potsdamn 5 months later the USA had a new leader: Truman. He was worried about the USSR’s post-war presence in Eastern Europe. 4. By 1946 an Iron Curtain divided “free” and “Communist” Europe. 5. As a result Truman promised money, equipment and advice to any new country threatened by Communism. 6. Under the Marshall Plan he also offered $17bn in aid to help rebuild post-war Europe 8. When the USSR cut off land routes to West Berlin the USA flew in produce to keep West Berlin going. 9. From 1950-1953 the USA fought Vietnamese and Chinese Communists for control of Korea. 10. Eventually the country was divided in half (North = Communist; South = Capitalist). 11. Next, Kennedy continued to support W. Berlin after the USSR physically walled it off in 1961. 12. The next big crisis was in Cuba. 13. Kennedy sent out the US fleet and forced Khrushchev to blink, turning around the Soviet warships carrying missiles. 14. In 1963/64 Lyndon Johnson increased the USA’s involvement in Vietnam. 15. It was an horrendous war which the US was involved in for 10 years. Two years later all of Vietnam was under Communist control. 7. The aim was to CONTAIN Communism.