Outline Study: International Relations 1945-2003

Two superpowers, one divided world

When the Second World War ended in 1945, two states stood far stronger than any other: the United States and the Soviet Union. They had fought as allies, but they held opposing ideas about how society should work, and within a few years they became rivals. The world split into two sides, and the long rivalry between them became known as the Cold War. It was called cold because the two superpowers never fought each other directly. Instead there was suspicion, an arms race, moments of crisis, and conflicts fought elsewhere. This module traces that rivalry from 1945 to its end and beyond.

Cold War words

Learn these terms before the events are described. They name the sides, the divide and the alliances.

Match each term to its Cold War meaning

The Western bloc against the Eastern bloc

The two sides are best understood side by side. Each is described here as it saw itself, and the exam rewards knowing both without judging between them.

Why was it called cold?

The rivalry after 1945 is known as the Cold War. Why is it described as cold?

• The two superpowers never fought each other directly
• It was fought in cold weather
• It lasted only a few weeks
• Only one side had any weapons

Writing about rival viewpoints

International relations is a story of two sides who each believed they were in the right, so a strong answer sets out both viewpoints fairly. Say what the Western bloc believed and feared, then say what the Eastern bloc believed and feared, and show how those clashing views drove the events. The historian does not declare a winner of the argument; the historian explains why each side acted as it did. Attribute every viewpoint to the side that held it, support points with events, and never smuggle in your own verdict. Both sides, fairly stated, is what earns the marks.

Pick the true Cold War facts

Select every true statement about international relations after 1945.

• The United States and the Soviet Union were the two superpowers
• Europe was divided into a Western and an Eastern bloc
• The two sides formed rival military alliances
• The two superpowers fought each other in a direct war
• The two sides shared the same political system

Order the Cold War years

Put these moments of the Cold War in the order they happened.

• The Second World War ends and the allies fall out
• Europe divides into two blocs with rival alliances
• Crises and an arms race bring moments of high tension
• A period of detente eases the tension for a time
• Communism collapses in Eastern Europe and the Cold War ends

Complete the Cold War facts

The two rival states after 1945 were called _____. The divide across Europe was named the _____ Curtain. The Western military alliance was _____. A period when tension eased was called _____.

A world split in two

Picture Europe in the years after 1945. To the west lay states that followed capitalism and elected their governments in multi-party elections, and they grouped together in an alliance for their defence. To the east lay states that followed communism under a single ruling party, and they too grouped into an alliance. Between them ran a divide so firm that people spoke of an Iron Curtain across the continent. Neither side trusted the other: the West feared the spread of communism, and the East feared attack from the West. Because each side had powerful weapons, both drew back from direct war, and the rivalry stayed cold. Set the two sides side by side like this and the whole period makes sense.

Tap the two alliances

Tap the TWO Cold War military alliances.

• NATO
• the Warsaw Pact
• the Iron Curtain
• the arms race

The Cold War run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer about the Cold War.

Whose viewpoint is it?

Read each situation and choose the best answer, attributing viewpoints fairly.

• One side believed in capitalism and in choosing governments through multi-party elections. Which bloc held this view?
• One side believed in communism under a single ruling party. Which bloc held this view?
• A student asks a historian which side was right. What should a good historian do?

Build a point on the Cold War

Choose the word for each gap to complete one balanced point about the Cold War.

Explain international relations after 1945

A friend thinks the Cold War was just one big battle. Using what you have learned, explain how international relations worked between the superpowers after 1945.

• Explain who the two superpowers were and how their systems differed
• Explain what the Iron Curtain and the two alliances were
• Explain why the rivalry is called a cold war
• Explain what detente was
• Explain how to write fairly about both sides