What was the Cold War?

Lesson objectivesTo define the key features of the Cold War.To construct a timeline of the key events of the Cold War.

What is meant by the Cold War?A cold war is a war waged with an enemy by every means but direct fighting.

The Cold War was between two major ‘Superpowers’ – The USA and the USSR.

It took place between 1945 and 1991.

It influenced world affairs throughout this period.

What were the key features of the Cold War?

A conflict of ideas

What were the key features of the Cold War?

Spying and surveillanceBoth USA and USSR conducted spying missions on each other. These missions were usually to find out military developments on each other.

What were the key features of the Cold War?

Armed forces on constant alertBoth USA and USSR had large armed forces on constant alert.

What were the key features of the Cold War?

Arms RaceBoth USA and USSR developed nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as a deterrent to attack each other. By the early 1960s, both sides had enough weapons to destroy the world many times over. This was called MAD [Mutually Assured Destruction].

What were the key features of the Cold War?

PropagandaBoth USA and USSR used propaganda to create the worst possible images of each other. For example, the USSR used the Olympics as an example of their superiority and the USA made films like the 007 classic From Russia With Love as an example of the shady nature of the Russians.

What were the key features of the Cold War?

Space RaceBoth USA and USSR competed for success in their respective space programmes.

What were the key features of the Cold War?

Trade restrictionsThe USSR actively protected itself from USA economic influence by banning direct trade with any country from the West. From the late 1940s, the USSR forbade countries under its influence to do the same. From this, two economic blocs developed.

What were the key features of the Cold War?

Active fighting in other parts of the worldBoth USA and USSR saw their way of life as superior and wanted their way to influence other countries around the world. Occasionally this led to fighting in such places as Korea and Vietnam.

Was the Cold War constant?Relations between USA and USSR were not constant during the Cold War.

There were times when relations were bad – these were called ‘freezes’ – such as the late 1940s and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

There were times were relations were cordial – there were called ‘thaws’ – such as the period of detente [1963-79].

TaskOn your worksheet you have a collection of cards with events on them. These events are the key events that happened during the Cold War.

Your task is to rearrange the cards in chronological order with the first event in 1945 and the last in 1991. You can use the text books to help you.

Once you have them in the correct order, you should then write a timeline in your exercise books recording these events and the order in which they happened.