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Year 11
Edexcel

The impact of the atomic bomb on US-Soviet relations

I can explain how the development of the atomic bomb increased tension between the USA and the USSR.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

The impact of the atomic bomb on US-Soviet relations

I can explain how the development of the atomic bomb increased tension between the USA and the USSR.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The USA set up the secret Manhattan Project to develop the world's first atomic bomb by July 1945.
  2. The USSR used espionage to find out about the development of the atomic bomb before it was announced.
  3. The USA used atomic bombs to force Japan to surrender but also to demonstrate American power, especially to the USSR.
  4. The Soviet response to the American atomic bomb was to develop their own atomic bomb, which they achieved by 1949.
  5. The Long and Novikov Telegrams reveal that relations between the USA and the USSR had become very hostile by 1946.

Common misconception

There is agreement about why the USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The US decision to use atomic bombs at the end of WW2 remains deeply controversial and historians disagree about the motivation with some arguing that it was to force the Japanese to surrender while others arguing it was to intimidate the USSR.

Keywords

  • Atomic bomb - a type of nuclear weapon; a powerful and destructive bomb that gets it power from the energy released when atoms are split

  • Nuclear weapon - a highly destructive explosive device that gets its power from nuclear reactions

  • Espionage - secret activities, such as spying, carried out by one government or group to gather confidential information from another, typically for strategic advantage

  • Telegram - a short written message sent via a telegraph line

  • Embassies - special buildings where diplomats work to represent their country's interests in other countries around the world

Analyse the text of the Long and Novikov Telegrams to gain deeper insight into US and Soviet attitudes in 1946.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keyword to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:USSR,a collection of states known as the Soviet Union

a collection of states known as the Soviet Union

Correct Answer:communism,a system of government where all property is owned by the state

a system of government where all property is owned by the state

Correct Answer:ideologies,sets of beliefs and ideas

sets of beliefs and ideas

Correct Answer:capitalism,an economic system where businesses and resources are owned privately

an economic system where businesses and resources are owned privately

Q2.
Why are Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin often known as ‘the Big Three’?
It was the name of their secret club.
Correct answer: They played such a dominant role in world politics.
They were all very tall men.
They were the only political leaders involved in WW2.
Q3.
Which of the following were agreed at the Tehran Conference (November-December 1943)?
Correct answer: The USA and Britain would attack Germany by invading Nazi-occupied France.
Countries that had been liberated from Germany would be allowed free elections.
Correct answer: The USSR could keep land it had taken from Poland in 1939.
The United Nations would be established to help ensure future peace.
Germany would pay reparations in the form of equipment and materials.
Q4.
Which of the following were agreed at the Yalta Conference (February 1945)?
Correct answer: Countries that had been liberated from Germany would be allowed free elections.
The USSR could keep land it had taken from Poland in 1939.
Germany would pay reparations in the form of equipment and materials.
The USA and Britain would attack Germany by invading Nazi-occupied France.
Correct answer: The United Nations would be established to help ensure future peace.
Q5.
Which of the following were agreed at the Potsdam Conference (July 1945)?
The USSR could keep land it had taken from Poland in 1939.
Correct answer: Germany would pay reparations in the form of equipment and materials.
The USA and Britain would attack Germany by invading Nazi-occupied France.
The United Nations would be established to help ensure future peace.
Correct answer: Germany would be divided into four zones.
Q6.
Complete the sentences: wanted free elections in Eastern European countries occupied by Soviet troops; Stalin refused. was furious and resolved to pursue a tough policy towards the USSR.
Correct Answer: Truman, truman

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which keyword describes secret activities, such as spying, carried out by one government or group to gather confidential information from another, typically for strategic advantage?
Correct Answer: espionage, Espionage
Q2.
Which keyword describes special buildings where diplomats work to represent their country's interests in other countries around the world?
Correct Answer: embassies, Embassies
Q3.
Complete the sentence: The USA set up the secret Project to develop the world's first atomic bomb by July 1945.
Brooklyn
San Francisco
Correct answer: Manhattan
Chicago
Q4.
Why was George Kennan's February 1946 telegram known as the 'Long Telegram'?
Telegrams are normally very short, but Kennan’s was long and read like a book.
Telegrams are normally very long, but Kennan’s was short and read like a letter.
Correct answer: Telegrams are normally very short, but Kennan’s was long and read like a letter.
Q5.
Complete the sentence: The Soviet response to the American atomic bomb was to develop their own atomic bomb, which they achieved by .
1946
1948
Correct answer: 1949
1950
Q6.
What did Nikola Novikov claim in his telegram in September 1946?
Correct answer: The USA wanted to use their immense military power to dominate the world.
The USSR wanted to use their immense military power to dominate the world.
Correct answer: The American people were no longer interested in working with the USSR.
The Soviet people were no longer interested in working with the USA.

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