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Year 11
Edexcel

The origins of the Cold War (1941-58)

I can explain how the Cold War developed and then intensified between 1945 and 1958.

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Year 11
Edexcel

The origins of the Cold War (1941-58)

I can explain how the Cold War developed and then intensified between 1945 and 1958.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Ideological differences meant there were tensions between the USA and USSR even when they were allies during WW2.
  2. From 1945, the Soviet creation of satellite states and the US development of the atomic bomb increased tensions.
  3. Concerned about Soviet expansion, Truman committed the USA to a policy of containment in 1947.
  4. In 1948, the Berlin Crisis significantly increased Cold War tensions.
  5. The Cold War intensified during the 1950s due to the escalation of the arms race and the Soviet invasion of Hungary.

Keywords

  • Cold War - a period between c. 1945 and c. 1991 of intense rivalry and tension between the USA and the USSR

  • Ideology - a set of beliefs or ideas

  • Satellite state - a county that is dominated by another country

  • Arms race - when countries compete with each other to build up their military strength

  • Containment - using American influence and military resources to prevent the spread of communism into non-communist countries

Common misconception

Historians agree that the Cold War started in 1945 with the end of World War Two.

The breakdown of the wartime alliance and the emerging ideological rift between communism and capitalism unfolded over several years. The exact start date of the Cold War is often debated among historians.


To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: The origins of the Cold War (1941-58), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Ask students to plot the key developments between 1941 and 1958 on a graph to show the extent to which they increased or decreased tensions between the USA and the USSR.
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Adult supervision recommended

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The period of intense rivalry that existed between the USA and the USSR is known as the...
Correct Answer: Cold War, cold war, Cold war, cold War
Q2.
During which conference did the USA test their first atomic bomb?
Tehran
Yalta
Correct answer: Potsdam
Q3.
In which year did Stalin order the blockade of Berlin?
1947
Correct answer: 1948
1949
1950
Q4.
Which of these were reasons for the superpowers' mistrust of one another?
Correct answer: The superpowers had opposing ideologies.
Correct answer: The USA had opposed the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War.
The USSR had initially fought on the side of Nazi Germany.
The USA refused to open up a second front in Western Europe.
Q5.
Match the economic or political system to its description.
Correct Answer:Democratic politics,Free elections with multiple parties to choose from
tick

Free elections with multiple parties to choose from

Correct Answer:Communist politics,Controlled elections with one party to choose from
tick

Controlled elections with one party to choose from

Correct Answer:Capitalist economy,Businesses outside of government ownership and control
tick

Businesses outside of government ownership and control

Correct Answer:Communist economy,All businesses owned and controlled by the government
tick

All businesses owned and controlled by the government

Q6.
Starting with the earliest, place the following events in chronological order.
1 - the Yalta Conference
2 - the Novikov Telegram
3 - the Marshall Plan
4 - the creation of NATO

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these was a consequence of the Tehran Conference (1943)?
Correct answer: Britain and the USA agreed to open up a second front against Nazi Germany.
Poland's new borders were agreed.
The superpower relationship worsened due to disagreements over Eastern Europe.
Q2.
Why was the Truman Doctrine provocative?
It committed the USA to rolling back communism.
Correct answer: It committed the USA to containing communism.
It committed the USA to war with the USSR.
Q3.
Which of these statements about Marshall Aid are correct?
Correct answer: offered to all European countries, including the USSR and Eastern Europe
only offered to European countries with democratic political systems
Correct answer: imed at post-war recovery with the hope of containing the spread of communisma
Correct answer: pledged over $13bn to Europe's post-war recovery
pledged less than $13bn to Europe's post-war recovery
Q4.
Which of these statements best describes Stalin's motivations for blockading Berlin in 1948?
Correct answer: He wanted to force the Western powers out of Berlin.
Correct answer: He feared the economic recovery of Trizonia would reflect badly on communism.
He was afraid that West Germany might join NATO.
Large numbers of skilled workers were leaving East Berlin.
Q5.
Which of these statements best describes the development of the arms race in the 1940s and 50s?
Correct answer: In the 1940s, the USA had an advantage over the USSR.
Correct answer: By the late 1950s, the USA and the USSR were equal in terms of nuclear ability.
In the 1940s, the USSR possessed greater nuclear capacity than the USA.
Correct answer: In the 1950s, the USSR initially developed a superiority in rocket technology.
In the 1950s, the USA developed the hydrogen bomb but the USSR did not.
Q6.
Why did Khrushchev order the invasion of Hungary?
Correct answer: If Hungary left the Warsaw Pact, so too might other satellite states.
The USA were threatening to overthrow the government there.
Nagy had threatened the USSR.