Theme 2
Chp1: End of WW2 and Emergence of the Cold War
Key topics from World War Two for explaining the origins of the Cold War:
i) The occupation and effective division of Europe (particularly Germany) by the two emerging superpowers,
ii) The Bretton Woods Agreement
iii) Yalta and Potsdam
iv) The opening of the UN
v) The American use of the atomic bomb
Key topics for explaining the development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1950:
- i) The Iron Curtain speech, 1946
- ii) The Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan and containment policy, 1947
iii) The Berlin Blockade and Airlift, 1948/9
- iv) The Creation of NATO, 1949
- v) The outbreak of the Korean War, 1950
Reference Points
- Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
- Berlin Blockade and Airlift
- 38th Parallel and outbreak of the Korean War
Chp2: A New Geopolitical Order and Emergence of the Developing World
a) Creation of Israel and the Arab Response
- a) Emergence of Zionism & Arab nationalism
- b) Intervention of foreign powers (superpowers & former colonial powers)
- c) Arab-Israeli Conflicts/ Wars
b) Emergence of Mao’s China
- a) Cold War alliance with the USSR before Sino-Soviet Split, 1950-1962
- b) Securing borders & challenging US in the Cold War (Tibet annexation, 1950,
intervention in Korean War & sabre-rattling in Taiwan Straits, 1954)
- c) Testing nuclear weapon, 1964
- d) Support of African anti-colonial independence movements in the 1960s to gain diplomatic allies in the push for a seat in the United Nations Security Council.
c) Vietnam War, 1955-63
d) French Republic and Nationalist Movements in Africa, 1954-62
e) Castro’s Cuba, 1959-62
This highlights the spread of the Cold War into the Western Hemisphere and analyzes the US response during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Setting the Stage for the COLD WAR & DECOLONIZATION:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5uaC5Ej4jI&list=PLEHRHjICEfDVHumyadDXNRYm_SDYmilbi
Chapter 1: The end of WW2 and Emergence of the Cold War, 1944-50
This chapter sheds light on the parallel and contradictory developments in the immediate post-war era: the desire to create a stable new world order at the same time as the breakdown of the Grand Alliance and emergence of superpower rivalry between the USA and the USSR which led to two competing spheres of influence and formed a new world order of tensions between East and West.
Overview PowerPoint for the period from the end of WWW2 to 1950 is here:
Resource Pack including Individual Student Enquiry here:
Emergence of Cold War Resource Packb
Churchill and Iron Curtain article here:
Churchill article Iron curtain speech
Key topics from World War Two for explaining the origins of the Cold War:
- i) The occupation and effective division of Europe (particularly Germany) by the two
emerging superpowers,
- ii) The Bretton Woods Agreement:
iii) Yalta and Potsdam
- iv) The opening of the UN
- v) The American use of the atomic bomb
Key topics for explaining the development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1950:
- i) The Iron Curtain speech, 1946
- ii) The Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan and containment policy, 1947
Guiding Questions
Formation of United Nations
Explain why the USA supported the establishment of the UN and why the effectiveness of this organization was limited in the early Cold War period.
Why Did the Allies establish War Crimes Trials?
a) Why were the trials of senior Nazis held at Nuremberg?
b) Why were criminal trials considered to be more effective than summary execution?
c) What was the impact of the Nuremberg Trials?
d) What was the justification for not implicating the Japanese royal family in war crimes at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal?
e) Explain the controversy over visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by senior Japanese politicians.
iii) The Berlin Blockade and Airlift, 1948/9
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/international/2014/02/10/cold-war-ep-4-soviet-blockade.cnn
- iv) The Creation of NATO, 1949
- v) The outbreak of the Korean War, 1950
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-10-21/Five-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-Korean-War–UKq71vPjMs/index.html
Reference Points
- Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
- Berlin Blockade and Airlift
- 38th Parallel and outbreak of the Korean War
Further resources:
CNN The Cold War Series episode 1
CNN The Cold War episode 2: The Iron Curtain
Chapter 2: A New Geopolitical Order – Emergence of the Developing World (1948-1970s)
This chapter shows how geopolitics of the Cold War interfered with the decolonization process and led to the emergence of new actors as the newly independent countries asserted their international role, thereby challenging the bi-polar order.
Chapter 2 Reference Points
- 1948- the birth of the State of Israel
- French Indochina War and the start of the Vietnam War
- 1962- Cuban Missile Crisis
Key Questions
- What were the international consequences of the emergence of newly independent countries in the two decades following the end of WWII?
- To what extent did newly independent countries challenge the bipolar world (1948 – 1970)?
- Analyze the impact of the Bandung Conference of 1955, with the appearance of the decolonizing Afro-Asian bloc.
- In what ways was the process of decolonization linked to the Cold War?
- Analyze the responses of the USA to each of the following:
- the creation of the state of Israel, 1948*
- the appearance of Mao’s China,1949*
- Castro’s seizure of power in Cuba, 1959*
Student Resource work booklet for all parts of this chapter:
Hist Th2 Chp2 Resource Work Booklet
Part One: Decolonization and the Cold War
USEFUL VIDEOS
DECOLONIZATION VIDEO EXCERPT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrhcC7GSdDU&list=PLEHRHjICEfDVHumyadDXNRYm_SDYmilbi&index=5
Newly INDEPENDENT States VIDEO EXCERPT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlqIqvcWvF8&list=PLEHRHjICEfDVHumyadDXNRYm_SDYmilbi&index=6
USEFUL DOCUMENTS (FOR EXAM REVISION):
Decolonization of Asia and Africaa
Two categorizes of decolonization
Newly Independent States Depth Study Israel
How did Mao challenge the bipolar order
The Connection between the Cold W
Learning Objectives
- Understand the significance of the Bandung Conference and the extent of Non-Alignment.
- Analyze the impact of the Bandung Conference of 1955, with the appearance of the decolonizing Afro-Asian bloc.
PowerPoint about Part One:
Pillar One: The Creation of Israel and the Arab response (Suez Crisis and Nasserism, 1956)
Focus of study:
– Emergence of Zionism & Arab nationalism
– Intervention of foreign powers (superpowers & former colonial powers)
– Arab-Israeli Conflicts/ Wars
Objective
- Analyze how the Partition of Palestine came about and its consequences.
PowerPoints for the Partition of Palestine and Suez Crisis:
Partition of Palestine
Suez Crisis 1956
EXAM REVISION PRIMARY DOCUMENTS:
Site with lots of cartoons about the Middle East:
http://mideastcartoonhistory.com/index.html
RESOURCES FOR WORK ON CHINA AND CUBA
Pillar Two: Emergence of Mao’s China (1949 – 1972)
Focus of study:
- Cold War alliance with the USSR before Sino-Soviet Split, 1950-1962
- Securing borders & challenging US in the Cold War (Tibet annexation, 1950, intervention in Korean War & sabre-rattling in Taiwan Straits, 1954
- Testing nuclear weapon, 1964
- Support of African anti-colonial independence movements in the 1960s to gain diplomatic allies in the push for a seat in the United Nations Security Council.
Objective
❖ Evaluate the extent to which Mao’s foreign Policy challenged Cold War bipolarization from 1949 to 1972.
Handout on how Mao challenged the bi-polar order:
PowerPoint for Pillar Two:
CNN Cold War Episode 15 China 1949-72:
Not obligatory this year Pillar Five: Castro’s Cuba (1959 – 1962).
Focus of Study
This pillar highlights the spread of the Cold War into the Western Hemisphere and analyzes the US response during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Objective:
❖ Analyze the consequences of Castro coming to power in Cuba
CNN Cold War Episode 10 Cuba:
Final Pillar: The causes and development of the Vietnam War, 1954-63
Handout for this pillar:
CNN EPISODE ON VIETNAM:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s0Z2mwTrXY
This video gives extensive context and is most relevant from 14m onwards:
Additional information about Kissinger (his obituary), US Secretary of State, 1969-77 who oversaw the end of US involvement in Vietnam which links to protests movements in History Theme 3:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67574495