Topic 12: The Cold War: Superpower tensions and rivalries
This topic is divided into three themes which are explained below.
Each theme is divided into several pages of content and ATL.
There are also pages on essay planning as well as exemplar essays for each of the themes.
Theme 1: Rivalry, mistrust and accord
This takes a chronological approach to the events of the Cold War from the breakdown of the Grand Alliance, the shift of the Cold War to Asia, peaceful co-existence and detente through to the collapse of the Cold War
Theme 2: Leaders and nations
This theme asks students to look at the impact of two leaders from different regions on the course and development of the Cold War and how two countries from different regions were affected by the Cold War
Theme 3: Cold War crises
Students need to study at least two Cold War crises from different regions looking at causes, impact and significance.
For Themes 2 and 3, teachers are free to choose their own examples, as long as they are from different regions.