Cold War

The Cold War: Causes and Events

• The Cold War was a period of tension between the USA and USSR and their allies from 1945 to 1991.
• The USA was capitalist and democratic, while the USSR was communist.
• After World War Two, the USSR believed the USA wanted to destroy communism, while the USA thought the USSR wanted to spread communism and destroy capitalism.
• The Grand Alliance was the name given to the USA, USSR, and Great Britain who were allies fighting Nazi Germany in World War Two.
• At the Tehran Conference in November 1943, the ‘Big Three’ agreed to launch an attack on Germany from Western Europe and set up a United Nations organization after the war.
• The Yalta Conference was held in February 1945, before World War Two had ended, and the ‘Big Three’ agreed to divide Germany into 4 zones and allow free elections in Eastern European countries.
• The Potsdam Conference was held in July 1945, and many of the plans from Yalta were finalized, but there were disagreements about reparations, Poland, and the atom bomb.
• The USA dropped 2 atom bombs on Japan, which ended World War Two but also angered and scared the USSR, starting the arms race.
• The Long telegram sent by George Kennan and the Novikov telegram sent by the Soviet ambassador helped create suspicion and fear between the USA and the USSR.
• Communist governments were set up in countries in Eastern Europe occupied by the Soviet Union’s army, which angered and scared the USA.
• The Iron Curtain was a political and economic division, not a physical divide, between communist and capitalist countries in Europe.
• The Cold War ended in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Test your knowledge on one of the most significant events of the 20th century with our Cold War: Causes and Events quiz. From the Grand Alliance to the Iron Curtain, this quiz covers the major causes and events that led to the tension between the USA and USSR during this period. Challenge yourself and see how much you know about this pivotal moment in history. Keywords: Cold War, USA, USSR, Grand Alliance, Iron Curtain, communism, capitalism, tension, history, quiz.