This class is designed to support students preparing for I.B./A.P./GCSE/A-Level History examinations. Due to the high-interest level of the content of the course non-exam students are encouraged to join. This is a discussion-based class with an emphasis upon in-class historical source analysis activities.

The late twentieth century witnessed the Cold War. The end of the Second World War brought two superpowers, the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), to the fore of international relations. Both states had vast territories, with large populations, tremendous national resources and major industrial complexes. They both fielded large militaries that had defeated Axis states in the Second World War and each represented a specific governing and economic structure.

The Cold War is an interesting topic of study. The competition between the US and the USSR and their allies had economic consequences for Europe and many other parts of the world. Various wars, such as those in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan resulted, in part, from the desire to either limit or spread communism or capitalism. While the Cold War may often be seen as a period in which the world was often seemingly on the threshold of nuclear warfare, it may also be interpreted as an era in which the search for peace and security were paramount concerns for many nations’ leaders.

Month of January 

The origins of the Cold War, 1917–45
1 The ideology of the Cold War 
2 The Soviet Union and the Western powers, 1917–41
3 The Grand Alliance, 1941–45 
4 The liberation of Europe, 1943–45 
5 The Yalta Conference, February 1945 

Month of February

From wartime allies to post-war enemies, 1945–47 
1 Transition from war to fragile peace, 1945–46 
2 Germany, June 1945–April 1947
3 The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan 
4 The ‘Iron Curtain’ 
5 Key debate: Did the US or the USSR start the Cold War, 1945–47 

Month of March

The division of Germany and Europe, 1948–52
1 The division of Germany 
2 Western European rearmament 
3 The consolidation of the rival blocs 

Month of April

The spread of communism in Asia, 1945–54 
1 Japan and the Cold War, 1945–52 
2 The Chinese Civil War 
3 The Korean War, 1950–53 
4 Indochina, 1945–54 

Month of May

From détente to the Berlin Wall, 1953–61 
1 The thaw, 1953–55 
2 The emergence of the Third World and the Non-Aligned Movement 
3 1956: The year of crises 
4 The aftermath of the Hungarian and Suez Crises, 1957–58 
5 The Berlin Crisis, 1958–61 

Month of June

The global Cold War, 1960–78
1 The Sino-Soviet split 
2 The Congo Crisis, 1960–65 
3 The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 
4 Vietnam, 1954–75 
5 The Cold War in the Middle East, 1957–79 
6 The Cold War in Africa, 1964–79 
Month of July

The politics of détente, 1963–79 
1 US–Soviet relations, 1963–72 
2 Détente in Europe, 1963–69 
3 Ostpolitik 
4 Helsinki Accords and SALT II, 1975–79 

Month of August
The end of the Cold War 
1 ‘New Cold War’, 1976–85 
2 Mikhail Gorbachev and renewed détente, 1985–89 
3 The collapse of communism in eastern Europe, 1989–90 
4 Collapse of the USSR

This class addresses East–West relations from 1945. 

The class begins by looking at the origins of the Cold War and the ideological differences which underpinned it.

(UNIT 1) examines the early years of the Cold War, including how Truman’s policy of containing Communism developed, and the development of the ‘Iron Curtain’ 
(UNIT 2) covers the division of Germany from 1948 to 1952 and the consolidation of the division of Europe into a Soviet bloc and a Western bloc 
(UNIT 3) traces how communism spread in Asia and its impact on different
conflicts in the region 
(UNIT 4) considers the advent of détente and its subsequent breakdown during
various crises, culminating in the Berlin Crisis 
(UNIT 5) covers the global Cold War from 1953 to 1961, looking at conflict in Africa,
Vietnam and the Middle East 
(UNIT 6) looks in detail at the politics of détente, 1963 to 1979 
(UNIT 7) concludes by examining the end of the Cold War and the collapse of
communism in eastern Europe and the USSR (UNIT 8).

This class requires a minimum  of 3-5 students - if low enrollment please inquire about a Private Tutorial which would include exam board specific instruction, source based activities, and marked assessments.