Topic 6 of 6 · Form 6
International history: the Cold War and decolonisation
Wartime conferences; Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe; Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan; Berlin Blockade; NATO and the Warsaw Pact; interpretations (orthodox, revisionist, post-revisionist).
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Origins of the Cold War
Wartime conferences; Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe; Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan; Berlin Blockade; NATO and the Warsaw Pact; interpretations (orthodox, revisionist, post-revisionist).
The Cold War worldwide
Korea (1950–53), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), Vietnam, détente, and the end of the Cold War (Gorbachev, 1989–91).
Decolonisation in Africa
Causes (nationalism, the Second World War, weakened colonial powers, UN and superpower pressure); patterns of peaceful and violent decolonisation (Ghana 1957; Kenya and the Mau Mau; Algeria; Portuguese colonies 1974–75; Zimbabwe 1980; Namibia 1990); the Cold War's influence on African independence struggles.
Check yourself
- What was the post-revisionist view of the Cold War's origins?
- Why was the Cuban Missile Crisis a turning point?
- Why was decolonisation more violent in settler colonies?
Show answers
- Both superpowers shared responsibility through mutual misunderstanding and security fears.
- It brought the world close to nuclear war and led to improved communication (hotline) and arms control.
- Settlers resisted majority rule to protect land and privileges, leading to armed struggles.
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