Name ______Date ______P.____

Cold War Self-Guided Reading

Directions: Answer the following questions after you read the corresponding article.

The Cold War Begins

1.Following WWII, what did the United States hope to spread?

  • Democracy and world trade

2. How was this different from the Soviet Union’s intentions?

  • They wanted to spread communism

3. When did the Cold War take place?

  • 1945-1990

4. What did the “Big Three” decide at the Yalta Conference?

  • To divide Germany into 4 parts

5. What did Stalin propose at the Potsdam Conference?

  • To make Germany pay for the damage done in the Soviet Union during WWII

6. In what way did Stalin break his promise made at Yalta?

  • No free elections

Cold War Alliances

  1. What does NATO stand for?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

  1. What type of government did the countries in NATO have?

Democratic

  1. What type of government did the countries in the Warsaw Pact have?

Communist

  1. Why would the formation of alliances create tension in Europe?

People were nervous another war would break out

  1. What was the Iron Curtain and what did it separate?

A metaphoric barrier that separated East (communist) Europe from West (democratic) Europe.

  1. Why would the Soviet Union want to prevent people from leaving Eastern Europe?

Soviets did not want East Europeans to leave because they needed a skilled workforce.

  1. Using a highlighter or other utensil, outline the Iron Curtain on the given map.

The Berlin Wall

  1. True or False. The Berlin Wall was built immediately after WWII ended.False
  1. Why was the wall built?

To prevent East Germans from entering West Berlin

  1. Did the Berlin Wall divide all of Germany? ______

No, only Berlin

  1. Why was the wall built all the way around West Berlin?

So no one in East Germany could enter.

  1. What happened to people if they tried to go over the wall?

They were shot down

  1. When was the wall torn down? 1989
  2. Using a highlighter or other utensil, highlight the Berlin Wall on the map under “building the wall”

The Superpowers

  1. What nations were considered to be the superpowers during the Cold War?

Soviet Union and the United States

  1. Why were these nations considered superpowers?

Advancements in technology and weapons.

  1. In what areas were these two countries competing?

Weapons, sports, and technology

  1. What happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The Soviet Union had placed long range missiles in Cuba (only 90 miles from the US), so the US set up a naval blockade around Cuba until the Soviets agreed to move the missiles.

  1. Analyze the chart. Which aspect of the United States do you feel is the most important? Explain
  1. Analyze the chart. Which aspect of the Soviet Union do feel is the most influential? Explain.

German Reunification

26. What were the terms Germany had to agree to in order to become unified?

Free elections

27. List at least three effects of reunification.

Slow economic growth, unemployment rate, and East Germany was deindustrialized

28. List at least three problems with reunification.

Loss of significant portions of populations (people moving), and East German factories were outdated , and West Germany was having to help rebuild (structurally and economically) East Germany.

29. When did the Soviet Union fall? Which was the largest country created from this?

1991

30. When was Germany reunified? When were the Allied powers officially out of Germany?

1990, 1994