Edexcel GCSE History: The Cold War

Name: Edexcel GCSE History: The Cold War
Rating: 4.4 (31 reviews)

For GCSE students and teachers of Edexcel Superpower Relations and the Cold War

Last updated 6/2020

English

What you'll learn

6 sections • 20 lectures • 3h 18m total length

How to structure answers to Paper 2 - Section A9:52
Learn to structure paper 2 section a responses by explaining consequences and composing a narrative account of key events in chronological order, supported by evidence and analysis.

Introduction and Historical Context17:15
An introduction to the course and the historical context surrounding capitalism and communism.
The Grand Alliance and World War II6:31
Examines the creation of the Grand Alliance and World War II.
The three conferences12:34
Looks at the three wartime conferences that occurred from 1941-1945: Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam.
Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe.11:36
An examination of the ways in which the Soviet Union took control of eastern Europe from 1945-1949.
The Origins of the Cold War
Exam zone5:30
Explain the consequences of the Potsdam conference, including the division of Germany and Berlin into four zones and the rise of US–Soviet tension, using point-evidence-explanation in an exam answer.

Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan8:31
Explains Truman's policy of containment and the European Recovery programme.
Soviet response to Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan5:27
How Stalin and the Soviet Union responded to the granting of aid to western European countries.
Berlin Blockade and airlift11:46
Why the Soviets blockaded Berlin and how the Soviets responded.
Arms race and the creation of the Warsaw Pact8:18
How the USSR and USA engaged in an arms race and why the Warsaw Pact was created.
The Intensification of the Cold War, 1946-1955

Hungarian Uprising15:22
The causes, events and consequences of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising against Soviet rule.
Berlin crisis and the building of the Berlin Wall.11:07
Why the Soviets decided to construct the Berlin wall and what its consequences were.
Cuban Missile Crisis14:45
The impact of Castro's revolution and how the Soviet Union and USA nearly went to nuclear war.
Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring9:49
How Czechoslovakia's attempts at democratic reforms led to a Soviet invasion.
Exam zone7:41
Analyze the Cuban Missile Crisis (1961–62) as a narrative in chronological order, covering events from the Bay of Pigs aftermath to the 13 days, the naval blockade, and missile removal.
Crises of the Cold War, 1953-1968

Detente8:09
To understand how relations between the USSR and USA improved.
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan12:32
Why the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.
The Second Cold War6:52
How President Reagan adopted a hard-line approach to Soviet aggression.
The End of the Cold War9:31
The leadership of Gorbachev, the loss of control and eastern Europe and the break-up of the USSR.
Exam zone5:10
Gorbachev's new thinking, including glasnost and ending the Brezhnev Doctrine, allowed satellite states to choose their own paths, triggering the breakup of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union.
The end of the Cold War

Specifically targeted for students and teachers of Edexcel GCSE History (9-1) - Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91.

The course content is also suitable for AQA students, although the exam practice is specifically aimed at Edexcel examination board.

For students of A-level or university history with no background in Cold War history, the course makes an excellent introduction to further research.

For maximum effectiveness, I recommend completing the course as follows:

1. Deal with one section at a time.

2. Watch all the videos in a section, taking notes and writing key questions as you watch.

3. Complete the multiple choice quiz at the end of the section.

4. Revise any topics you got wrong on the quiz.

5. Complete the resources after each lecture to consolidate learning.

6. Complete the exam zone.

There are videos talking students through the examination paper, how to structure questions and how to attain a Level 9.