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Origins of the Cold War

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why did the Berlin Blockade happen, and how did it deepen the division between East and West?

Explain the causes, events and consequences of the Berlin Blockade and airlift of 1948 to 1949
A focused answer to the O-Level History dot point on the Berlin Blockade. The division of Germany and Berlin, why Stalin blockaded West Berlin in 1948, the Western airlift, and how the crisis confirmed the division of Germany and Europe.
9 min answer →

Why did the wartime alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union break down after 1945?

Explain why the wartime alliance between the USA and the USSR broke down into a Cold War after 1945
A focused answer to the O-Level History dot point on the origins of the Cold War. The ideological clash between capitalism and communism, the wartime conferences, mutual suspicion, and how the Grand Alliance broke down into a Cold War after 1945.
9 min answer →

Why did the two sides form rival military alliances, and how did this complete the division of Europe?

Explain why NATO and the Warsaw Pact were formed and how they completed the division of Europe into two armed camps
A focused answer to the O-Level History dot point on NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Why the West formed NATO in 1949, why the Soviet bloc formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955, and how these rival alliances completed the division of Europe.
9 min answer →

How did the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan show the American policy of containing communism?

Explain the aims and importance of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan in the developing Cold War
A focused answer to the O-Level History dot point on the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan. The policy of containment, American economic aid to rebuild Europe, the Soviet reaction, and why these policies deepened the division of Europe.
9 min answer →