Paper 1, Topic 6: A World Divided: Superpower Relations, 1943-1972

Textbooks

• N. Kelly, Edexcel International GCSE (9-1) History A World Divided: Superpower Relations, 1943-72 (this is the most important textbook)
• Ben Walsh, GCSE Modern World History, sections 11, 12 and 14.1 (Walsh).

Websites

• For key points and mnemonics see John D. Clare’s brilliant pages on the Causes of the Cold War and then on the Development of the Cold War.
• A basic timeline can be found on HistoryontheNet

Topics

There are several key areas of knowledge and understanding that you need to master in this section of the course:

1. Reasons for the Cold War
2. Early Developments in the Cold War, 1945-49
3. The Cold War in the 1950s
4. The Arms race and the U2 Incident
5. The Berlin Crisis, 1958-1961
6. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
7. The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia
8. The Thaw and moves towards Détente, 1963-72

In addition to the items above, see also:

• A Revision page for Superpower Relations
• Videos about the Cold War available from this page.