AP World History AMSCO Guided Notes
8.9: Causation in the Age of the Cold War and Decolonization
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP World History Guided Notes
AMSCO 8.9 - Causation in the Age of the Cold War and Decolonization
Essential Questions
- Why and to what extent were the effects of the Cold War similar in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres?
I. Challenges to Existing Social Orders
1. What ideological and economic rift emerged among the Allied powers after World War II and how did it shape the division of Europe?
2. Why did the Soviet Union maintain control over Eastern European territories after World War II, and what was the Soviet bloc?
3. What was the policy of containment and how did it guide U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War?
A. Three Alignments
1. How did the Cold War divide the world into three alignments and what characterized each alignment?
2. Where were Third World countries located and what did they have in common?
II. Superpower Rivalries
1. What was the Iron Curtain and what did it represent about the division of Europe?
A. The Arms Race
1. How did the development of nuclear weapons by both superpowers change the nature of the Cold War conflict?
2. What were NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and why did each alliance form?
3. Why is the Cold War called 'cold' despite the tensions and military buildup between superpowers?
III. Hopes for Greater Self-Government
1. What global trend emerged in the 20th century regarding colonial empires and independence movements?
2. How did World War II accelerate the dismantling of colonial empires, and what was the result by 2000?
IV. Comparing Political Effects of the Cold War
1. How did the timing of independence differ between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, and why did the Eastern Hemisphere pay a heavier price during the Cold War?
2. How did superpower support for opposing sides in independence movements affect the outcomes and local populations?
A. Political Effects in Asia
1. What specific conflicts and political changes occurred in Asia as a result of Cold War tensions and the policy of containment?
2. How did Communist China's relationship with the Soviet Union change during the Cold War?
B. Political Effects in Africa
1. How did Cold War rivalries manifest in African independence movements and conflicts?
2. What was the nature of the proxy war in Angola and which superpowers were involved?
C. Political Effects in the Western Hemisphere
1. What communist revolutions and insurrections occurred in Latin America during the Cold War and how did the United States respond?
V. Comparing Economic Effects of the Cold War
1. How did the Marshall Plan and different economic systems affect the recovery of Western and Eastern Europe after World War II?
A. State Response to Economic Challenges in the West
1. What was the welfare state and why did Western European governments create it during the Cold War?
2. How did Western European economic policies differ from those of the Eastern bloc?
B. State Response to Economic Challenges in the Eastern Bloc
1. What economic challenges did the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries face after World War II?
2. How did the transition from state-controlled to free-market economies differ between the Soviet Union and China?
C. State Response to Economic Challenges in Developing Countries
1. What economic relationships did former colonies maintain with their former colonizers and how did this affect their development?
2. How did resource-rich developing nations like Angola attempt to gain control of their economies?
VI. Comparing Social and Cultural Effects
A. Social Tensions
1. What social tensions and fears did the Cold War create in both the United States and the Soviet Union?
2. How did the Vietnam War affect Vietnamese society and what were the human costs of the conflict?
B. Cultural Effects
1. How did cultural development differ between Western and Eastern Europe during the Cold War?
2. What cultural changes occurred in former colonies and what happened when superpowers withdrew from regions they had controlled?
VII. Development of Global Institutions
1. How did the end of the Cold War change the geopolitical framework and what global institutions were established to address transnational issues?