Activity 1 - Which events should we revise?

  1. Identify - Review the notes you’ve made for this unit on the two leaders, crises and nations you’ve studied. Refer to the additional sources in this document if you still need to complete your research.
  2. Mind-Map - Create a concept-map using Padlet, Mindmup or any other similar mind-mapping tool (or create a sketchnote by hand!). In the middle write ‘What was the role of leaders, crises and nations?’.
  3. Summarise - Now fill in your mind-map with key historical information and facts about the main events of the unit. Use this timeline, review your notes and summarise.
  4. Revise - Use your mind maps to help you revise the historical content for your upcoming assessment and final exams. Make sure you store a copy with your other revision materials.

Activity 2 - What was our inquiry?

  1. Recall -  Examine the statement of inquiry for this unit again and consider how it applies to what you’ve studied:
    1. “Global conflicts and crises can provide both opportunities and challenges to the agency of individual leaders and nations”
  2. Analyse - With a partner, discuss how this statement of inquiry could be applied to the role of leaders, crises and nations in the Cold War. Consider the following questions:
    1. Connect - How is the SOI connected to what you have studied?
    2. Extend - Does the SOI extend your thinking about the role of leaders, crises and nations in the Cold War in any way?
    3. Challenge - What is challenging or confusing about the SOI?
    4. Discuss - Does the SOI apply to the role of leaders, crises and nations? What other events in history might it also apply to?
  3. Reflect - The key concept of this unit was perspective. Try gathering different viewpoints from people today about the Cold War. What do people know about it and what affects their perspective?

Activity 3 - How might we be assessed?

  1. Essay Plan - Try practicing for your end of unit review by essay planning previous questions on this topic. Use this essay mark-scheme to help:
    1. Examine the economic impact of the Cold War on two countries, each chosen from a different region - Nov 2020
    2. “Ideology was the most important cause of Cold War crises.” Discuss with reference to two Cold War crises, each from a different region - Nov 2019
    3. "The actions of individual leaders had a significant impact on the development of the Cold War." Discuss with reference to two leaders, each from a different region - May 2019
    4. Discuss the impact of two Cold War crises, each from a different region, on the development of superpower tensions - Nov 2018
    5. Compare and contrast the impact of two leaders, each from a different region, on the development of the Cold War - May 2018
    6. Evaluate the impact of two leaders, each from a different region, on the course of the Cold War - Nov 2017
    7. Evaluate the impact of Cold War tensions on two ​countries (excluding the USSR and the US) - May 2017
    8. Evaluate the impact upon the course of the Cold War of two crises, each chosen from a different region - Spec Paper

Further Reading for Revision

obligatory reading
  1. Leaders - Mamaux, A. (2015). Oxford IBDP Programme - The Cold War, pp. 53 (Truman/Stalin); 128 (Eisenhower/Khrushchev); 171 (Mao/Nixon); 215 (Brezhnev/Castro)
  2. Crises - The Cold War Was Hot When It Was Young | The Edge
  3. Nations - Edward, O. (2011). The USA and the Cold War, 1945-63, pp. 142-165
  4. Nations - Lynch, M. (2010). Stalin's Russia 1924-53 - Access to History
recommended reading
  1. Leaders - Rogers, K., & Thomas, J. (2015). Pearson Baccalaureate: History the Cold War, pp. 241-249 (Truman, Stalin, Khrushchev, Mao, Brezhnev, Brandt, Nixon, Reagan, Gorbachev)
  2. Crises - Crisis Points of the Cold War | Boundless World History
  3. Nations - Sanders, V. (2008). Politics, Presidency and Society, 1968-2001
  4. Nations - ​Lee, S.J. (1999). Stalin and the Soviet Union
supplemental reading
  1. Leaders - Olofson, S. (2017). OSC IBDP Study & Revision Guides: IB History Paper 2: The Cold War, pp. 45 (Stalin); Truman (46); Eisenhower (62); Khrushchev (77); Reagan (110); Gorbachev (111)
  2. Crises - Resources for The major crises of the Cold War - The major crises of the Cold War
  3. Nations - Sanders, V. (2012). The Cold War and the Americas 1945-1981 - Access to History for IBDP
  4. Nations - Todd, A. (2012). The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, 1924-2000
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