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Both the Soviet Union and the United States knew that any military action between the two would be brutal and devastating to each nation. They both had enough nuclear weapons to bring any conflict to a complete and utter stalemate. They both subtly postured to be seen as the world leader. Instead of direct conflict they waged war on political, economic, and disinformation fronts. This unspoken rivalry between the two nations was termed "The Cold War".

We look at all the areas the Cold War was waged between the two countries. Topics include the space race, civil rights, and the arms race. We also look at the significance of the Soviet Union's relationship with Cuba and the Berlin Wall.

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The Cold War Reading Passage

. It was a period of very intense international relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, with both countries competing for political, economic, and military influence.

The Cold War - Multiple Choice Questions

The Soviet Union began to collapse in the late 1980s, and in 1991, the country broke up into 15 independent states.

The Space Race

Following World War II, both countries were aware of the military advantages of rocket technology and both countries applied resources to it.

The Space Race - Short Answer Questions

Which country was the first to launch a satellite into space, and what was it called?

The Affect On Civil Rights

China became communist, the Soviet Union was influencing Eastern Europe, and Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that there were communist agents working undercover in the American government.

QUESTIONS: The Affect On Civil Rights

For the sake of foreign affairs, Kennedy began to actively support civil rights.

The Red Scare

There were actually two periods of Red Scare, one following World War I, and the other coinciding with the Cold War.

QUESTIONS: The Red Scare

Who led an anti-communist crusade in the U.S. in the 1950s? Describe this crusade.

The Berlin Wall

Over time, many people in East Germany moved to West Germany, because they did not want to live under the communist system.

QUESTIONS: The Berlin Wall

By the late 1980s, the Soviet Union was starting to fall apart. They were losing their influence on East Germany.

The Bay of Pigs Reading Passage

The Bay of Pigs was the name given to the U.S. effort to overthrow Fidel Castro's government in Cuba in 1961.

QUESTIONS: The Bay of Pigs

What was the role of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)?

The Arms Race

The Arms Race refers to an aspect of the Cold War in which both the U.S. and the Soviets were stockpiling nuclear weapons, which are powerful enough to destroy an entire city and tens of thousands of people.

QUESTIONS: The Arms Race

The Arms Race was very expensive for both countries, and it was one of the major factors in bringing about the end of the Cold War.

The Cuban Missile Crisis Reading Worksheet

The Cuban Missile Crisis refers to a period in 1962 when the Soviet Union began installing nuclear missiles in Cuba.

The Cuban Missile Crisis - Short Answer Questions

What two things did the U.S. do to provoke the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Espionage

Both the U.S and the Soviet Union employed many spies and agents to collect intelligence about the enemy's military and technical capabilities.

Espionage- Multiple Choice Questions

FBI investigations in the late 1940s uncovered a chain of Soviet spies and paid informers operating in the United States.

The Collapse of the Soviet Union

in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected General Secretary of the Soviet Union. The Soviet economy was suffering, and Gorbachev had plans to solve the problem by reforming and modernizing the soviet political situation.

The Collapse of the Soviet Union - Short Answer

What were the feelings of the other countries under Soviet control?