Cold War Dynamics and US Territorial Influence

📋 Course Outline

1. Cold War origins and opposing blocs
2. Rivalry, crises and proxy wars
3. Détente and the end of the Cold War
4. United States as a global power
5. American regions and transport networks
6. Urbanization and territorial inequalities
7. Timeline, key facts and revision questions

📖 1. Cold War origins and opposing blocs

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Cold War : Cold War : a long period of geopolitical rivalry after 1945 where the US and the USSR confront each other without direct large-scale war.
• Bipolarisation : Bipolarisation : the world becomes dominated by two rival superpowers with influence organized around them.
• Bloc of the West : Bloc of the West : the group of states aligned with the United States’ model and policies.
• Bloc of the East : Bloc of the East : the group of states aligned with the USSR’s model and policies.

📝 Essential Points

• After 1945, tensions grew between two rival systems linked to US and Soviet power.

💡 Memory Hook

Two blocks, one face-off after 1945: think “two poles” not “two wars”.

📖 2. Rivalry, crises and proxy wars

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions