Cold War Superpower Rivalry

📋 Course Outline

1. Cold War origins and superpower rivalry
2. Containment, Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
3. Iron Curtain, buffer states and Soviet control
4. Berlin Blockade, Airlift and Berlin Wall
5. NATO, Warsaw Pact and Cold War alliances
6. Korean War and Cold War global conflict
7. China’s Communist victory and Mao’s rule
8. Vietnam War, Domino Theory and guerrilla warfare
9. Arms race, brinkmanship and nuclear risk
10. Space Race and Sputnik
11. Cuban Missile Crisis and Kennedy’s response
12. Détente and limits on Cold War peace

📖 1. Cold War origins and superpower rivalry

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Cold War : A period of intense tension and rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union without direct large-scale war between them.
• Superpower : A country with major military, political, and economic influence that can shape events far beyond its borders.
• Capitalism : An economic system where private businesses and free markets operate and individuals can profit.
• Communism : A political and economic system where the government controls property and resources and typically uses one-party rule.
• Iron Curtain : A symbolic division between Communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe after World War II.

📝 Essential Points