The changing international order 1918–1975 - The Cold War in Europe…

The idea

After 1945 the wartime alliance broke down and a new order took shape around two superpowers, the USA and the USSR. Europe divided into a Western bloc tied to the USA through NATO (1949) and an Eastern bloc dominated by the USSR, while Germany and Berlin were split into occupation zones. Outside Europe, decolonisation created new independent states, and conflicts such as Korea (1950–1953) showed the rivalry spreading beyond the continent. The nuclear arms race, with the USA using atomic bombs in 1945 and the USSR testing its own device in 1949, raised the stakes of every confrontation. Consequences include the division of Europe, the formation of rival alliances, proxy wars and a lasting fear of nuclear war. A good answer links each change to a specific consequence rather than listing events loosely.

What earns the marks

• Identifies the USA and the USSR as the two dominant superpowers shaping the post-1945 order.
• Links the division of Europe to the formation of rival blocs such as NATO and the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.
• Explains that decolonisation produced new independent states that became part of the wider rivalry.
• Connects the nuclear arms race to heightened tension and fear of war between the blocs.
• Traces a specific consequence, such as the division of Germany and Berlin, back to the breakdown of the wartime alliance.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treats the Cold War as a single event rather than a developing rivalry.

  Put it right: Describe it as a period of tension with distinct phases.

• Assumes the USA and USSR fought each other directly.

  Put it right: Note that rivalry was expressed through alliances, arms races and proxy conflicts.

• Ignores the role of decolonisation.

  Put it right: Include the emergence of new states as part of the changing order.

• Dates the start of tension only to 1949.

  Put it right: Recognise that the breakdown began in the mid-1940s with the division of Europe.

Exam tips

• Read the question stem carefully to see whether it asks for a change, a consequence or both.
• Eliminate options that describe events outside the stated period or that confuse causes with consequences.
• Where two options seem plausible, choose the one that most directly answers the question asked.