Grade 10 History Worksheets
Two superpowers, two systems, and forty years of confrontation that never quite became direct war between them.
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What your child will learn: The Cold War
- After 1945 the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as rival superpowers with opposed systems: capitalism and democracy against communism and one-party rule.
- It is called 'cold' because the two never fought each other directly, competing instead through allies, spying, propaganda and an arms race.
- Europe was divided; the Berlin Wall, built in 1961, became the symbol of that division.
- Proxy wars were fought in Korea and Vietnam, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 brought the world close to nuclear war.
- The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, ending the Cold War.
Sample worksheet questions
1. Which two superpowers faced off in the Cold War?
Answer: The United States and the Soviet Union
2. Why is it called a 'cold' war?
Answer: They never fought each other directly
3. In what year did the Berlin Wall fall?
Answer: 1989
4. What economic system did the Soviet Union follow?
Answer: Communism
5. What crisis in 1962 nearly caused nuclear war?
Answer: The Cuban Missile Crisis
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❄️ Activity Sheet: Two Systems: Make a comparison table of the US and Soviet systems: economy, government, press and daily life. Add one thing both claimed to offer.
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