Aftermath of World War II

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/aftermath-of-world-war-ii

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the period?1945 to the early 1990s (end of the Cold War)
2. What is the key geopolitical actors?United States, Soviet Union, United Nations, newly independent nations, European powers
3. What happened to the world after World War II?After the war ended, the world split into two powerful countries, the United States and the Soviet Union, who then competed in a Cold War.
4. Why did the United Nations get created after the war?To help countries talk to each other and stop wars, the UN was set up to keep peace and work together.

Bipolar World Order: A global system characterized by two dominant superpowers with opposing ideologies and spheres of influence.
Marshall Plan: A U.S. program providing aid to Western European countries to help them rebuild after World War II.
European Coal and Steel Community: An organization formed by six European nations to pool their coal and steel resources, a precursor to the EU.
Nuclear Deterrence: The military strategy of possessing nuclear weapons to discourage an enemy from attacking due to the threat of retaliation.