Before students are introduced to the Cold War, it's important for them to have at least a basic understanding of what happened between the end of World War II and the initial hostilities between the Soviet Union and the U.S. Have students use a timeline to outline and define events immediately following the end World War II. Students will be able to explain and analyze what events led to the beginning of the Cold War, and how hostilities developed.
Teachers may pre-select events, conferences, or actions for students to use; recommended timeline ideas include:
This will allow students to see initial attempts at Soviet and American negotiations, as well as how the Cold War begins to heat up.
For an alternative to the timeline layout, have students create a timeline poster to incorporate into a presentation or gallery walk. You can add more than one template to this assignment to give students lots of options!
Extended Activity
Have students further analyze how both superpowers became even further alienated from each other by exploring who was involved in the alliance organizations: NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Students should identify how both groups geographically separate communist controlled satellite nations from democratically influenced nations of western Europe.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a timeline detailing important events leading up to the Cold War.
Highlight key events and connect them to their outcomes to help students see how specific actions led to the Cold War. Use visual aids or graphic organizers for clarity.
Select 3–5 major post-WWII events, like the Yalta Conference or Berlin Airlift, that clearly impacted US-Soviet relations. Focusing on fewer events deepens student understanding.
Ask students to state the cause (what happened) and the effect (what changed) for each event. Encourage them to use simple, evidence-based sentences.
Demonstrate how to complete a chart with one event as an example. Show how to link the cause to its direct and indirect effects.
Organize students into pairs or small groups to compare their charts. Encourage respectful debate and support with details from the lesson.
Review the full class timeline, pointing out how each event's cause-and-effect relationship builds toward the Cold War. Reinforce big-picture thinking.
Key events between World War II and the start of the Cold War include the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the announcement of the Truman Doctrine, the Berlin Airlift, and the formation of the Warsaw Pact. These events shaped the early tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
To teach students about the timeline leading up to the Cold War, assign them to create a timeline or poster of major events, using resources like the Yalta Conference, Potsdam Conference, and the Berlin Airlift. Encourage them to illustrate each event and analyze its impact on U.S.-Soviet relations.
A simple Cold War timeline activity is to have students identify and describe key events from 1945-1950, such as the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and present them visually in a timeline, poster, or gallery walk format.
The Berlin Airlift was crucial because it demonstrated the U.S. and its allies’ commitment to supporting West Berlin during a Soviet blockade, highlighting early Cold War tensions and the division of Europe between communist and democratic spheres.
NATO was a military alliance of Western democratic nations formed to counter Soviet influence, while the Warsaw Pact united Eastern European communist countries under Soviet leadership. Both alliances deepened the division of Europe during the Cold War.