Tensions between the superpowers by the late-1960s
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain different causes of tension between the USSR and USA by the end of the 1960s.
Key learning points
- The arms race continued in the 1960s.
- The Vietnam War created tensions between the USA and USSR.
- The USA was critical of the Soviet's record on human rights.
- Many rights were heavily restricted in the USSR, or not respected at all.
Keywords
Censorship - to examine books, documents, or films and remove parts of them that are not considered acceptable
Dissident - a person who publicly disagrees with and criticises their government
Gulag - severe prisons used in the Soviet Union where prisoners had to perform forced labour
Common misconception
From the 1950s onwards, the USSR's human rights record continually improve.
Under Khrushchev, more respect was shown for political and social freedoms but these restrictions were tightened again once Brezhnev took power in 1964.
Teacher tip
Ask students to assess which issue had the greatest impact on US-Soviet relations. Students may wish to pay particular attention to the level of interest governments as well as the public took in each issue (i.e. were human rights as concerning for the US government as the arms race?).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
actions which are considered hostile towards communist beliefs
a region of the world in which one state is dominant
to make someone less likely to do something
the race between the USSR and the USA to achieve nuclear superiority
Q2.What policy did Leonid Brezhnev set out in his article written in Pravda in September 1968?
Q3.Which of the following did the doctrine written by Brezhnev do?
Q4.Which country in Asia had been communist since Mao Zedong took power in 1949?
Q5.Who refused to send troops to take part in the invasion of Czechoslovakia and increasingly took an independent line from the USSR?
Q6.Which countries welcomed the doctrine written by Brezhnev?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing word: A is a person who publicly disagrees with and criticises their government.
Q2.Which of the following weapons was first developed during the 1960s?
Q3.During the 1960s, the USA was at war in which country?
Q4.Which Soviet leader increased social and political restrictions in the USSR after 1964?
Q5.What does the example of Andrei Sinyavsky best demonstrate?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Tensions between the superpowers by the late-1960s, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Tensions between the superpowers by the late-1960s, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Wider Depth Study - Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.