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Z
Zakar Khan
11/12/2025
History
Cold War complete set of mindmaps
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11 Dec 2025
•
Comprehensive Mindmap Set for GCSE History: The Cold War
Z
Zakar Khan
@zakar_khan
1 / 3
Early Cold War Tensions (1943-1958)
Ever wondered how former allies can become bitter enemies? That's exactly what happened after World War II when the USA and USSR went from fighting together against Hitler to facing off against each other.
The Grand Alliance started cracking at three major conferences. At Tehran (1943) and Yalta (1945), the Big Three seemed to agree on dividing up post-war Europe. But by Potsdam (1945), everything had changed - Roosevelt had died, Truman didn't trust Stalin, and the US had dropped atomic bombs on Japan, giving them a massive advantage.
The real drama began with the Truman Doctrine (1947), which basically said America would fight communism wherever it popped up. Meanwhile, the Marshall Plan threw $13 billion at rebuilding Western Europe - but only if countries traded with America. Stalin wasn't having any of this and created Cominform and Comecon as his communist alternatives.
The first proper crisis came with the Berlin Blockade (1948-49). Stalin cut off all supplies to West Berlin, trying to starve out Western forces. Instead of backing down, the West launched the Berlin Airlift, flying in supplies for over a year. This led to Germany being permanently split into East and West, and the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact as opposing military alliances.
Key Point: The Hungarian Revolution (1956) showed the world that America wouldn't actually risk nuclear war to help Soviet satellite states - they condemned the USSR but sent no troops.
Cold War Intensifies (1958-1970)
The late 1950s and 1960s brought the Cold War to its most dangerous point, with crises that could have ended civilisation as we know it.
Prague Spring (1968) saw Alexander Dubček try to create "socialism with a human face" in Czechoslovakia - basically communism but with actual freedoms. The Soviets crushed this with tanks and created the Brezhnev Doctrine, which gave them the right to invade any socialist country that stepped out of line.
Berlin remained a massive problem. Khrushchev's ultimatum demanded Western troops leave Berlin within six months, but when that failed, the Soviets built the Berlin Wall (1961) instead. This concrete barrier stopped East Germans fleeing west but became a powerful symbol of communist oppression.
The world nearly ended during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962). After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuba turned fully communist and allowed Soviet nuclear missiles on the island. For thirteen terrifying days, nuclear war seemed inevitable as Kennedy and Khrushchev played the ultimate game of chicken.
The crisis ended when the Soviets agreed to remove missiles from Cuba in exchange for America secretly removing theirs from Turkey. More importantly, it scared both sides so much that they started working towards détente - a relaxing of tensions that included the hotline between Moscow and Washington.
Key Point: The Cuban Missile Crisis proved that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) made everyone realise that nuclear war would destroy both sides - nobody could actually "win".
The End of the Cold War (1970-1991)
Just when you thought the Cold War would last forever, everything changed dramatically in the 1980s, leading to one of history's most surprising endings.
Détente in the 1970s brought arms control agreements like SALT I (1972) and the Helsinki Accords, which seemed to promise lasting peace. But this didn't last - the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979) sparked what some call the "Second Cold War" as America boycotted the Moscow Olympics and started funding Afghan rebels.
Ronald Reagan ramped up the pressure with his "Evil Empire" rhetoric and Strategic Defence Initiative (Star Wars programme). This space-based missile defence system terrified the Soviets because their struggling economy couldn't keep up with American military spending.
Everything changed when Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) were meant to save communism but actually destroyed it. The Chernobyl disaster and ongoing Afghan War showed how badly the Soviet system was failing.
The end came quickly: the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 amid celebrations across Germany, communist governments collapsed across Eastern Europe, and finally the Soviet Union itself dissolved in December 1991. Gorbachev's resignation marked the official end of the Cold War - capitalism had won without a shot being fired.
Key Point: The USSR collapsed not because of military defeat, but because their economy couldn't compete with the West - proving that sometimes the pen (or pound note) really is mightier than the sword.
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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
Comprehensive Mindmap Set for GCSE History: The Cold War
Z
Zakar Khan
@zakar_khan
The Cold War wasn't actually a proper war with battles - it was a tense standoff between the USA and USSR that lasted from 1945 to 1991. Think of it like two school rivals constantly trying to outdo each other,... Show more
Early Cold War Tensions (1943-1958)
Ever wondered how former allies can become bitter enemies? That's exactly what happened after World War II when the USA and USSR went from fighting together against Hitler to facing off against each other.
The Grand Alliance started cracking at three major conferences. At Tehran (1943) and Yalta (1945), the Big Three seemed to agree on dividing up post-war Europe. But by Potsdam (1945), everything had changed - Roosevelt had died, Truman didn't trust Stalin, and the US had dropped atomic bombs on Japan, giving them a massive advantage.
The real drama began with the Truman Doctrine (1947), which basically said America would fight communism wherever it popped up. Meanwhile, the Marshall Plan threw $13 billion at rebuilding Western Europe - but only if countries traded with America. Stalin wasn't having any of this and created Cominform and Comecon as his communist alternatives.
The first proper crisis came with the Berlin Blockade (1948-49). Stalin cut off all supplies to West Berlin, trying to starve out Western forces. Instead of backing down, the West launched the Berlin Airlift, flying in supplies for over a year. This led to Germany being permanently split into East and West, and the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact as opposing military alliances.
Key Point: The Hungarian Revolution (1956) showed the world that America wouldn't actually risk nuclear war to help Soviet satellite states - they condemned the USSR but sent no troops.
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Cold War Intensifies (1958-1970)
The late 1950s and 1960s brought the Cold War to its most dangerous point, with crises that could have ended civilisation as we know it.
Prague Spring (1968) saw Alexander Dubček try to create "socialism with a human face" in Czechoslovakia - basically communism but with actual freedoms. The Soviets crushed this with tanks and created the Brezhnev Doctrine, which gave them the right to invade any socialist country that stepped out of line.
Berlin remained a massive problem. Khrushchev's ultimatum demanded Western troops leave Berlin within six months, but when that failed, the Soviets built the Berlin Wall (1961) instead. This concrete barrier stopped East Germans fleeing west but became a powerful symbol of communist oppression.
The world nearly ended during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962). After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuba turned fully communist and allowed Soviet nuclear missiles on the island. For thirteen terrifying days, nuclear war seemed inevitable as Kennedy and Khrushchev played the ultimate game of chicken.
The crisis ended when the Soviets agreed to remove missiles from Cuba in exchange for America secretly removing theirs from Turkey. More importantly, it scared both sides so much that they started working towards détente - a relaxing of tensions that included the hotline between Moscow and Washington.
Key Point: The Cuban Missile Crisis proved that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) made everyone realise that nuclear war would destroy both sides - nobody could actually "win".
Sign up to see the contentIt's free!
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
The End of the Cold War (1970-1991)
Just when you thought the Cold War would last forever, everything changed dramatically in the 1980s, leading to one of history's most surprising endings.
Détente in the 1970s brought arms control agreements like SALT I (1972) and the Helsinki Accords, which seemed to promise lasting peace. But this didn't last - the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979) sparked what some call the "Second Cold War" as America boycotted the Moscow Olympics and started funding Afghan rebels.
Ronald Reagan ramped up the pressure with his "Evil Empire" rhetoric and Strategic Defence Initiative (Star Wars programme). This space-based missile defence system terrified the Soviets because their struggling economy couldn't keep up with American military spending.
Everything changed when Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) were meant to save communism but actually destroyed it. The Chernobyl disaster and ongoing Afghan War showed how badly the Soviet system was failing.
The end came quickly: the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 amid celebrations across Germany, communist governments collapsed across Eastern Europe, and finally the Soviet Union itself dissolved in December 1991. Gorbachev's resignation marked the official end of the Cold War - capitalism had won without a shot being fired.
Key Point: The USSR collapsed not because of military defeat, but because their economy couldn't compete with the West - proving that sometimes the pen (or pound note) really is mightier than the sword.
We thought you’d never ask...
What is the Knowunity AI companion?
Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.
Where can I download the Knowunity app?
You can download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Is Knowunity really free of charge?
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
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Students love us — and so will you.
4.9/5
App Store
4.8/5
Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user