The origins of the Cold War - conflicting ideologies and increasing tensions

Available for over a year

This is the first episode in a seven-part series on the Cold War and the Vietnam War, brought to you by Bitesize GCSE History. Throughout this series, we will be looking at the key moments in the Cold War, a period of political, economic, and ideological conflict between the United States and the USSR that lasted from the end of the Second World War until 1989. We’ll examine the causes, effects, and lasting impact of the Cold War on Europe and the rest of the world. A recurring theme that will link the episodes is the political ideologies of communism and capitalism, which were at the heart of the Cold War. Datshiane and Katie will also explore proxy wars and the nuclear arms race, which will be discussed in subsequent episodes. In this episode, they begin by looking at the origins of the Cold War, focusing on the alliances that formed after the Second World War and their conflicting ideologies. There were three important conferences that shaped the course of the Cold War, and in this episode, they’ll focus on the first of those—the Tehran Conference. We’ll hear from our Bitesize time-traveling reporter, who will be sent back in time to report from a key moment in Cold War history. Along the way, we’ll share helpful revision hints, as well as essay and exam tips. We’ll end with a quick summary of the main facts. So, grab a pen or pencil to make those all-important revision notes! And feel free to press stop and rewind whenever you need to. Suitable for AQA, Edexcel and OCR A. Presented by Datshiane Navanayagam and Katie Charlwood Written and produced by: Julian Mayers Exec Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith Time travelling reporters: Kitty Perrin and Jordan Ford Silver Time travelling sound design: Nick Romero Time travelling reporter written by: Ellie Dobing A Yada-Yada Audio Production for BBC Bitesize and BBC Sounds