The Cold War · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Enemies who never fought

History · The Modern World · ages 15-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Who were the two main rivals?

    • The United States and the Soviet Union
    • Britain and France
    • China and Japan

  2. What does cold mean in Cold War?

    • Fighting only in winter months
    • Two armed blocs hostile but never at direct war
    • A war with no weapons at all

  3. Name one place where the rivalry turned into real fighting.

    • Antarctica
    • The divided streets of Berlin only
    • Korea, Vietnam, or Afghanistan

  4. How was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 pulled back?

    • Blockade plus a deal trading missiles for pledges
    • An invasion that removed every missile
    • Both sides simply forgot about Cuba

  5. What did nuclear weapons add to the standoff?

    • They made direct war safe to attempt
    • They removed every reason to keep armies
    • Direct war risked mutual ruin, so both sides held back

  6. Proxy wars were the price the rest of the world paid for superpower caution.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Why did the fright of 1962 lead to hotlines and treaties instead of more daring?

    • Both sides learned how close pride had brought mutual ruin
    • Missiles had proved completely harmless
    • Cuba asked both sides to aim more missiles

  8. A student says the Cold War was peaceful because nobody fought. What is the flaw?

    • No spies operated during those years
    • Korea and Vietnam burned while the giants watched
    • Nuclear weapons did not exist yet
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Enemies who never fought W1-mt_vod9wscQjU-s1

  1. The United States and the Soviet Union · America and the Soviets led rival blocs with rival systems.
  2. Two armed blocs hostile but never at direct war · Both sides armed and competed for forty years without fighting each other directly.
  3. Korea, Vietnam, or Afghanistan · The superpowers backed opposite sides, so cold rivalry burned hot there.
  4. Blockade plus a deal trading missiles for pledges · Kennedy's quarantine plus secret letters swapped missiles out of Cuba for pledges.
  5. Direct war risked mutual ruin, so both sides held back · Mutual ruin set a ceiling neither side dared to cross.
  6. True · Caution at the centre pushed the real shooting into Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
  7. Both sides learned how close pride had brought mutual ruin · Thirteen days near the edge taught caution, so near disaster became the standoff's lesson.
  8. Korea and Vietnam burned while the giants watched · Cold describes the giants' direct tie; millions still died in their proxy wars.
Worksheet · LightMySky