Ukraine 11 клас World History (1945 – present)
Chapters: 7
1. Post-war world order
Yalta–Potsdam system and Cold War
- The Cold War (1945–1991) – The Cold War was a long contest (1945–1991) between two superpowers: the USA with its Western allies (capitalism, multi-party elections) and the USSR with its Eastern allies (communism, one-party rule). They never fought each other directly. Instead they formed rival alliances (NATO, Warsaw Pact), raced to build nuclear weapons and reach space, backed opposite sides in proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan) and came close to nuclear war in Cuba in 1962. Many new nations, led by India and others, stayed non-aligned. Détente eased tension in the 1970s. Reforms in the USSR, the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the break-up of the USSR (1991) ended it.
2. North America and Western Europe
Post-industrial society
Coming soon
3. Central-Eastern Europe
From Soviet bloc to transformation
Coming soon
4. Asia, Africa and Latin America
Decolonisation and development paths
- Decolonisation: How Empires Ended and New Nations Were Born – Decolonisation is the process by which colonies became independent states. It happened mostly between 1945 and the 1970s. The Second World War weakened the ruling countries, freedom movements grew strong, and the United Nations backed the right of peoples to rule themselves. Some colonies won freedom through talks and mass movements (India 1947, Ghana 1957); others through long wars (Algeria 1962). New states then faced poverty, one-crop economies, unfair borders and Cold War pressure, and many chose non-alignment.
5. International relations
From bipolar to multipolar world
- The Cold War (1945–1991) – The Cold War was a long contest (1945–1991) between two superpowers: the USA with its Western allies (capitalism, multi-party elections) and the USSR with its Eastern allies (communism, one-party rule). They never fought each other directly. Instead they formed rival alliances (NATO, Warsaw Pact), raced to build nuclear weapons and reach space, backed opposite sides in proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan) and came close to nuclear war in Cuba in 1962. Many new nations, led by India and others, stayed non-aligned. Détente eased tension in the 1970s. Reforms in the USSR, the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the break-up of the USSR (1991) ended it.
6. Everyday life and culture
Culture of the second half of 20th – early 21st c.
- Cultural History: How People's Ideas, Arts and Ways of Life Change – Cultural history is the part of history that studies how people thought, believed, created and lived, not only what kings and armies did. It looks at four pillars: beliefs and religion, arts (literature, music, painting, buildings), knowledge (education, science, technology) and daily life (food, clothing, family, festivals, leisure). Historians use sources such as objects, buildings, books, paintings and letters. Culture changes when ideas are exchanged along trade routes and through travel, missions and migration, as with paper, numerals and faiths. New technologies like printing, newspapers, radio and the internet made knowledge spread faster, and mass schooling raised world literacy from about 12% in 1820 to about 87% today. In every country the same pattern repeats: national schools, universities, science societies, writers and artists shape a people's identity.
7. Conclusion
The contemporary world
- Globalisation and Global Governance – Globalisation is the growth of flows of goods, capital, information and labour that tie places together. Technology, transport and trade deals drive it. The flows are unequal: rich economies hold more power, poorer ones have weaker market access. TNCs spread production of one product across many places. Agencies like the UN, WTO, IMF and World Bank try to govern these flows, and treaties protect global commons such as Antarctica. Globalisation brings growth and cheaper goods but also inequality, conflict and environmental harm.