Cold War and Contemporary Europe
Abigail Young
6 min read
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#AP European History: Unit 9 - Post-War Europe: Your Ultimate Study Guide 🚀
Welcome to your final review for AP European History! This guide is designed to help you feel confident and prepared for your exam. Let's dive in!
#🧠Contextualizing Modern Europe
#International Relations
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Post-WWII Rivalry: The alliance between the US, Britain, and the USSR dissolved into the Cold War, a period of intense tension without direct military conflict due to the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). 🥶
Remember: The Cold War was 'cold' because of the nuclear threat, not because it was peaceful!
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Post-War Recovery: Europe was devastated after WWII. The Marshall Plan, funded by the US, provided significant aid to Western European countries, leading to rapid economic growth. 👷
The Marshall Plan was only for capitalist allies!
* [Image: Construction in West Berlin financed by the Marshall Plan, 1948](https://zupay.blob.core.windows.net/resources/files/0baca4f69800419293b4c75aa2870acd_d87613_3486.png?alt=media&token=c066830a-bc75-41e4-b686-f126afb06f6a)
* *Caption: Marshall Plan aid helped rebuild war-torn cities like West Berlin.*
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Cold War Tensions: Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain into Western (capitalist, US-aligned) and Eastern (communist, Soviet-aligned) blocs. ðŸŽ
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NATO: Western bloc military alliance, including Greece and Turkey.
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Warsaw Pact: Soviet and Eastern bloc military alliance.
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Image: Cold War Military Alliances
- Caption: Map showing the division of Europe into NATO and Warsaw Pact countries.
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The Cold War involved propaganda, secret operations, and proxy wars (e.g., Korean and Vietnam Wars). 🥵
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Be prepared to discuss the causes and consequences of the Cold War!
- **<high_valu...
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