Cold War: Global History

The fraught conclusion of World War II left European states suspended between two diametrically opposed ideologies: communism and democratic capitalism. As the Soviet Union and the United States touted and subsequently imposed their respective political and economic systems upon states across Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia, they established a new world order whose legacy we grapple with to this very day. This course follows the origins, evolution, and aftershocks of the Cold War. Immersing themselves in this tense standoff between two global superpowers, students will learn not the only intricacies and development of international diplomacy, but how seemingly passive moments in history produce regional conflicts, mass migration flows, and new cultural norms.