What world did the Second World War leave behind, and how did it set the stage for the Cold War?
Topic 9.1 Contextualizing Cold War and Contemporary Europe: the devastated, divided, and superpower-dominated Europe left by the Second World War, and how it set the stage for the Cold War and the contemporary era.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.1, setting the scene for Unit 9: the devastation and division of Europe after the Second World War, the rise of the United States and Soviet Union as superpowers, and how the wartime alliance broke down into the ideological and geopolitical struggle of the Cold War.
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What this topic is asking
Topic 9.1 is a contextualization topic. The College Board wants you to set the scene for Unit 9: explain the devastated, divided, superpower-dominated Europe that the Second World War left behind and how it set the stage for the Cold War and the contemporary era. You are building the background, not yet narrating the Cold War itself.
A devastated and diminished Europe
The rise of two superpowers
From alliance to rivalry
The wartime partnership did not survive victory.
Why it mattered
This context is the background to everything in Unit 9. The devastated, divided, superpower-dominated Europe of 1945 set in motion the whole of the unit: the Cold War itself (Topic 9.3), the rebuilding and integration of western Europe (Topics 9.2 and 9.10), the decolonization of the European empires (Topic 9.9), and eventually the fall of communism (Topic 9.7). Setting this context lets you explain why the second half of the 20th century took the shape it did.
Try this
Q1. What two superpowers dominated the world after 1945, and what divided them? [Recall]
- Cue. The United States and the Soviet Union; they were divided by opposed ideologies (capitalist democracy versus communist dictatorship) and clashing visions for the postwar world.
Q2. Explain how the legacy of World War II set the stage for the Cold War. [Short explanation]
- Cue. The war left Europe devastated and stripped of global dominance, elevated the US and USSR to superpower status with armies meeting in a defeated Germany, and, as the common enemy fell, turned their opposed ideologies and aims into the mutual rivalry that split Europe and began the Cold War.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of College Board exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AP 2019 (style)3 marksBriefly describe ONE condition of Europe after World War II. Briefly explain ONE reason the wartime alliance broke down. Briefly explain ONE way this set the stage for the Cold War.Show worked answer →
A Short Answer Question (SAQ), 3 points, one per task.
A. Describe: Europe was devastated, exhausted, and divided, no longer the dominant force in world affairs.
B. Why the alliance broke down: the United States and the Soviet Union had opposed ideologies and clashing aims for the postwar world.
C. How it set the stage: a power vacuum in a divided Europe left the two superpowers facing each other across the continent.
Markers want a condition, a reason for the breakdown, and the link to the Cold War.
AP 2021 (style)6 marksEvaluate the extent to which the legacy of World War II shaped the origins of the Cold War in the period c. 1945 to c. 1949.Show worked answer →
A Long Essay Question (LEQ), scored on the 6-point causation rubric.
Thesis (1): "The legacy of World War II shaped the Cold War decisively, leaving a devastated, divided Europe dominated by two superpowers whose opposed ideologies and aims turned wartime allies into rivals."
Contextualization (1): the destruction of the war and the collapse of European power.
Evidence (2): the devastation and division of Europe; the rise of the US and USSR; the clash of capitalist and communist aims.
Analysis (2): argue the war's legacy created the conditions while ideology drove the rivalry, then add complexity by noting the role of mutual fear and misperception.
Related dot points
- Topic 9.3 The Cold War: the ideological and geopolitical struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, the division of Europe, and the crises and competition that defined the conflict without direct war.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.3, on the Cold War: the ideological and geopolitical struggle between the capitalist West and the communist East, the division of Europe and Germany, the policy of containment, the arms race and rival alliances, and how the conflict shaped Europe without direct superpower war.
- Topic 9.2 Rebuilding Europe: the reconstruction of Europe after World War II, the Marshall Plan and Western recovery, the building of welfare states, and the contrasting Soviet model in the east.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.2, on the rebuilding of Europe after 1945: the Marshall Plan and the Western European economic miracle, the construction of welfare states and mixed economies, and the contrasting Soviet-imposed reconstruction of communist eastern Europe.
- Topic 9.4 Two Superpowers Emerge: the rise of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers, the formation of rival blocs and alliances, and the eclipse of the old European great powers.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.4, on the emergence of two superpowers: how the United States and the Soviet Union rose to dominate the postwar world, how they built rival military and economic blocs, the place of nuclear weapons, and the eclipse of the old European great powers.
- Topic 8.8 World War II: the causes, course, and total nature of the Second World War in Europe, from Nazi aggression to Allied victory, and its transformation of Europe and the world.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 8.8, on the Second World War in Europe: how Nazi aggression and the failure of appeasement led to war, the course from German conquest to Allied victory, the total and genocidal nature of the conflict, and how it left Europe devastated and divided between two superpowers.
- Topic 8.3 The Russian Revolution and Its Effects: the collapse of the tsarist regime, the Bolshevik seizure of power under Lenin, the civil war, and the building of the Soviet communist state.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 8.3, on the Russian Revolution: why the tsarist regime collapsed in 1917, how Lenin and the Bolsheviks seized power and won the civil war, and how they built the Soviet Union, the world's first communist state, with vast consequences for the 20th century.
Sources & how we know this
- AP European History Course and Exam Description — College Board (2020)