Listen&Learn: The Cold War

Posted by: Jaksyn Peacock

The dangerous rivalry between two powerful countries that lasted over 40 years.

Pre-listening vocabulary

rivalry: a competitive relationship between two people or groups
ideology: a set of political beliefs
capitalism: an economic system where corporations control the production of goods and services
communism: an economic system where the government controls the production of goods and services
restrict: to put limits on something
treaty: a written agreement between countries

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:46 — 1.6MB)

Gapfill exercise

The Cold War was a rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from 1947 to 1991. It was caused by the opposing ideologies of the American and Soviet . While the U.S. was a capitalist country, the Soviet Union had a communist system. After World War II, the Soviets controlled communist governments in Eastern Europe, while the Americans were allied with democratic governments in Western Europe. The divide between Eastern and Western Europe became known as the Iron Curtain. Throughout the Cold War, both the Soviet Union and the U.S. tried to prove their superiority by gathering and testing nuclear . While the two countries never each other directly, they became involved in conflicts between other countries. In the 1980s, the U.S. and the Soviet Union began to sign agreements restricting nuclear weapons. However, the treaties divided the citizens of the Soviet Union. Some people still strongly communism, and didn’t want to make peace with the United States. Others wanted to convert to a capitalist system. This division eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which ended the Cold War.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19454″]

Discussion/essay questions

Some historians have debated about which country was at fault for the Cold War. However, many believe that the Cold War was always going to happen, because the U.S. and the Soviet Union were powerful countries with opposing beliefs. Do you think it is possible for two powerful countries with different ideologies to exist without conflict?

Transcript

The Cold War was a political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from 1947 to 1991. It was caused by the opposing ideologies of the American and Soviet governments. While the U.S. was a capitalist country, the Soviet Union had a communist system. After World War II, the Soviets controlled communist governments in Eastern Europe, while the Americans were allied with democratic governments in Western Europe. The divide between Eastern and Western Europe became known as the Iron Curtain. Throughout the Cold War, both the Soviet Union and the U.S. tried to prove their superiority by gathering and testing nuclear weapons. While the two countries never fought each other directly, they became involved in conflicts between other countries. In the 1980s, the U.S. and the Soviet Union began to sign agreements restricting nuclear weapons. However, the treaties divided the citizens of the Soviet Union. Some people still strongly supported communism, and didn’t want to make peace with the United States. Others wanted to convert to a capitalist system. This division eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which ended the Cold War.

Written and recorded by Jaksyn Peacock for EnglishClub

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27 comments

Leander says:

Hi, i am not good
Omnia saad says:

Nice, It was a very interesting and useful training
Omnia saad Mohamed says:

No comments
Emil says:

very nice tasks
jocelyne says:

Yes it is very possible if the countries respect each other such religion, political and others fields.
If this countries want to show the world its power, it must be because their desagreement can spread throughout the world.
BALDE, boubacar siddy says:

this history really very interesting. thank you very much……
Jenny oogi says:

Hi.good morning. Thank you for interesting article. I read first time about Cold War. I seem vey interesting. Thank you so much. Good luck.
Maria says:

NICE! THANK YOU
Vanessa says:

Thanks it was interesting
Mohammad Khan says:

but it destroyed other nations and who still faces the prolem of the cold war. thank you for this real world activity.
masoud says:

thanks beacaue this story was realy in antion
but what about now?
Aulia says:

Nice
Hassan says:

Nowadays, we have the same problem with auther names
Mario from Chile says:

I’m grateful for this material. I’m an English student in the US at the moment and today I found this web page. It’s very nice and useful for me. Thanks so much!
Mario from Chile says:

I’m grateful for this material.I’m an English student in the US at the moment and today I found this web page. It’s very nice ans useful for me. Thanks so much!
Maria Ysavel says:

Great, it’s very interesting remember that in the world happened many years ago. Thanks for your information.
Samuel says:

Thank you for supporting us with learn English listening articles.
Bijan says:

Hi,
You have explained the subject in the best way.
Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Best wishes,
Bijan
from the Persian Gulf
Ivan says:

You’d better read the human-animal of Desmond Morris. He explained this problem very clear.
Irma says:

I thinking and ask, who makes problem in this world most often. And I think it is politics… not all, but a few of them.
PAULO ALVES DE FREITAS says:

I learned a little about the cold war.
Souphatsone says:

In my secondary school in laos.we have learnt communist government since i am grade 7. I got know something new about the cold war between U.S and Soviet Union that my school didn’t teach.
linda says:

good
Pat says:

Today we have the same problems with other names.
Luis Jiménez says:

From the beginning of the world, people have wanted to dominate others during the completely human history, and they have wanted to submit others to think like them. In this day’s the situation we have problems with the others from the same troubles. However, we do not have Cold War but our behaviour is like the years before 1980.
deepali says:

nice
Claudia Marty says:

interesting article