CENTENARY SECONDARY SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
GRADE 9 SOCIAL SCIENCES – HISTORY
TERM TWO: WORKSHEET ONE
EDUCATOR: C.L. JOHNSTON
THE NUCLEAR AGE AND THE COLD WAR 1945 -1989
The focus of this topic is the change in the balance of power after World
War II and the rivalry that began between the new ‘superpowers’ during
the Cold War.
OVERVIEW OF TOPIC:
UNIT 1:
THE END OF WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE
UNIT 2:
IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE USA AND
USSR AND THE NUCLEAR AGE
UNIT 3:
AREAS OF CONFLICT AND COMPETITION BETWEEN
THE ‘SUPERPOWERS’ DURING THE COLD WAR
UNIT 4:
THE END OF THE COLD WAR IN 1989
UNIT 1: THE END OF WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE
Tension between Allies after the end of WWII in Europe:
The USA, the Soviet Union (today known as Russia) and Britain formed
a ‘Grand Alliance’ to fight against Nazi Germany during World War II.
Although there had been some tension between them, they had cooperated. Once Germany surrendered in 1945, tensions between them
increased and the alliance broke up.
The USSR vs. the USA (and the West)
The basic disagreement between the USSR and the USA was that they
believed in completely different political and economic systems. The
Soviets and its allies believed in communism. The West (USA and its
allies) believed in capitalism and democracy.
The tensions between the two systems (capitalism and communism) had
started in 1917, when a communist government took control in Russia
1
during a revolution. From then onwards, there was suspicion and fear
between the West and the USSR. During WW2, they put these
suspicions aside.
At the end of WW2 in 1945, Britain and the USA did not want to punish
Germany because they knew this would not work. The USSR, who
suffered the most from the German invasion during WW2, wanted
Germany to pay reparations (damages).
After WW2, the tensions became even worse. The West thought that the
USSR was trying to spread communism. They were determined to stop
this. At the same time, the USSR thought that the US was trying to
dominate Europe.
UNIT 2: IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE USA AND
USSR AND THE NUCLEAR AGE
What is an ‘ideology’?
An ideology is a set of ideas and beliefs of a group of people. During the
Cold War, the main conflict between the USA and USSR was their
different ideologies. The USA followed capitalism while the USSR
followed communism.
Communism is an economic and political ideology. In communism,
society is equal, there are no classes and all property and wealth are
communally owned and shared. Control of the economy and society is
strictly in the hands of the Communist Party-led government. This form
of government is known as autocracy (or a dictatorship). In this way,
communism aims for equality at the cost of freedom.
In a capitalist state, the economy is largely free from state control, while
the government is democratically elected, and freedom of speech is
cherished. Capitalism is an economic ideology which is based on the
freedom of trade, without governmental interference. In this way it
promotes individual property ownership and individual wealth (or
‘capital’). Capitalism aims for freedom, at the cost of equality.
Both sides wanted countries to conform to their adopted ideologies for
their own gains.
2
ACTIVITY 1: Answer the questions below.
SOURCE 1A: The political cartoon below shows the ‘two sides’ of the Cold War. The
capitalist side represents the USA and western European countries. The communist
side represents the USSR and its allies.
[Source: https://images.slideplayer.com/25/7862480/slides/slide_4.jpg]
1.1. Define the following terms:
a) Democracy.
[1x2] (2)
b) Capitalism.
[1x2] (2)
c) Communism.
[1x2] (2)
3
1.2. Using the source, tabulate the differences between capitalism and
communism. Use the table below to guide you.
Communism
Capitalism
System of Government
Economic System
Standard of living
1.3. Using the source, which economic ideology do you think South
Africa follows? Capitalism or Communism? Provide one reason for
your answer.
[2x2] (4)
1.4. Which system would you prefer? Provide one reason for your
response.
[2x2] (4)
4
THE END OF WORLD WAR II IN THE PACIFIC – THE ATOM BOMB
AND THE BEGINNING OF THE NUCLEAR AGE
Key Question: How did WW2 come to an end?
After the attack on Pearl Har bour in December 1941, Japan built up a
vast empire that took over large areas in Asia and many small islands in
the Pacific. The Japanese relied on their strong navy to supply and
protect their empire. The Allies slowly liberated (freed) areas which had
fallen under Japanese control. As they did so, they moved closer to
Japan itself.
The Japanese did not believe in surrender. Instead, they believed in
honour for their emperor and country. By 1945, Japan ran short of raw
materials and food and the people were suffering. However, the
government was determined not to surrender. The USA decided to use a
new type of bomb they had developed.
On 6 August 1945, an American plane dropped the first atomic bomb on
the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The heat was so intense that the people
closest to the bomb simply evaporated. About 80 000 people died. The
Japanese still refused to surrender. Three days later, the Americans
dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki. On 14th August 1945, Japan
surrendered, and World War 2 was finally over.
SOURCE 2A: The image below is an aerial photograph that was recreated to show
the devastating impact of the first atom bomb from the earth’s atmosphere:
[Source: Google Images]
5
Why did the USA drop the atom bombs?
During the World War 2, the US government had set up a project to
develop the atom bomb. Many scientists did not like using their abilities
to create a weapon of mass destruction. They wanted to develop it
before Nazi Germany did.
By July 1945, the bomb was ready, and the Americans decided to use it
against the Japanese to try to end the war quickly. Some argued that
this was necessary because:
a. Japanese did not believe in surrender and would die honourably
for their emperor and their country. There were Japanese pilots
who flew into US ships knowing they would die. The term used for
this is kamikaze.
b. A full-scale invasion of Japan would cost millions of Allied and
Japanese lives.
c. The Japanese had started the war against America by making a
surprise attack on Pearl Harbour, the American Naval base in the
Pacific.
Was the decision to use the bomb justified?
The use of the atomic bombs by the Americans was very controversial.
Many people felt it was not justified because:
a. The Japanese people did not have enough raw materials and were
starving.
b. Some members of the Japanese government wanted to talk about
a peace settlement, which the emperor supported.
c. Germany had already surrendered, so Japan was fighting this war
alone.
d. Americans knew how devastating and destructive the atom bombs
were. They had tested it in the US dessert and the heat of the blast
turned sand into glass. It was not acceptable to use this much
force on unarmed civilians.
What impact did the atomic bombs have on Japanese society?
By the end of 1945, the atomic bombings of Japan had killed an
estimated 140,000 people at Hiroshima and 74,000 at Nagasaki,
including those who died from radiation poisoning. In the months
following the Japanese surrender, people became aware of the terrible
long-term side effects of the atomic bombs that had been dropped in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Decades later, some people gave birth to
6
children with physical and mental disabilities because of the radiation.
Often lost in those numbers are the experiences of the survivors, known
as hibakusha (literally “atomic bomb-affected people”).
SOURCE 2B: Burnt body of an unidentified boy in Nagasaki on 10 August 1945.
Photograph by Yamahata Yousuke (1917-1966).
[Source: https://za.pinterest.com/pin/445926800587451178/]
What was the global impact of the atomic bombing on Japan?
1. The atomic bombing of Japan ended World War 2.
2. The atom bomb was a nuclear weapon. After 1945, the world
entered the Nuclear age. The nuclear age was characterised by
the inventions and scientific developments powered by nuclear
energy.
3. Shortly after the end of World War 2, the USSR had also revealed
that it had nuclear weapons of its own. This led to fear and
suspicion between the USSR and USA for 45 years. Both
countries developed nuclear weapons in the event of another
world war happening.
7
ACTIVITY 2: Answer the questions below.
SOURCE 2C: The following extract is taken from an online publication and focuses
on the experience of Shosho, a survivor of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Japan.
Children of the bomb
By Elizabeth Chappell
PhD Candidate, The Open University
Shoso had been evacuated from Hiroshima to Miyoshi, a neighbouring prefecture,
along with other children from his school and lodged in a temple run by a Buddhist
nun. While working in the fields on August 6, 1945, he noticed a white cloud rising in
the sky over Hiroshima, but no one could tell them what had happened to the city.
He was lucky. So too was his 16-year-old sister, Tokie. She had been working at
Hiroshima train station when the bomb dropped, and was saved by its thick walls.
The next day she went to Miyoshi to find Shoso and bring him back. Unable to locate
the rest of their family, the two took shelter in the remains of the station.
It was here Shoso witnessed the way the orphans had to survive. A black market
sprang up around the station where local women set up stalls to feed the orphaned
children. Older children bullied younger children; the only way the smaller ones could
survive was by scraping the food left in the pans. Towards the end of 1945, Shoso
saw many children die of starvation. Some were so hungry, he said, they died with
stones in their mouths.
In February 1946, Tokie died too, of an undiagnosed disease, probably leukaemia.
Shoso was adopted the following month by a Mr Kawanaka, the owner of a soy
sauce factory in a village called Tomo. He worked there for the next 11 years.
By the time he was 23, Shoso met a girl and fell in love. They got engaged, but his
fiancée’s family blocked the marriage because he had a hibakusha health certificate,
which proved he had come to Hiroshima in the aftermath of the atomic bomb. People
were afraid to be around those who had been exposed to radiation. Afterwards,
vowing never to marry, Shoso lived the rest of his life alone, building up a restaurant
business in the nearby city of Okayama.
[Source: https://theconversation.com/they-died-with-stones-in-their-mouths-hiroshimas-lastsurvivors-tell-their-stories-107468]
2.1. Using your notes and internet sources, define the following key
terms:
2.1.1. Kamikaze
[1x2] (2)
2.1.2. Perspective
[1x2] (2)
2.1.3. Controversial
[1x2] (2)
8
2.2. Consult Source 2A.
2.2.1. Using your notes and your own knowledge, state when the
atomic bombs were dropped in Japan.
[2x1] (2)
2.2.2. Using the source, discuss how large the impact of the
exploding atomic bomb was.
[1x2] (2)
2.2.3. Which country would the airplane in the source belong to?
Provide one reason for your response.
[2x2] (2)
2.3. Study Source 2B.
2.3.1. Using the source, name the city the child was from. [1x1] (1)
2.3.2. Using the source and your own knowledge, discuss the
cause of the child’s death.
[2x2] (4)
2.3.3. Would you consider this source to be a primary source of
historical information? Motivate your response using
evidence from the source.
[2x2] (4)
2.4. Read Source 2C.
2.4.1. According to the source, name the place Shosho was
evacuated to.
[1x1] (1)
2.4.2. Quote a line from the source which indicates that Shosho
could see the atomic bomb explosion.
[1x2] (2)
2.4.3. Explain why the author believes that Shosho and his sister
were ‘lucky’.
[2x2] (4)
2.4.4. What happened to the rest of Shosho’s family?
[1x1] (1)
2.4.5. Using the source, describe the lives of Japanese children
after the bombing of Hiroshima.
[2x2] (4)
2.4.6. Using your own knowledge, discuss two reasons why the
USA believed they were justified in dropping the atomic
bombs in Japan.
[2x2] (4)
2.4.7. List two ways in which the atomic bombing of Japan made
an impact on the Japanese society.
9
[2x1] (2)
2.4.8. Using the source, provide one reason why Shosho never got
married.
[1x2] (1)
2.4.9. Would you consider this source be useful to historians
studying the end of World War 2 in the Pacific? Motivate your
response.
[2x2] (4)
2.5. Using the sources, your notes, and your own knowledge, write a
paragraph of eight (8) lines, or eighty (80) words, in which you
discuss the global impact of the atomic bombing of Japan in
1945.
(8)
10