GCSE History Edexcel Cold War & S.Relations: Detente, SALT 1, Helsinki, SALT 2. (Lesson 14)

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This lesson covers the period of detente during the 1970s. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to understand this period of time and how it led to an easing of the Cold War tensions. They will then be able to explain the factors that led to the end of detente.
RECAP: A chart showing all of the key events which caused tension since 1945. The students are asked to rate/shade in their graph to identify how much tension each event caused between the two sides of the Cold War.
STARTER: Students discuss 4 questions about WHY there was a call for peace during this time in history from: the USA, the Soviet Union, the world, the public.
BACKGROUND: Key terms such as detente and MAD covered to give a brief overview of the topic.
**TASK 1: **Students should be able to explain WHY there was a call for detente in this time by filling in the peace symbol with their facts. (see image).
TASK 2: A choice of two worksheets which can also be printed if needed. Students should now use BBC Bitesize/the fact sheet or their text book to explain why there was detente in this time. The differentiated fact sheet outlines the key events already for the students.
TASK 3: Students now identify the various reasons why detente ended by 1979.
EXTENSION TASK: Asks higher ability students to think about the propaganda used during this time and asks if detente really did happen.
FACT SHEET: A fact sheet crammed full of information about the causes, events and consequences of detente.