1. What were the origins of the cold war? Could it have been avoided?
2. Some people call the cold war the "third world war." Would you agree?
3. What would you consider the biggest changes that have taken place in Western Europe after 1945?
4. What was the postwar role of the United States in Western Europe? How did it contribute to the present strength of those European countries?
5. How do you assess Stain's accomplishments in rebuilding the Soviet Union after the end of World War II?
6. How did Khrushchev and Brezhnev change the Stalinist heritage? What effect did their policies have on the Soviet people?
7. How firm was the hold of the Soviet Union on its Eastern European satellites?
8. What benefits were expected from decolonization? What were its actual consequences?