Modern World History (1900–Today)

Subject: Social Studies  ·  Grade level: 12th

World wars, decolonization, the Cold War, and globalization. The 20th century reshaped every continent. Empires fell, new nations rose, and technology connect

In this lesson

• The two world wars (1914–1945)
• Decolonization (1945–1975)
• The Cold War (1947–1991)
• Globalization & today (1991–present)

Key terms

Containment

The U.S. strategy of preventing communism from spreading to new countries.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

The doctrine that nuclear war would destroy both sides, so neither would start one.

Proxy war

A conflict in which two superpowers back opposing sides without fighting each other directly.

Iron Curtain

Churchill's term for the political and military boundary dividing Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe from the West.

Modern World History (1900–Today) lesson on BrightPath

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