THIS WEEK WE END OUR SERIES on close encounters, fast forwarding to the second half of the twentieth century when divisions between "East" and "West" became more pronounced than ever as an "Iron Curtain" descended between the two. On one side was the United States and the allied democracies of Western Europe. On the other was Communist Russia and the satellite nations of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. Eventually, most of the rest of the world fell in league with one side or the other, prompting numerous flare-ups in this two-sided "Cold War." But though the lines were well-drawn, the divisions weren't necessarily natural, and they were never as simple as either side wanted to believe.

To help you understand just how and why the Cold War was waged, please read Chapters 22-24 of the textbook and watch video thirteen, "Europe Since 1945." You should also examine the moment when the phrase "Iron Curtain" was coined by reading Winston Churchill's 1946 "Sinews of Peace" speech.

When you are finished your reading please click here for your online exercise.