History · GCSE · The 20th-Century World
The space race
gcse-hist-1bc-2-2bFree1:44Heddy Score 3 of 7, below the standardPlays from youtube-nocookie.com. No YouTube cookies until you press play.
What you need to know
- The USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite, in 1957.
- Rockets that reached space could also carry nuclear warheads.
- The USA landed astronauts on the Moon in 1969.
In this clip
0:16–1:45Lenin, Trotsky and the October Revolutiongcse-hist-1ac-2-1b4:04–5:27Soviet control of Eastern Europe and the Iron Curtaingcse-hist-1bc-1-2a5:27–6:27The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plangcse-hist-1bc-1-2b6:27–7:36The Berlin Blockade and Airliftgcse-hist-1bc-1-2c7:36–9:35Communism in Asia: China, Korea and Vietnamgcse-hist-1bc-2-112:06–13:50The space racegcse-hist-1bc-2-2b13:50–16:03The Berlin Wallgcse-hist-1bc-3-1Also coversYalta, Potsdam and the end of the wartime alliancegcse-hist-1bc-1-1Also coversThe arms race, NATO and the Warsaw Pactgcse-hist-1bc-2-2aHeddy ScoreSeven checks every clip must pass before students see it: trusted, on the map, accurate, focused, accessible, safe, and proven by students.3/7, Below the standard
- Trusted source · passed. The creator's own upload, live and playable here.
- On the map · not judged yet. A teacher watched it: it mainly teaches this map topic.
- Spec-true · not judged yet. Accurate, and right for the current UK specification.
- Focused · passed. One idea, short enough to watch in one go.
- Accessible · passed. Good captions, clear sound and pictures.
- Safe for children · not judged yet. Right for 11 to 16 year olds, with no sales pitch.
- Proven · not judged yet. Earned from our students: they learn from it, find it helpful and watch it to the end.
Our students
How the Heddy Score worksNot enough students yet
Our own students' answers. These are what move ★7 Proven.Why we picked it
Fast, humorous animated narrative of the early Cold War to 1961; suits GCSE Cold War students as an overview before detailed revision.
OverSimplified on YouTubechecked 2026-10-16