Photo: Sue Ream, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cold War course
Why did two superpowers that could destroy each other never actually fight?
Work it out in conversation with your own AI tutor in the Epivo app.
Let's start in February 1945. Three leaders sit together at Yalta, still allies, about to win a war. Within a few years, their countries will be bitter rivals. So here's my first question for you. What could turn friends into rivals that fast? Tell me your guess, and we'll see where it leads.
Free · No card · Android app
Start learning freeFree · No card · Opens Google Play (Android)
How it works
- Your tutor tells the story, a piece at a time, then hands you one small puzzle about why it happened.
- You think it through, out loud or by typing. You don't need to know the answer: your tutor helps you along and tells you when you're close.
- Step by step, it adds up. Your tutor remembers your past sessions and picks up where you left off.
What you'll understand
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1945–1949
How three wartime allies became rivals, and how Europe split in two
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1950–1963
Why the bomb made both sides afraid to fight, and how close they came over Berlin and Cuba
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The hot wars
Where the fighting really happened: Korea, Vietnam, and from Angola's civil war to Chile's coup
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Behind the Iron Curtain
What everyday life was like in the East, and how people from Prague to Gdańsk pushed back
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1985–1991
Why it ended without a shot between them: the Wall falls and the Soviet Union breaks apart
You don't need to know anything first. The course begins in 1945. See the full course →
Finish with a certificate
Complete the course and earn a certificate anyone can check online, ready for your CV or LinkedIn. See a sample →
Your first lesson starts at Yalta, in 1945.
Free · No card · Android app
Start learning freeMeet your tutors
Tap a face to hear how they sound. You can choose your tutor from the Teachers menu in the app.
What it costs
Free
- 30 minutes a day with your tutor
- No card needed.
- Your first hour uses the Premium voice (once, not every day), our most natural-sounding one. After that your tutor speaks with the free voice, which runs on your phone. The lessons, the questions and your progress stay exactly the same.
- Certificates included when you complete the course.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Thirty minutes a day with your tutor, and no card. Paid plans add more time if you ever want it.
Is my tutor a real person?
No. Your tutor is an AI that talks with you, follows a planned course and remembers your past sessions.
How do I know the lessons are accurate?
Written lessons are fact-checked against independent published sources before they're taught. Your tutor follows a planned route through the course, and the app's Sources menu lists what each session drew on, including links to the original sources.
How is this different from asking ChatGPT?
ChatGPT answers what you ask. Your tutor leads the way: a planned route through the whole Cold War, one question at a time, picking up where you left off.
Do I need to know World War 2 first?
No. The course starts in 1945, as the war ends, and your tutor explains what you need as you go.
Does it cover the bomb and the space race?
Yes. You follow the nuclear arms race from the first Soviet bomb to the hydrogen bomb and "mutually assured destruction", and the space race from Sputnik to Apollo.
Is it on iPhone?
Not yet. Epivo runs on Android today. Open this page on an iPhone and you can leave your email; we'll tell you when the iPhone app is ready.
Step into 1945. Uncover the rest together.
Free · No card · Android app
Start learning freePresident Kennedy meets his advisers during the Cuban Missile Crisis, 29 October 1962. Cecil Stoughton, White House, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain, cropped)
Photo credits (all via Wikimedia Commons). Crowds on the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate, November 1989: Sue Ream, CC BY 3.0. Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta, 1945: US Army Signal Corps, US National Archives (public domain, cropped). Building the Berlin Wall, 1961: Central Intelligence Agency (public domain). US helicopters in Vietnam, 1966: James K. F. Dung, US Army (public domain, cropped). Prague, August 1968: Central Intelligence Agency (public domain). President Kennedy and his advisers, 29 October 1962: Cecil Stoughton, White House (public domain, cropped).
