East/West Relations after 1945 Questions from Past IB Exams Topic 5 Paper Two 1.

How did fear contribute to the origin and development of the Cold War? 2. In what ways was Korea a typical example of Cold War conflict? 3. Examine the role of Fidel Castro in East/West relations. 4. Define "spheres of influence" and assess their role in Cold War politics. 5. When and why was Germany the focus of Cold War hostility in the fifteen years after the Second World War? 6. Why have attempts to achieve disarmament by the super powers had such limited success for most of the period since 1945? 7. 'Detente defined, not friendship, but a strategy for relationships among enemies'. What brought about detente and what changes, if any, did it cause in East/West relations? 8. Examine the impact of events in Asia on East/West relations, 1949 to 1975. 9. In what ways could Stalin be held responsible for the origin and development of the Cold War? 10. Explain the circumstances in which NATO and the Warsaw Pact were formed. What contribution did each make to the intensification of the Cold War? 11. Assess John F. Kennedy's handling of Cold War problems during the presidency. 12. Explain how relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were affected by the relations of each with China. 13. What were the principal features of East/West relations, 1953 to 1960? 14. 'No area illustrates more vividly than Germany the differences that emerged between the former wartime allies.' How far is this a valid assertion for the years 1945 to 1962? 15. It has been argued that the head-to-head confrontation of the super powers during the Cuban Missile Crisis was the result of serious miscalculation on the part of Nikita Khrushchev and recklessness on the part of John F. Kennedy. To what degree can you support this assertion? 16. To what extent did war in East Asia influence East/West relations, 1950 to 1975? 17. "No area illustrates more vividly than Germany the differences that emerged between the former wartime allies." How far is this a valid assertion for the years 1945 to 1962?

18. Asses the implications for the course of the Cold War of THREE of the following: (a) the proclamation of the Korean People's Democratic Republic, 1948; (b) the expulsion of Yugoslavia from the Soviet bloc, 1948; (c) the entry of Greece and Turkey into NATO, 1952; (d) the battle of Dien Bien Phu, 1954; (e) events in Hungary, 1956. 19. Explain the significance of the Sino-Soviet split with respect to relation between East and West. 20. "The last crusade"-how useful is it to emphasise ideology when studying the United States' policy of containment after 1945? 21. Account for the emergence after the Second World War of the two superpowers and explain why they had become enemies by 1948. 22. Discuss the view that the tension between the superpowers led to the support of undemocratic regimes by the United States. Give evidence from at least TWO countries. 23. What were the advantages of (a) neutrality and (b) non-alignment during periods of tension between the power blocs? Refer to at least TWO regions. 24. Assess the relative importance of the following for raising the temperature of the Cold War: (a) the arrival of Chinese volunteers to support the North Koreans, 1950/51; (b) the building of the Berlin Wall, 1961; (c) the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. 25. Explain the different attitudes of Russia and the Western Allies towards Germany in general and Berlin in particular after the Second World War and show how these differences affected East/West relations to 1960. 26. How was the Soviet Union able (a) to establish control over Eastern Europe between 1945 and 1950, and (b) how far was she able to maintain that control over the next twenty years? 27. In what respects and with what justification can the Cuban Crisis of 1962 be claimed to have marked a turning point in East/West relations? 28. How did East/West relations affect, and how were they affected by, developments in ONE of the following regions: (a) the Middle East; (b) Africa; (c) Latin America? 29. Assess the significance of each of the following in the intensification and spread of the Cold War: (a) The Truman Doctrine; (b) the Marshall Plan; (c) the Korean War; (d) the construction of the Berlin Wall; (e) the Cuban Missile Crisis, and (f) changes in political leadership in the USA and USSR. 30. Why, how and with what results did the USA establish a 'sphere of influence' in Europe after 1945? 31. Why and with what success have some countries adopted a policy of non-alignment in the period since the Second World War?

32. Assess the effectiveness of the USA policy of 'containment' in Asia. 33. Examine the conflicting aims and policies of rival powers which caused the Cold War. 34. Assess the importance of two of the following in influencing the development of the Cold War: Marshall Aid; Warsaw Pact; arms control; detente. 35. examine the impact of the Cold War on two countries (excluding the superpowers), each chosen from a different region. 36. 'The build up of missiles in Cuba in 1962 was a deliberate, provocative and unjustified action.' To what extent do you agree with this statement? 37. What were the main social and cultural consequences of the Cold War? 38. 'Ideological differences played only a minor role in the origin and development of the Cold War.' How far do you agree with this statement? 39. In what ways and for what reasons did the Cold War affect the Middle East? 40. Analyse the importance of spheres of interest for one of the superpowers in the Cold War. 41. Assess the importance in the development of the Cold War of two of the following: the Yalta Conference; Berlin; the Arms Race; non-alignment; South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO). 42. Examine the impact of the Cold War on the social life and culture of two countries each chosen from a different region.