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The Cold War 1945–1991

MOD-COLD is worth about 25 marks out of 100 in recent HSC Modern History papers. Practise 14 exam-style questions (multiple choice, short answer) with instant marking and a worked solution for every question.

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Topic notes

The origins of the Cold War 1945–53, containment, crises and the arms race to 1968, détente, and the renewal and end of the Cold War to 1991, with the historiography and how to plan the 25-mark Peace and Conflict essay.

  1. 1What you need to know
  2. 2Origins, 1945–1953
  3. 3Development of the Cold War to 1968
  4. 4Détente, c. 1969–1979
  5. 5Renewal and end of the Cold War, 1979–1991
  6. 6Interpretations
  7. 7Planning a 25-mark essay
  8. 8Common mistakes
  9. 9Exam tips
  10. 10Links to other topics
READ THE NOTES

Example questions

Example 1 · 1 mark · multiple choice

Source A — President Harry S. Truman, address to Congress, 12 March 1947

‘I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.’

The policy announced in Source A is best described as

  1. Adétente: easing tensions through arms control agreements
  2. Brollback: forcing the USSR out of Eastern Europe by military means
  3. Ccontainment: preventing the further spread of communism
  4. Disolationism: keeping the USA out of European affairs

Example 2 · 1 mark · multiple choice

What was the immediate trigger for the Soviet blockade of West Berlin in June 1948?

  1. AThe building of the Berlin Wall around West Berlin
  2. BThe formation of NATO by the Western powers
  3. CThe death of Stalin and the power struggle after it
  4. DThe new Deutschmark in the Western zones

Example 3 · 1 mark · multiple choice

How was the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 resolved?

  1. ASoviet missiles left Cuba in return for US concessions
  2. BThe USA invaded Cuba and destroyed the missile sites
  3. CThe USSR kept its missiles in Cuba in exchange for withdrawing from East Berlin
  4. DThe United Nations Security Council voted to force both sides to disarm

Answers and worked solutions appear when you practise these questions.

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