40 exam-style questions on The Cold War: superpower tensions and rivalries (20th century) — topic WHT.12 of World History Topics (Paper 2, choose 2 of 12) in the IB History syllabus — with answers and explanations. Samples below; the full set is free with an account.
The Marshall Plan (1948) provided:
Answer: US aid to rebuild Western European economies
The Marshall Plan (European Recovery Program), enacted in 1948, provided billions in US aid to rebuild Western European economies, strengthen them against communism and create markets for US goods.
Which two policies introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s aimed to reform the Soviet Union?
Answer: Glasnost (openness) and perestroika
Gorbachev, Soviet leader from 1985, introduced glasnost (openness/transparency) and perestroika (economic and political restructuring). These reforms unintentionally accelerated the collapse of the USSR by 1991.
The term 'bipolarity' in the context of the Cold War refers to
Answer: a world of two rival blocs
Bipolarity describes the international system structured around two dominant powers and their alliance blocs.
'Détente' in the Cold War refers to
Answer: eased tension between the superpowers
Détente describes phases of reduced tension, arms-control negotiation and dialogue, without ending the underlying rivalry.
The 'arms race' between the superpowers describes
Answer: a race to build ever more advanced weapons
The arms race, especially in nuclear and missile technology, both reflected and intensified superpower tension.
Determine which 1949 development ended the US monopoly on nuclear weapons and intensified the superpower arms race.
Answer: First Soviet atomic bomb test
The Soviet Union's first successful atomic test in August 1949 ended the US nuclear monopoly; Sputnik (1957), the Warsaw Pact (1955) and the Cuban crisis (1962) came later.
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40 The Cold War: superpower tensions and rivalries (20th century) questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.
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