Study guide
History Standard Level Cold War Revision Guide
- Course
- Institution
- Book
International Baccalaureate History Standard Level Cold War Paper 2 Revision Guide for Exams Took exams May 2018
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
More summaries for
-
Beginnings of the Cold War
1 review
By: Spring • 4 year ago
Seller
Follow
maryjones
Reviews received
Content preview
Paper 2: The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries (20th century)Origins of the Cold War............................................................................................................................................................................ 3
A comparison of the roles of the US and the USSR.......................................................................................................................................... 8
Sino-Soviet Relations........................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Reasons for change........................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Result of change............................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Rivalry, mistrust and accord................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Impact of Policy of Containment...................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Success of containment.................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE........................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Reasons for................................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
Success/Limitations.................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Sino-US Relations................................................................................................................................................................................................ 24
Why it changed (causes)................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
How it changed general thesis (for both)......................................................................................................................................................... 26
Confrontation and Reconciliation - Detente.......................................................................................................................................................... 27
Reasons for the adoption of detente................................................................................................................................................................ 29
Successes and Limitations of detente............................................................................................................................................................. 31
Abandonment of detente................................................................................................................................................................................. 33
End of the Cold War............................................................................................................................................................................................. 35
Reasons for Collapse of USSR............................................................................................................................................................................ 39
Impact of two leaders on course of Cold War (each chosen from different region)..............................................................................................42
Reagan and Gorbachev.................................................................................................................................................................................. 44
Impact of Cold War tensions on two countries..................................................................................................................................................... 49
Cold War influence on countries...................................................................................................................................................................... 49
Impact on the Cold War................................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Impact of Vietnam on cold war........................................................................................................................................................................ 54
Cold War Crises................................................................................................................................................................................................... 57
Causes of Crises............................................................................................................................................................................................. 57
, Impact/Consequences of Crises...................................................................................................................................................................... 62
Syllabus
Rivalry, mistrust and accord
● Causes of outbreak: breakdown of grand alliance, emegrence of superpower rivalry in EUrope and Asia (1943-49): role of ideology, fear and
aggression, eocnomic interests, comparison of the roles of US and USSR
● US, USSR and China: superpower relations (1947-79): containment, peaceful coexistence, sino-soviet and sino-US relations, detente
● Conforntations and reconciliation; reasons for the end of the cold war (1980-91): ideological challenges and dissent, eocnomic problems, arms race
Leaders and nations
● Impact of two leades from different region on course and dev of cold war
● Impact of cold war tensions on two countries
Cold war crises
● From different regions: examination and comparison of causes, impact and significance of two crises
Definitions
● Realpolitik: Approach to politics which is based on practical concerns and the actual circumstances of the time rather than on ideology
● Containment: the policy of restricting communist expansion
● Brinkmanship: use of bold, aggressive or risky measures that threaten nuclear war, in order to pressure and intimidate the other side to back down
● McCarthyism: period of anti communist investigations persecution and hysteria in the US during early 1950s
● Détente: state of improved relations after a period of conflict or tension
● Domino effect: Anti-communist theory that rise of communism in one country would inevitably lead to it spreading in neighbouring countries
○ Also belief that anything socialistic was directly dictated by the kremlin
● Mutually assured destruction: assumption that both us and ussr would refrain from launching nuclear weapons since each knew the other would
retaliate and this would lead to devastation on both sides
, ● Perestroika: restructuring, a reform movement in ussr during 1980s led by Gorbachev - involved some liberal reforms relaxing of centralized
controls. However was not so successful
● Glasnost: openness. Soviet reform by gorbachev encouraged opening debate discussion and freedom of speech in 1980s
● Proxy war: Conflict where larger nations support and supply smaller nations involved in a war or civil war, without becoming directly involved.
Source for example Exam questions: http://www.islandschoolhistory.com/exam-questions6.html
Topic One: Rivalry, Mistrust, and Accord
Origins of the Cold War
● A traditional balance of power conflict?- Driven by expansionism and self interest
● Or something initiated by and rooted in the ideological struggle between capitalism and communism
● Where does mutual fear, misunderstanding and the search for security come in?
● What about the role of individuals or specific events
Exam Questions
- Assess the importance of ideological differences in the outbreak of the Cold War.
- To what extent were Soviet policies responsible for the outbreak and development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?
- The Cold War was caused by fear not aggression.’ To what extent does this view explain how the Cold War developed between 1945 and 1949?
- In what ways could Stalin be held responsible for the origin and development of the Cold War?
- To what extent was the Cold War caused by Truman’s policies?
- How far did mutual distrust and suspicion cause the Cold War?
- “Stalin and Truman were equally responsible for the emergence of the Cold War.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
- To what extent did economic interests rather than ideology lead to the breakdown of the grand alliance between 1943 and 1949?
Parameters for origins of the cold war essay:
This essay will use the parameters 1945-50 to discuss the outbreak of the war, as this time frame marks the drastic escalation of tensions between the us and
soviet union, from the collapse of the wartime Grand Alliance (1945) to the direct conflict in the korean war (1950), considered a proxy-war of the cold war.
How did it lead to the outbreak of the Cold War?
, General Thesis for the essay The ideological differences between American capitalism and Soviet communism were arguably the driving force behind the origins of the Cold War;
however at the basis of ideology lay both countries’ imperialist pursuits, which ultimately culminated in key events such as the US Marshall Plan and the
creation of a Soviet satellite empire in Eastern Europe.
Therefore while ideological differences played an important role in the outbreak of the Cold War, it was arguably the clashes of self-interest and world
supremacy which laid the groundworks for the conflict.
Ideological Differences Topic Sentence:
Definition of ideology: the ruling - Ideological differences were important in the outbreak of the cold war as they proved to create an inevitable conflict between the superpowers
dogmatic beliefs or ideas of a USSR and USA.
society which dominate all - The ideological nature of US and USSR made agreement or, at least compromise, impossible during the wartime conferences and sealed the fate
forms of political, economic or
of their inevitable conflict
socio-cultural life.
- Ideological differences of the US and the USSR were also crucial in leading both countries to misinterpret events as attacks and make
inflammatory responses, thus creating the escalation of hostility.
Evidence
- Irreconcilable ideological differences:
- Both advocated to create a better world of peace, freedom justice and plenty, however differed on the means by which to achieve this
- US: need for democracy and capitalism → collective security, self-determination and economic integration
- USSR: progress relied on international socialism and communism which promised equality, justice and liberation from oppression
- This ideological conflict manifested itself in post-war Europe:
- US’ wartime ally UK supported it ideologically as well, while large portions of the population in Italy, France and Greece were inspired by
the promises of communism and began moving gradually to the left
- This heavily strengthened the ideological tensions between the US and USSR, both wanting ideological domination
- These tensions would inevitably affect policies: historian Andre Fontaine accuses communist expansionism in creating the satellite
empires in Eastern Europe, while revisionist historians argue that capitalism incentivized US foreign policy in europe by creating a need
for markets.
- By the early 1950s, ideology became definitively entrenched in the cold war dispute with the rise of anti-communist mccarthyism
in the US
- Not only foreign but also domestic policy: Ideology in the USA can be seen as increasingly important in the origins of the Cold
War, rise of Mccarthyism
- Couldn’t agree on details in organising post-war Europe
- Stalin pushed for security to expand the communist empire (in keeping with the Marxist/Leninist global Communist revolution)
- Truman pushed for his need for markets, in keeping with capitalist american greed
- Even when in agreement, for example that Eastern Europe were to have free elections, Stalin’s interpretation of ‘free elections’ differed from that
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller maryjones. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for CA$14.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
51662 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 15 years now