GCSE Superpower Relations and the Cold War- HUGE EXAM QS BUNDLE
Contains answered exam questions from different sections throughout the GCSE Edexcel Superpower Relations and the Cold War Course.
After writing & drafting all of these using the textbook and my own analysis, I achieved a Grade 9 w...
Explain the importance of the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan for
relations between the USA and Soviet Union.
The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan was an important event that led to worsened
relations between the USA and USSR, as it marked the end of détente and
cooperation between the superpowers. This is because the USSR’s justification
of the invasion as a way to protect their interests in a neighbouring state was
seen as a direct attack on the USA’s strong policy of containment, which worked
to resist communist influence across the world by stopping its spread. In the
eyes of many Americans, including President Carter, the invasion was seen as
more of a tactical move that heavily breached this American policy, therefore
threatening the position of cooperation that the two nations tried to achieve in
earlier years. The reaction of Carter as declaring that the invasion posed the
biggest threat to world peace since WW2 was also worrying, as it proved that
deterioration was inevitable, because of the strong condonement from the USA
to it. This ‘overreaction’ served as a global indication that their relationship
could not be repaired. In addition, major friction between the USA and Soviet
Union from the invasion served as a reminder for the conflicting ideologies that
the superpowers were trying to ignore, warning that true tolerance of one
another was unachievable. This belief was publicly conveyed when Carter
decided to withdraw from SALT 2, an agreement that was undergoing
ratification at the time of the invasion. The invasion caused a halt to its
approval, causing a sudden shift in relations that led to both nations funding
opposite sides during the conflict with billions of dollars of aid.
Furthermore, because the superpowers’ problems were being solved in more of
a public sphere during détente, this shed light on the superficial manner of
cooperation that had occurred previously. The invasion caused a change back
into more confrontational manners of discussion, where there was a complete
abandonment of the tolerance established in détente. This was a major factor
in creating hostility, as it seemed that the invasion of Afghanistan was a
propaganda win for neither nation, rather presented their deteriorated
relationship to the rest of the world.
, Explain the importance of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia for
relations between Eastern Bloc countries:
The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia was a major event that heavily diminished
Soviet-Czech relations, as Brezhnev’s strong opposition to the more democratic
and liberal reforms that were taking place in Czechoslovakia under Dubcek
presented his reluctance to accept the true wishes of the Czech people. This
caused relations to strain, as the extent of his reaction resulted in shocking
hostility which heavily undermined the free reforms that people wanted to
enact in their government. This strong Soviet policy of preventing the
liberalisation of communist countries was reflected in the formation of the
Brezhnev Doctrine after the invasion, in which it was outlined that the individual
actions of one communist country directly affected all others. The Brezhnev
Doctrine successfully created a sense of greater control, and whilst there was
some criticism, especially in countries such as Romania where relations
between the USSR became more strained, on the whole, Eastern Bloc countries
welcomed Brezhnev’s actions, as they created a sense of security that their
policies were in line with Soviet principles. This caused relations between the
Eastern Bloc nations and the USSR to largely strengthen.
However, even though Brezhnev’s actions were ‘welcomed’ because of the
impression of security that the invasion had created for other Eastern Bloc
nations, the invasion slightly distanced the governments of other countries and
the USSR, as countries were more aware of the consequences to Soviet
criticism. The invasion was a clear message of warning to the Eastern Bloc
countries to stick to predetermined reforms made by the USSR, rather than
attempt to liberalise their systems, even if this was in line with the wishes of
their people. This placed greater emphasis on the Soviet Union, undermining
the communicative sense of relations that was present before the invasion.
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