This is a 70 page revision booklet that I made for my own A-level studies so I thought I would share. It covers every aspect of the AQA AS level specification for the Cold War but it can also be used for other exam boards such as Edexcel and OCR and also for GCSE history as it covers the basis of t...
What you need to know for AQA
History AS, Year One, Option 2R.
What the AQA Specification Says You Need to Know for Year 1
Content:
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, Part one: to the brink of Nuclear War: international relations,
c1945–1963
The Origins of the Cold War, c1945–1949
US, British and USSR relations in 1945: conflicting ideologies; tensions at Yalta; relations
between Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill; the breakdown of the Grand Alliance at Potsdam; relations
between Stalin, Truman and Attlee
Developing tensions: the Soviet Union occupation/control of eastern and southern Europe;
Kennan's Long Telegram; the Iron Curtain speech; Cominform; the Greek Civil War and the Truman
Doctrine on containment
The USA’s involvement in Europe: policy towards Britain and Europe; the launch of the
Marshall Plan; US attitudes to Germany and Berlin
Conflict over Germany: developments within the sectors, including Bizonia and currency
reform; the Berlin blockade; the creation of East and West Germany; formation of NATO
The Widening of the Cold War, 1949–1955
US containment in action in Asia: the reconstruction of Japan and US-Japanese relations;
support for Jiang Jieshi and policy towards China and Taiwan; the defensive perimeter strategy;
support for South Korea; NSC-68
The Korean War: causes, position and aims of Kim ll Sung and Syngman Rhee; attitudes and
actions of the UN, USA, USSR and China; military involvement and settlement
Increasing Cold War tensions: McCarthyism in the USA and its influence in Britain and
Europe; US dominance in the UN and role as 'world policeman'; the isolation of China
Alliances and shifts: FRG and NATO; the Warsaw Pact; SEATO; Eisenhower, Dulles and
'brinkmanship'; the domino theory; attitude to French struggle in Indo-China; the Geneva Conference
The Global War, 1955–1963
Khrushchev and East-West relations: impact of risings in Poland and Hungary and Soviet
intervention; the degree of 'peaceful coexistence', including exchange of visits and Paris summit
Cold War rivalries: the extension of the arms race including ICBMs; the space race; sputnik
and space flight; the Berlin Crisis and the U2 affair; the significance and impact of the Berlin Wall
Conflict in Asia: Indo-China under Ho Chi-Minh in the North and Diem in the South; formation
of NLF; Kennedy's policies towards Indo-China and Diem's assassination
Confrontation between the superpowers: US attitudes to Cuba and developments leading to
the missile crisis; the 13 days; the significance of the crisis
Guide to the Revision Booklet:
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,I have put this together whilst completing my exams and it helped give
me a detailed, thorough understanding of the start of the Cold War.
-Important terminology are highlighted in yellow. E.g. proxy war.
-Evaluation points are highlighted in turquoise.
-Key events that happened are highlighted in green.
Exam questions that can be done are in purple. You could either answer
these or plan an answer to them. They are all 25 mark questions and
some have the mark scheme from AQA which provide guidance on what
you could have put in your answer.
Background Information:
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, Cold War definition: A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and
the United States, and their respective allies, the Eastern and the Western Bloc.
There was no large scale fighting directly between the two superpowers, but conflict
was carried out through diplomacy, the arms race and proxy wars in which they tried
to prove their superiority.
The Roots of the Cold War:
The emergence of the two new superpowers of the SU and the US from
the 2nd World War:
During the 2nd World War, the US and SU had fought side by side in the Great
Alliance as they had a common enemy of Germany and Japan.
However, they had divided political ideologies:
- The SU was a communist country. This is an economic and political system
in which the SU believed in a classless society where all property was owned
publicly. There were no democratic elections.
- The US was a capitalist country whose economic system was privately
owned. Their government was chosen by democratic elections and there was
an emphasis on freedom.
*The powers were still united with Britain against Germany and Japan in the war
during 1945.
However, when the WW2 ended a bitter struggle for power developed.
Differing historian views on this:
SU was to blame for the CW start as Stalin planned for a communist takeover of the
world, starting with the takeover of Eastern Europe. Their communist ideological and
territorial expansionism in Europe forced the US to take a defensive stance.
The USA was to blame as the SU’s actions were defensive. The USA wanted to
control its area of influence but refused to allow the USSR to do the same. The SU’s
actions up until 1949 were as a legitimate response to the US’ economic and
strategic imperialism in Europe.
The Origins of the Cold War, c1945–1949
The Superpower Leaders:
Stalin- Leader of the SU
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