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Unit Five: Cold War
1. Assess the effectiveness of the U.S. containment policy in Asia.
2. In what ways could Stalin be held responsible for the origin and development of the Cold War?
3. Assess John F. Kennedy’s handling of Cold War problems during his presidency.
4. When and why was Germany the focus of Cold War hostility in the fifteen years after the Second World War?
5. “Detente defined, not friendship, but a strategy for relationships among enemies.” What brought about detente
and what changes, if any, did it cause East/West relations?
6. How did fear contribute to the origin and development of the Cold War?
7. Examine the conflicting aims and policies of the U.S. and USSR which helped cause the Cold War.
8. Assess the importance in the development of the Cold War of two of the following: the Yalta Conference;
Berlin; the Arms Race; non-alignment; South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
9. “The build up of missiles in Cuba in 1962 was a deliberate, provocative and unjustified action.” To what extent
do you agree with this statement?
10. “Ideological differences played only a minor role in the origin and development of the Cold War.” How far do
you agree with this statement?
11. Where, and with what effect, has the Truman Doctrine been applied in foreign policy?
12. Analyze how the U.S. became so heavily involved in Vietnam between 1945 and 1965.
13. Compare and contrast the different approaches to the Vietnam conflict by different American presidents
between 1945 and 1973.
14. Assess the significance of the Vietnam War (1964-1975).
15. In what ways, and to what extent, did Eisenhower’s foreign policy demonstrate the limits of American power in
the 1950s?
16. With reference to their aims and actions, examine the foreign policy of one of the following presidents:
Truman, Eisenhower, Carter, Reagan.
17. “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?
18. For what reasons, and with what results, up to 1963, did the United States adopt the policy known as
‘containment’?
19. “The Korean War was a limited war, a civil war, and an episode in the Cold War.” To what extent do you agree
with each part of this assertion?
20. Analyze the role of Germany in the origin and development of the Cold War.
21. Compare and contrast the Cold War policies of Truman and Eisenhower.
22. To what extent did events in the final years of the Second World War turn wartime allies into Cold War
enemies?
23. Assess the successes and failures of the foreign policies of either Harry Truman or Richard Nixon.
24. Compare and contrast the Cold War policies of two of the following U.S. presidents: Harry S Truman; Dwight
D. Eisenhower; Ronald Reagan.
25. “An unnatural alliance that was bound to fall apart after the defeat of the common enemy.” To what extent
does this statement explain the origin of the Cold War?
26. Assess the successes and failures of the foreign policies of either Eisenhower (1953-1961) or Kennedy
(1961-63).
27. In what ways, and to what extent, did the foreign policy of Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) affect the Cold War?
28. Analyze the successes and failures of the foreign policy of Richard Nixon (1969-1974).
29. For what reasons, and with what results, did the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan affect Cold War
development?
30. Explain the meaning of two of the following and show how each affected the development of the Cold War:
containment, brinkmanship, non-alignment, détente.
31. When and why did the Cold War end?
32. How effective was the United States policy of containment up to 1962?
33. For what reasons, and with what results for East-West relations, did the superpowers become involved
in the affairs of one of the following: Korea; Vietnam; the Middle East?
34. How successful was Kennedy’s foreign policy towards the USSR between 1961 and 1963?
35. Evaluate the role of the policies of the United States in the origins of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949.
(2010)
36. Compare and contrast the role of two leaders, each chosen from a different region, in the development of the
Cold War between 1953 and 1964. (2010)
37. Why did détente develop between 1969 and 1979? (2010)
38. “The Cold War came to an end primarily because of Gorbachev’s changes in Soviet policies.” To what extent
do you agree with this statement? (2010)
39. In what ways did the foreign policy of the United States change during the Eisenhower administration? (2011)
40. For what reasons, and to what extent, did the Yalta Conference of February 1945 contribute to the origins of
the Cold War? (2011)
41. “The events in Cuba during 1962 were the most evident display of brinkmanship.” To what extent do you
agree with this statement? (2011)
42. Analyze the role of Vietnam in the development of the Cold War between 1964 and 1975. (2011)
43. To what extent did events in Eastern European countries contribute to the end of the Cold War? (2011)
44. Analyze the reasons for the United States’ involvement in Vietnam between 1953 and 1968. [2012]
45. Assess the role of Truman and Stalin in the origins and development of the Cold War. [2012]
46. “The sovietization of Eastern and Central Europe after the Second World War was undertaken as a defensive
measure by the Soviet Union.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? [2012]
47. In what ways, and with what significance, did either Kennedy or Reagan influence the development of the
Cold War? [2012]
48. Explain the changing nature of the United States involvement in Vietnam between 1963 and 1975. [2013]
49. For what reasons, and with what success, did the United States adopt a policy of containment between 1947
and 1962?
50. Assess the contribution of Truman to the development of Cold War tensions. [2013]
51. “The conferences of 1945 at Yalta and Potsdam marked both the high point and the breaking point of the
wartime alliance of East and West.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? [2014]
52. In what ways, and with what success, did the U.S. attempt to prevent the global spread of Soviet influence
between 1945 and 1962? [2014]
53. Assess the significance of events in Korea (1950-1953) on the development of the Cold War. [2014]
54. "Truman caused the Cold War and, in 1962, Kennedy resolved its greatest crisis." To what extent do you
agree with this statement? [2015]
55. Evaluate the successes and failures of the U.S. policies of containment and brinkmanship up to 1962. [2016]
56. Examine the impact of Vietnam on the Cold War. [2016]
57. Evaluate the role of Gorbachev in ending the Cold War. [2016]
58. To what extent did economic interests rather than ideology lead to the breakdown of the grand alliance
between 1943 and 1949? [2017]
59. Evaluate the impact of Cold War tensions on two countries (excluding the USSR and the US). [2017]