What does the CCEA International Relations 1945 to 2003 option cover?

It is the Unit 2 outline study, a survey of the Cold War. It covers the breakdown of the wartime alliance and the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949, the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War and detente in the 1970s, and the end of the Cold War under Gorbachev with the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Why did the Cold War begin?

The wartime alliance broke down once Nazi Germany was defeated. The capitalist West and the communist USSR held opposed ideologies and each feared the other; the USSR wanted a buffer of friendly states in Eastern Europe, which the West saw as expansion; and trust collapsed over the future of Eastern Europe and Germany. Germany became the front line, leading to the Berlin Blockade of 1948 to 1949 and the formation of NATO.

How was nuclear war avoided in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

In October 1962 the USSR secretly placed nuclear missiles on Cuba; Kennedy imposed a naval blockade and demanded their removal. After thirteen tense days a compromise was reached: the USSR removed its missiles, the USA publicly promised not to invade Cuba and secretly agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey. The fright led to a Washington-Moscow hotline and the 1963 Test Ban Treaty.

Why did the USA fail in Vietnam?

American firepower could not defeat the Vietcong, who fought a guerrilla war, hiding among civilians and in the jungle and winning peasant support, while the South Vietnamese government was corrupt and unpopular. The war also became deeply unpopular at home as casualties and television coverage mounted, forcing the USA to withdraw by 1973, with the South falling to the communists in 1975.

Why did the Cold War end?

The Soviet economy was failing and could not keep pace with the arms race. From 1985 Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika exposed the system's failings, and his decision not to use force in Eastern Europe removed the prop that held communist governments in power. Communism collapsed across Eastern Europe in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, and the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, ending the Cold War.

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CCEA GCSE History International Relations 1945 to 2003: a complete Cold War outline-study overview

A complete overview of CCEA's Unit 2 outline study, International Relations 1945 to 2003, the Cold War. Covers the origins and the Berlin Blockade, Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam and detente, and the end of the Cold War, plus the interpretations question that carries the AO4 marks.

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What this option demands
Origins and the Berlin Blockade
Korea and Cuba
Vietnam and detente
The end of the Cold War
Check your knowledge

What this option demands

International Relations 1945 to 2003 is the Unit 2 outline study, a survey of the Cold War across a long period. An outline study tests knowledge over time, change and continuity, source skills, and, uniquely in Unit 2, the interpretations question carrying the AO4 marks. The exam rewards precise knowledge, the ability to explain change across the period, and a judgement on why historians differ. This overview ties the dot-point pages together.

Origins and the Berlin Blockade

The wartime alliance broke down over ideology, security and trust. Divided Germany became the front line, and the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949 hardened the division of Europe, leading to NATO.

Korea and Cuba

The policy of containment drew the USA into the Korean War (1950 to 1953), which ended in stalemate. The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, resolved by compromise and leading to the hotline and the Test Ban Treaty.

Vietnam and detente

The USA failed in Vietnam because firepower could not beat a guerrilla enemy with popular support, and the war was unpopular at home. In the 1970s detente eased tension through the SALT arms-control talks and summit meetings.

The end of the Cold War

Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika, his refusal to use force, and Soviet economic weakness led to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

CCEA's Unit 2 outline study surveys the Cold War from 1945 to 2003. The wartime alliance broke down over ideology, security and trust, and divided Germany became the front line, leading to the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949 and the formation of NATO. Containment drew the USA into the Korean War, which ended in stalemate, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 brought the world to the brink before a compromise led to the hotline and the Test Ban Treaty. The USA failed in Vietnam because firepower could not beat a guerrilla enemy with popular support and the war was unpopular at home, while the 1970s saw detente ease tension through the SALT talks. The Cold War ended as Gorbachev's reforms and refusal to use force, with Soviet economic weakness, brought the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Unit 2 also carries the interpretations question.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall questions covering the whole option. Attempt them, then check the solutions.

Name two reasons the wartime alliance broke down. (2 marks)
What was the Berlin Airlift, and what alliance followed in 1949? (2 marks)
What was the policy of containment? (1 mark)
How was the Cuban Missile Crisis resolved? (2 marks)
Give two reasons the USA failed in Vietnam. (2 marks)
What was detente, with one example? (2 marks)
What were glasnost and perestroika? (2 marks)
What happened to the Soviet Union in 1991? (1 mark)

Solutions

Q1: Any two: opposed ideologies, Soviet security concerns seen as expansion, and the collapse of trust over Eastern Europe and Germany.
Q2: The Airlift supplied West Berlin by air during the blockade; NATO was formed in 1949.
Q3: The American policy of stopping the spread of communism into new countries.
Q4: The USSR removed its missiles; the USA promised not to invade Cuba and secretly removed missiles from Turkey.
Q5: Any two: the Vietcong's guerrilla tactics and popular support, the corrupt South Vietnamese government, and opposition at home.
Q6: The easing of Cold War tension in the 1970s; for example, the SALT talks or summit meetings.
Q7: Glasnost was openness; perestroika was the restructuring of the failing Soviet economy.
Q8: It was dissolved into independent states, and Gorbachev resigned, ending the Cold War.

Sources & how we know this

CCEA GCSE History specification — CCEA (2017)