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Unit 2: International Relations 1945 to 2003 (the Cold War)

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did the Cold War turn into hot war in Korea and to the brink of nuclear war over Cuba?

Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis: the Korean War of 1950 to 1953 as a Cold War conflict, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 and its consequences.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to two Cold War crises. Covers the Korean War of 1950 to 1953 and the policy of containment, the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, how nuclear war was avoided, and the consequences for superpower relations including the hotline and the Test Ban Treaty.
13 min answer →

Why did the wartime alliance break down into the Cold War, and what did the Berlin Blockade reveal?

Origins of the Cold War and the Berlin Blockade: the breakdown of the wartime alliance, the division of Germany, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949, and the formation of NATO.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the origins of the Cold War. Covers the breakdown of the wartime alliance, ideological and security differences, the division of Germany and Berlin, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949, and the formation of NATO.
14 min answer →

Why did the Cold War end between 1985 and 1991?

The end of the Cold War: Gorbachev's reforms, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the end of the Cold War. Covers Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika, the renewed tension of the early 1980s, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
13 min answer →

Why did the USA fail in Vietnam, and how did detente ease Cold War tensions in the 1970s?

Vietnam and detente: American involvement in the Vietnam War and why the USA failed, and the easing of tension in the 1970s through detente and arms control.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to Vietnam and detente. Covers American involvement in the Vietnam War, the reasons the USA failed against the Vietcong, and the easing of Cold War tension in the 1970s through detente, including the SALT arms-control talks and improved diplomacy.
13 min answer →