← History syllabus

EnglandHistory

Superpower relations and the Cold War 1941 to 91

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did Soviet control of Eastern Europe cause Cold War crises between 1956 and 1970?

The Cold War crises of 1956 to 1970 caused by Soviet control of Eastern Europe: the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, the Prague Spring and Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and the Brezhnev Doctrine.
A focused answer to the Soviet control crises in Edexcel's Superpower relations period study, covering the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, the Prague Spring and Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and the Brezhnev Doctrine, with the causes, events and consequences of each.
13 min answer →

How did the Cold War begin between 1941 and 1958?

The origins of the Cold War: the Grand Alliance and the wartime conferences (Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam), the breakdown of trust, the Iron Curtain and Soviet satellite states, the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, and Cominform, Comecon, NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
A focused answer to Key Topic 1 of Edexcel's Superpower relations period study, covering the Grand Alliance, the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences, the breakdown of trust, the Iron Curtain, the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, and the formation of Cominform, Comecon, NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
14 min answer →

How did the nuclear arms race shape the Cold War from 1945 to 1991?

The arms race and nuclear rivalry across the Cold War: the development of atomic and hydrogen bombs, the doctrine of mutually assured destruction, the role of the space race, and the arms-control agreements that tried to limit the danger.
A focused answer tracing the nuclear arms race across Edexcel's Superpower relations period study, covering the atomic and hydrogen bombs, mutually assured destruction, the space race, and the arms-control agreements from the Test Ban Treaty to the INF Treaty, and how the arms race shaped the whole Cold War.
12 min answer →

Why did Berlin become a flashpoint of the Cold War?

Berlin as a Cold War flashpoint: the Berlin Blockade and airlift (1948 to 1949) and the division of Germany, and the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 with its causes and consequences.
A focused answer to the Berlin crises in Edexcel's Superpower relations period study, covering the Berlin Blockade and airlift of 1948 to 1949 and the division of Germany, and the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961, with the causes and consequences of each.
13 min answer →

Why was the Cuban Missile Crisis the most dangerous moment of the Cold War?

The Cuban Missile Crisis: its origins (the Cuban Revolution, the Bay of Pigs and Soviet missiles), the events of the thirteen days in October 1962, how the crisis was resolved, and its consequences for superpower relations.
A focused answer to the Cuban Missile Crisis in Edexcel's Superpower relations period study, covering its origins (the Cuban Revolution, the Bay of Pigs and Soviet missiles), the thirteen days of October 1962, the resolution, and the consequences for the Cold War.
14 min answer →

How did the Cold War move from detente to its end between 1970 and 1991?

The end of the Cold War: detente and the SALT and Helsinki agreements, the renewed tension of the Second Cold War after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Gorbachev's new thinking, and the collapse of the Soviet bloc by 1991.
A focused answer to Key Topic 3 of Edexcel's Superpower relations period study, covering detente and the SALT and Helsinki agreements, the Second Cold War after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Gorbachev's new thinking, and the collapse of the Soviet bloc by 1991.
14 min answer →