Unit 17: Paper 2 — The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries (20th Century)
Topic 17.1: Rivalry, mistrust and accord Questions
Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB History Topic 17.1. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.
1Choose1 mark
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q14
What was significant about the INF Treaty of 1987 compared with earlier arms-control deals?
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question2Discuss15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q9
Discuss the view that Stalin's foreign policy between 1947 and 1949 was essentially defensive.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question3Examine15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q1
Examine the reasons why the wartime Grand Alliance had broken down by 1946.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question4Compare and contrast15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q6
Compare and contrast the role of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in bringing about the end of the Cold War.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question5Choose1 mark
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q11
By what name do historians usually call the wartime partnership of the USA, the USSR and Britain against Nazi Germany?
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question6Evaluate15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q7
Evaluate the impact of the atomic bomb on relations between the USA and the USSR in 1945.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question7Choose1 mark
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q11
In which year did the USSR test its first atomic bomb, ending the American nuclear monopoly?
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question8Choose1 mark
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q13
What event in December 1979 is usually seen as the trigger for the collapse of détente?
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question9Choose1 mark
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q12
Which three leaders attended the Yalta Conference in February 1945?
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question10Choose1 mark
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q14
Who delivered the 1946 'Iron Curtain' speech at Fulton, Missouri?
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question11Examine15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q1
Examine the reasons why the United States adopted the policy of containment in 1947.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question12Evaluate15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q3
Evaluate the importance of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences in the deterioration of relations between the USA and the USSR.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question13Discuss15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q4
Discuss the view that Soviet security fears, rather than a desire to spread communism, drove Stalin's policy in Eastern Europe.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question14Choose1 mark
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q15
Which term describes Gorbachev's policy of 'openness', allowing people to criticise the government?
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question15Choose1 mark
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q15
Which pair correctly matches a Soviet organisation with its main purpose?
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question16Evaluate15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q2
Evaluate the view that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) was the main reason the Cold War never became a direct 'hot' war between the superpowers.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question17Examine15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q8
Examine the impact of wartime events between 1941 and 1945 on the trust between the USA and the USSR.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question18Discuss15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q3
Discuss the causes of the Berlin Blockade of 1948.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question19Discuss15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q10
Discuss the view that the Grand Alliance was always a 'marriage of convenience' doomed to collapse once the war ended.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock Question20Examine15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q1
Examine the reasons for the nuclear arms race between the USA and the USSR in the years 1945 to 1963.
Markscheme and model answer locked
Unlock QuestionReady to practice Topic 17.1?
Get instant AI feedback on your answers, view detailed markschemes, and track your progress across all IB History topics.