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.
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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?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q11
In which year did the USSR test its first atomic bomb, ending the American nuclear monopoly?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q13
What event in December 1979 is usually seen as the trigger for the collapse of détente?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q12
Which three leaders attended the Yalta Conference in February 1945?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q14
Who delivered the 1946 'Iron Curtain' speech at Fulton, Missouri?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q15
Which term describes Gorbachev's policy of 'openness', allowing people to criticise the government?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q15
Which pair correctly matches a Soviet organisation with its main purpose?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q14
In which year did the Soviet Union create the Warsaw Pact?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q11
In which month and year did President Truman announce the Truman Doctrine to Congress?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q13
Which Western action in June 1948 most directly triggered the Berlin Blockade?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q12
Which two agreements were both signed in 1972 as part of détente?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q13
Which issue was a major source of tension specifically at the Potsdam Conference of July-August 1945?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.1 - Q15
Why did Stalin want a 'buffer zone' of friendly states in Eastern Europe after the war?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q12
What was the approximate value of aid provided by the Marshall Plan (the European Recovery Program)?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.2 - Q4
To what extent was the Soviet Union responsible for the division of Europe by 1955?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.4 - Q11
In which year did Mao Zedong and Stalin sign the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.4 - Q13
The 1969 border clashes between China and the USSR took place at which location?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.4 - Q15
Full diplomatic relations between the USA and the People's Republic of China were established on 1 January 1979 under which two leaders?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.4 - Q12
What did Khrushchev's 1956 Secret Speech attack?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 17.1.3 - Q14
What was significant about the INF Treaty of 1987 compared with earlier arms-control deals?
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