Unit 17: Paper 2 — The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries (20th Century)

Topic 17.2: Leaders and nations Questions

Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB History Topic 17.2. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.

1Choose1 mark
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What name is given to the Vietnamese refugees who fled by sea, especially after the 1975 communist victory?
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2Choose1 mark
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Which United States policy aimed to stop communism from spreading without attacking it where it already ruled?
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3Choose1 mark
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What did Reagan and Gorbachev agree in the INF Treaty of 1987?
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4Choose1 mark
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Who used the phrase 'Iron Curtain' in a famous 1946 speech to describe the divide across Europe?
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5Choose1 mark
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The Brezhnev Doctrine of 'limited sovereignty' was declared after the Soviet suppression of which event?
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6Choose1 mark
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Soviet tanks crushed reform movements in Eastern Europe in which two years?
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7Compare and contrast15 marks
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Compare and contrast the Cold War policies of Truman and Reagan.
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8Choose1 mark
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Which term describes the close, mutually reinforcing relationship between the US armed forces and arms-manufacturing companies, coined by President Eisenhower in 1961?
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9Examine15 marks
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Examine the reasons for, and consequences of, the rise of McCarthyism in the USA.
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10Analyse15 marks
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Analyse the effects of the Vietnam War on the countries directly involved in the conflict.
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11Examine15 marks
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Examine the economic impact of the Cold War on two countries, each chosen from a different region.
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12To what extent15 marks
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To what extent did the Vietnam War transform cultural life in the USA?
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13Compare and contrast15 marks
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Compare and contrast the impact of the Cold War on two countries, each chosen from a different region.
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14Evaluate15 marks
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Evaluate the importance of the military-industrial complex in shaping the American economy during the Cold War.
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15Evaluate15 marks
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Evaluate the extent to which McCarthyism represents the most significant social impact of the Cold War on the USA.
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16Discuss15 marks
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Discuss the view that the Cold War affected society far more severely in Vietnam than in the USA.
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17Discuss15 marks
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Discuss the impact of foreign intervention on the economy and society of one Cold War country from Asia and Oceania.
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18To what extent15 marks
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To what extent was fear the most significant factor in shaping Cold War society in the USA?
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19Examine15 marks
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Examine the role of Soviet leaders in the origins and early development of the Cold War.
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20Examine15 marks
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Examine the significance of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis for superpower relations.
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