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Studentactivities1.
We have outlined the most important part of the Cold War from the examiners' point of view. This
can be concluded by studying how Questionsare set in exams. Questions about how the Cold War
started, The Truman Doctrine, containment and the Korean War are frequent in IB exams. What is
very important is to use this knowledgeto structureyour essayanswer.The questionsabout the origins
of the Cold War do not require an ability to write one full essay about the Truman Doctrine or any
other event from the period. You need to use events from the period 1945-50 to answer such a
question and to form an argument. So if we should simplif, what we have done so far, you are
expectedto know:
The consequencesof 'W.W.II including the Yalta and Potsdamconferences,
The ideologies and be able to explain them.
The main interpretations i.e. historiography
1946
Kennan's Long Telegram
Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
Byrnes' s StuttgartSpeech
The developmentin EasternEurope T945-48
1947
The Truman Doctrine and the policy of containment
The Marshall Plan
1948
Yugoslavia
The coup in Czechoslovakia
The Berlin Airlift
1949
The establishmentof two separateGerman states
NATO
The RussianA-bomb
China turns to communism
1950-53
the NSC-68 report
Why the Korean War started
The question how or why the Cold War started brings us to an important issue, namely when did it
start? Officially there is no formal starting point, even if many historians refer to the Truman Doctrine.
We have earlier defined the Cold War as a stateof permanenthostile relations between the two camps,
which could not be allowed to become "hot" due to the existenceof nuclear weapons.It has been
arguedthat:
.
The Cold War can be tracedback to the RussianCivil War in I9I8-21 when the White forces
were supportedby the Westernpowers.
Did it start at the Potsdam conference?There were heated arguments over developments in
Eastern Europe. No agreementwas made over reparations and Truman, who was informed
about the existence of the Atomic Bomb during the conference, did not properly inform
Stalin, only the British.
Was it the dropping of the bomb on the 6thof August T945that started the Cold War? The
USSR meant to attack Japanon the 8thbut was not informed by the Americans that they were
going to use the bomb. It was the last battle of. W.W.II but the first battle of the Cold War.
The use of the bomb and post-war discussionsabout how to sharenuclear technology deeply
affected Stalin.
How much attention should be paid to the Iron Curtain speech?After all, Churchill was an
ex-leader when he made the speechand it was met with suspicionby many Americans. On
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and on Stalin' Some historians have
the other hand, it had a major impact on US opinion
after the speech, which deePlY
argued that Stalin tighten.d hit grip on Eastern Europe
affectedthe West.
a new role to meet what theY
with the Truman Doctrine in Ig47 the uS officially declared
Plan was seen as "dollar
perceived as the challenge of communism. The Marshall
imperialism"bY the USSR.
ntherealsense.Don,tuseitaSanexampleofa..war,,inan
essay.
and discussthe importanceof some
without a formal start of this,.war" you can only propose
arguethat eventsafter 1947 were
to
starting points like those mentioned-above.It is possible
effects of the Cold War more than causesof the Cold War
questions:
Before answering some essayquestions,answer the following
cold war (don't includeYalta and
1. In what way did the eventsof w.w. II contributeto the
Potsdam)?
the Yalta and Potsdammeetings?
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7 . What was the Berlin airlift and what did it lead to?
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6. Why are the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Aid programmeso important?
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5. What early sign of a changingattitude from the Westernpowers could we seein 1946?
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4. What happenedin Eastern Europe between 1945-48 and what was decided at Ya\ta, which
made this development unacceptableto the US? How would Stalin defend it? This is
important if you want to discussthe developmentin EasternEurope.
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8. In what way was 1949 ayear which brought trouble to the US?
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9. Whv did the Korean War start?
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10. What were the effects of the war?
i 1. Wh.tt do vou think the Cold War started?
Cold War:
We shall now outline some typical exam questions on the origins of the
To what extent was the Cold War a result of World War II?
,,The Cold War was a result of two conflicting ideologies".How far do you agree?
,,The Cold War was mainly causedby fear and less due to aggression".Do you agree?
events from the
How is it possibleto e*piain the emergenceof the Cold War by referring to
period 1945-50?
and Asia L941-50?
5. To what extent had the policy of containmentbeen successfulin Europe
War?
Cold
6. To what extent was the Korean War a part of the
1.
Z.
3.
4.
points. There is normally
We wilt provide you with some outlines with suggested answer
be useful to do the
o,finalro
might
it
think
answer to such a question and we
never a
following:
l. Study the question.What doesit require?What kind of questionis it?
templates.one for a
z. outline yory suggestedanswer points. After this page there will be two
them when you are
use
and
copies
list quesiion and one for an either/or question.Make some
outlining Your essay.
you have used another
3. Study oui model answerand comp are itwith your own. It may be that
the answers.
approachthat is just as relevant.The importantthing is to assessand compare
ld War from the perspective of the different schools of
listing different events in
interpretation. Try to avoid a nartative account where you are sim.nlv
of the Cold War. But you
chronological ordl, - use the different schools when explaining the origins
,'trap" i.e. you must support each school of thought thoroughly by
must avoid a historiographic
referrins to different events.
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