Practice Exam Questions

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Paper 2 is an essay paper based on 12 world history topics of which students at Island School study two ​topics, Authoritarian States and the Cold War. Each topic gives you a choice of two questions to answer and you have to answer two exam questions, one for the Cold War, and one for Authoritarian States. Paper 2 is 1 hour 30 minutes in duration which gives you 45 minutes per essay question. The maximum mark for this paper is 30 marks, 15 marks per essay. To practice, try these exam essay questions from past papers:

May 2019

"China's relations with the USSR and the US were largely shaped by increasing mistrust and suspicion." Discuss with reference to the period between 1947 and 1979.

"The actions of individual leaders had a significant impact on the development of the Cold War." Discuss with reference to two leaders, each from a different region.

Nov ​2018	“Superpower rivalry in Europe and Asia between 1943 and 1949 led to the breakdown of the grand alliance.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	Discuss the impact of two Cold War crises, each from a different region, on the development of superpower tensions.
May ​2018	​"Economic problems between 1980 and 1991 were the most significant reason for the end of the Cold War." To what extent do you agree with this statement?	Compare and contrast the impact of two leaders, each from a different region, on the development of the Cold War.
Nov ​2017	"Confrontation rather than reconciliation ended the Cold War." Discuss with reference to the period from 1980 to 1991.	Evaluate the impact of two leaders, each from a different region, on the course of the Cold War.
May ​2017	​To what extent did economic interests rather than ideology lead to the breakdown of the grand alliance between 1943 and 1949?	Evaluate the impact of Cold War tensions on two ​countries (excluding the USSR and the US).
Spec Paper	​Examine the impact of the US policy of containment on superpower relations 1947 - 1964.	​Evaluate the impact upon the course of the Cold War of two crises, each chosen from a different region.

WARNING! The questions below are from the old specification. The new specification for students starting in 2015 will only give two question choices for each topic. New style questions WILL NOT refer to specific events! Instead, the questions will be more general and will allow you to use a range of case studies and events as examples.

Nov 2016	“The struggle to establish spheres of influence destroyed the wartime alliance.” Discuss with reference to US–Soviet relations up to 1950.	Evaluate the successes and failures of the US policies of containment and brinkmanship up to 1962.	Examine the reasons for the policy of detente, and its impact on superpower relations, between 1969 and 1979.	Examine the impact of either Afghanistan or Vietnam on the Cold War.	Evaluate the economic impact of the Cold War on two states, each from a different region.	Evaluate the role of Gorbachev in ending the Cold War.
May ​2016	​To what extent did the Sovietisation of Eastern and Central Europe contribute to the emergence of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?	Evaluate the impact of the Cold War on the outbreak and development of either ​the Korean War or ​the Vietnam War.	"The Cold War had a significant impact on the effectiveness of the United Nations between 1945 and 1989." Discuss.	Examine the view that the policy of peaceful coexistence failed to promote good relations between the US and the USSR up to 1964.	​Examine the cultural impact of the Cold War on ​two ​countries, each chosen from a different region.	To what extent did internal problems contribute to the break-up of the Soviet Union?

Nov ​2015	To what extent were Soviet policies responsible for worsening relations among the wartime allies in the period up to 1950?	With reference to two of the following: Korea (1950–1953); Congo (1960–1964); Cuba (1959–1963), evaluate their impact on the development of the Cold War.	Discuss the social and cultural impact of the global spread of the Cold War on two countries (excluding the US and the USSR), each chosen from a different region.	Examine the significance of the Cold War on events in the Middle East from 1956 to 1973.	Compare and contrast US relations with China and the USSR during detente.	To what extent was the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 due to external pressures?
May ​2015	​Evaluate the successes and failures of the Marshall Plan.	Evaluate the influence of Cold War tensions on two military conflicts, each chosen from a different region.	​“Truman caused the Cold War and, in 1962, Kennedy resolved its greatest crisis.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	​Evaluate the reasons why two nations, each chosen from a different region, joined the Non-Aligned Movement.	Examine the internal and external factors that led to the establishment of the Warsaw Pact.	Examine the social and cultural impact of the breakdown of Soviet control in any state you have studied in Central/Eastern Europe.
Nov ​2014	Examine the importance of each of the following in the rise to power of either Stalin or Hitler: popular support for their aims; underestimation by opponents; economic conditions.	Compare and contrast the economic and social policies of two of the following: Mao; Nasser; Castro.	With reference to two authoritarian or single-party states, each chosen from a different region, evaluate the effectiveness of the methods used to deal with opposition.	With reference to two authoritarian or single-party states, each chosen from a different region, evaluate the impact of domestic policies on the status of women.	To what extent was Nyerere successful in achieving his domestic policy aims in Tanzania?	“The use of force was the most important factor in the maintenance of power of the authoritarian or single-party leader.” With reference to two authoritarian or single-party leaders, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
May 2014	“The conferences of 1945 at Yalta and Potsdam marked both the high point and the breaking point of the wartime alliance of East and West.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	​In what ways, and with what success, did the US attempt to prevent the global spread of Soviet influence between 1945 and 1962?	​Examine the social and economic impact of the Cold War on two states (excluding the US and the USSR) each drawn from a different region.	​Assess the significance of events in either Korea (1950–1953) or the Congo (1960–1964) on the development of the Cold War.	Examine the changing nature of US–Chinese relations between 1949 and 1972.	​Evaluate the role of internal problems in the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Nov ​2013	“The claim that the breakdown of superpower relations between 1945 and 1950 was the result of mutual fear and suspicion has been greatly exaggerated.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	In what ways, and to what extent, did the Soviet policy of peaceful coexistence affect superpower relations from 1956 to 1964?	Analyse the reasons for the adoption and abandonment of the policy of détente (1969–1979).	Compare and contrast two of the following as Cold War conflicts: Korea (1950–1953); Congo (1960–1964); Vietnam (1965–1973); Afghanistan (1979–1989).	Account for the changing nature of Sino–Soviet relations from 1949 to 1976.	Examine the role played by economic factors and the arms race in the collapse of the USSR and the end of the Cold War by 1991.
May ​2013	​“Mutual fears and the search for security were the reasons for the breakdown of East–West relations between 1945 and 1949.” With specific reference to developments in this period, to what extent do you agree with this statement?	​Analyse the reasons for, and results of, the adoption and expansion of the doctrine of containment up to 1962.	For what reasons, and with what results, did Sino–Soviet relations deteriorate after 1953?	Assess the contribution of one of the following to the development of Cold War tensions: Mao; Kennedy; Reagan.	​Analyse the role of the war in Afghanistan (1979–1988) in hastening the decline of the Soviet Union.	With reference to two states, each chosen from a different region (excluding the United States and the USSR), examine the economic impact of the Cold War.
Nov ​2012	Evaluate the importance of each of the following in the breakdown of East–West relations, 1945–1949: the Potsdam Conference; the sovietization of Eastern and Central Europe; the Marshall Plan.	Compare and contrast the methods and extent of superpower success in maintaining control of their spheres of influence up to 1962.	For what reasons did the Soviet Union, after the death of Stalin (1953), begin and end the policy of peaceful coexistence?	Analyse the role of one of the following in the development of the Cold War: Castro; Mao; Reagan.	Assess the economic and social impact of the Cold War on two countries (excluding the US and USSR), each chosen from a different region.	“The break-up of the Soviet Union was the unintended result of changes introduced by the Soviet leadership from 1985 onwards.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
May ​2012	Assess the role of Truman and Stalin in the origins and development of the Cold War.	“The sovietization of Eastern and Central Europe after the Second World War was undertaken as a defensive measure by the Soviet Union.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	Analyse the reasons for, and consequences of, the breakdown of Sino–Soviet relations in the 1950s and 1960s.	Assess the economic and social impact of superpower involvement in one of the following: Cuba (after 1959); Congo (after 1960); Afghanistan (after 1979).	In what ways, and with what significance, did either Kennedy or Reagan influence the development of the Cold War?	​For what reasons, and in what ways, did Cold War tensions hinder the work of the United Nations?
Nov ​2011	“The Potsdam Conference marked the end of the wartime alliance and laid the foundations for post-war hostility.” With reference to the period up to 1949, to what extent do you agree with this statement?	With reference to two countries, each chosen from a different region (excluding the US or the USSR), assess the social and economic impact of the Cold War.	In what ways, and with what success, did the US and the USSR attempt to reduce Cold War tensions between 1956 and 1979?	For what reasons, and with what results, did the Cold War affect the Middle East between 1956 and 1979?	Compare and contrast the impact of two of the following leaders on the Cold War: Mao; Castro; Kennedy.	To what extent did (a) ideological and (b) economic factors contribute to the ending of the Cold War?
May 2011	​“The Potsdam Conference marked the end of the wartime alliance and laid the foundations for post-war hostility.” With reference to the period up to 1949, to what extent do you agree with this statement?	With reference to two countries, each chosen from a different region (excluding the US or the USSR), assess the social and economic impact of the Cold War.	In what ways, and with what success, did the US and the USSR attempt to reduce Cold War tensions between 1956 and 1979?	For what reasons, and with what results, did the Cold War affect the Middle East between 1956 and 1979?	Compare and contrast the impact of two of the following leaders on the Cold War: Mao; Castro; Kennedy.	To what extent did (a) ideological and (b) economic factors contribute to the ending of the Cold War?
Nov ​2010	​Compare and contrast the roles of Truman and Stalin in the breakdown of East–West relations.	Assess the impact of either the Vietnam War (1964–1975) or the Afghanistan War (1979–1988) on the development of the Cold War.	For what reasons, and with what results, did the Sino–Soviet split influence the Cold War?	“The US and the USSR were successful in their efforts to maintain their spheres of influence between 1950 and 1962.” To what extent do you agree with this assertion?	To what extent was the breakdown of the Soviet Union by 1991 due to economic causes	Analyse the social and economic impact of the Cold War on two countries, each chosen from a different region.
May 2010	​To what extent were the policies of the United States responsible for the outbreak and development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?	​Compare and contrast the significance of leaders in two Cold War conflicts, each chosen from a different region, between 1950 and 1963.	Analyse the impact of the Cold War on the Middle East between 1956 and 1973.	​Assess the achievements and limitations of détente between 1969 and 1979.	​“The Cold War came to an end due to the hard-line approach of Ronald Reagan’s policies in the early 1980s.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	​Discuss the economic impact of the Cold War in two countries, each chosen from a different region.
Nov ​2009	“The events of 1945 marked both the high point and the breakdown of East–West relations.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	For what reasons, and with what results, did either the USA or the USSR enter into a period of détente from 1970?	Assess the economic impact of the Cold War on two countries, each chosen from a different region.	Analyse the role of either Korea or the Middle East in the development of the Cold War.	​To what extent was the arms race the principal reason for the end of the Cold War?	N/A
May ​2009	For what reasons, and with what results, were there disagreements between participants at the conferences of Yalta and Potsdam in 1945?	​Define and analyse the importance of two of the following: (a) the formation of NATO; (b) the Warsaw Pact; (c) non-alignment; (d) détente.	Examine the role and importance of fear and suspicion in the development of the Cold War between 1953 and 1975.	In what ways were social and gender issues affected by the Cold War in two countries, each chosen from a different region?	​Why did the Cold War spread from Europe to other parts of the world after 1950?	N/A
Nov ​2008	“The importance of ideology as the major cause of the Cold War has been greatly exaggerated.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	For what reasons, and with what results, did the Soviet Union become involved with Cuba after 1959?	Explain how the Cold War affected the art and culture of one country from 1945 to 1991.	In what ways, and with what results, did the US implement the policy of containment in Asia between 1950 and 1975?	Why did the Cold War end?	N/A
May 2008	Analyse the origin of East-West rivalry and explain why it developed into the Cold War.	For what reasons, and with what results, did the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan affect Cold War development?	Compare and contrast the roles of Korea and Vietnam in the Cold War.	Explain the meaning of two of the following and show how each affected the development of the Cold War: containment; brinkmanship; non-alignment; détente.	​When and why did the Cold War end?	N/A
Nov ​2007	“The breakdown of East-West relations was due to the failure of both sides to appreciate the fears of the other.” With reference to the period 1945–53, to what extent do you agree with this statement?	How effective was the United States policy of containment up to 1962?	For what reasons, and with what results for East-West relations, did the superpowers become involved in the affairs of one of the following: Korea; Vietnam; the Middle East?	To what extent was the collapse of communist regimes the result of domestic problems rather than external pressures?	Compare and contrast the role of education and the arts in one communist and one non-communist state.	N/A
May ​2007	Assess the part played by differing ideologies in the origin of the Cold War.	In what ways, and with what results, was Germany the key focus of the early stages of the Cold War?	Analyse the part played by Cuba in the development of the Cold War.	Evaluate the role of one superpower in the Cold War after 1970.	​To what extent did economic problems in the Communist bloc bring about the end of the Cold War?	N/A
Nov ​2006	Analyse the responsibility of the USA and the USSR for the outbreak and development of the Cold War, up to 1949.	Compare and contrast the economic policies and military alliances of the USSR and USA after 1947.	To what extent was the movement for non-alignment a development of the Cold War?	In what ways, and for what reasons, did the Vietnam War affect superpower relations?	Assess the importance of economic issues in ending the Cold War.	N/A
May ​2006	“An unnatural alliance that was bound to fall apart after the defeat of the common enemy.” To what extent does this statement explain the origin of the Cold War?	In what ways, and with what results, did the United States’ Cold War policy of containment affect Cuba after 1959?	Compare and contrast the roles of China and Germany in the Cold War.	Analyse the importance of détente in ending the Cold War.	Examine the part played by economic issues in the development of the Cold War.	N/A
Nov ​2005	To what extent were Soviet policies responsible for the outbreak and development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?	In what ways, and for what reasons, was the Middle East important in the Cold War?	Identify and explain the significance of two of the following in the development of the Cold War: COMECON; Marshall Plan; NATO; Warsaw Pact.	Compare and contrast the social and economic effects of the Cold War on two countries each chosen from a different region.	​Analyse the factors which led to the ending of the Cold War.	N/A
May ​2005	​Assess the part played by differing ideologies in the origin of the Cold War.	In what ways, and with what results, was Germany the key focus of the early stages of the Cold War?	Analyse the part played by Cuba in the development of the Cold War.	​Evaluate the role of one superpower in the Cold War after 1970.	To what extent did economic problems in the Communist bloc bring about the end of the Cold War?	N/A