GCSE History: The Cold War 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In which year was the Berlin Wall built?
- 1955
- 1959
- 1961 (Correct answer)
- 1963
Correct answer: 1961
The Berlin Wall was built by East Germany beginning on 13 August 1961 to stop the mass emigration of East Germans to the West.
Question 2: What was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962?
- Cuba's invasion of the USA from Florida.
- A 13-day standoff after the USA discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. (Correct answer)
- The USA placing nuclear missiles in Mexico.
- Cuba's declaration of independence from the USSR.
Correct answer: A 13-day standoff after the USA discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day nuclear standoff in October 1962 when US spy planes discovered Soviet ballistic missiles being installed in Cuba.
Question 3: What was Sputnik, launched by the USSR in 1957?
- The first intercontinental ballistic missile
- The first artificial satellite to orbit Earth (Correct answer)
- The first Soviet nuclear bomb
- The first manned spacecraft
Correct answer: The first artificial satellite to orbit Earth
Sputnik was the world's first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957, marking the beginning of the Space Race.
Question 4: What was the Warsaw Pact (1955)?
- A peace treaty between the USA and USSR.
- A Soviet-led military alliance of Eastern European communist states formed in response to NATO. (Correct answer)
- An economic agreement to rebuild Eastern Europe.
- A nuclear non-proliferation agreement.
Correct answer: A Soviet-led military alliance of Eastern European communist states formed in response to NATO.
The Warsaw Pact was a Soviet-led collective defence treaty signed by the USSR and seven Eastern Bloc countries in 1955, countering NATO.
Question 5: What was the policy of 'Mutually Assured Destruction' (MAD)?
- Both superpowers agreeing to limit nuclear tests.
- The idea that a nuclear war would destroy both sides, deterring either from launching a first strike. (Correct answer)
- The USA's plan to use nuclear weapons against the USSR first.
- A policy to share nuclear technology with allies.
Correct answer: The idea that a nuclear war would destroy both sides, deterring either from launching a first strike.
MAD was the doctrine that full-scale use of nuclear weapons by either superpower would result in the complete annihilation of both the attacker and defender.
Question 6: The Soviet invasion of which country in 1979 reignited Cold War tensions after a period of détente?
- Poland
- Hungary
- Vietnam
- Afghanistan (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Afghanistan
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 severely worsened US-Soviet relations, leading to a US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
GCSE History: The Cold War 2
In which year was the Berlin Wall built?