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The End of the Cold War
Quick questions on The revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe explained: H2 History
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the pressure released?Show answer
The removal of the threat would have meant little had there not been powerful pressure waiting to be released. Decades of economic failure had left the Eastern bloc economies stagnant and unable to deliver the living standards of the West. Political repression had bred resentment, and organised opposition movements had developed over the preceding years. The example of reform in the Soviet Union itself, glasnost and perestroika, encouraged hopes of change.
What is the significance for the Cold War?Show answer
The revolutions of 1989 are widely seen as the moment the Cold War effectively ended in Europe. The division of the continent into two hostile blocs, which had been the core of the conflict since the late 1940s, simply dissolved. The Eastern European states left the Soviet orbit, the Warsaw Pact lost its purpose, and Germany moved toward reunification within the Western alliance. The peaceful character of the revolutions, made possible by Gorbachev's restraint, meant that the Cold War in Europe ended without the catastrophic war that decades of confrontation had threatened.
What is q1?Show answer
Explain why earlier reform movements in the Eastern bloc had failed but 1989 succeeded. [4 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Explain the role of popular pressure in the revolutions of 1989. [12 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
"The revolutions of 1989 ended the Cold War in Europe." How far do you agree? [20 marks]
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