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Development and Spread of the Cold War

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why did the superpowers pursue detente in the 1970s, and why did it not last?

Assess the causes, achievements and limits of superpower detente in the 1970s, and explain why tensions revived by the end of the decade
A focused answer to the H2 History development dot point on detente. The motives for relaxation, arms control and the 1975 Helsinki Accords, the limits of detente, and why confrontation revived at the end of the 1970s.
9 min answer →

Did the nuclear arms race make the Cold War more dangerous or more stable?

Assess the development of the nuclear arms race and the doctrine of deterrence, and whether nuclear weapons stabilised or destabilised the Cold War
A focused answer to the H2 History development dot point on the nuclear arms race. The spiral of weapons development, mutually assured destruction, the long peace argument, and whether nuclear weapons stabilised or endangered the Cold War.
9 min answer →

Why and how did the Cold War spread from Europe to Asia after 1949?

Explain how the Chinese Revolution and the Korean War spread and globalised the Cold War, and assess their impact on superpower relations
A focused answer to the H2 History development dot point on the spread to Asia. The 1949 Communist victory in China, the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, the globalisation and militarisation of containment, and the impact on superpower relations.
10 min answer →

Why did the Cuban Missile Crisis bring the world to the brink of nuclear war, and how was it resolved?

Assess the causes, course and significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 as the most dangerous moment of the Cold War
A focused answer to the H2 History development dot point on the Cuban Missile Crisis. The causes, the thirteen days of October 1962, the blockade and secret deal, brinkmanship, and the significance for superpower relations and detente.
10 min answer →

How far was the Vietnam War a Cold War conflict rather than a war of national liberation?

Assess the causes and significance of American involvement in Vietnam, and how far the war was a Cold War conflict or a nationalist struggle
A focused answer to the H2 History development dot point on Vietnam. The domino theory, American escalation, the war as containment versus nationalism, the significance of defeat, and the limits of superpower power.
10 min answer →