CHAPTER 1: COLD WAR [8]

Transcription

1 (a) CHAPTER 1: COLD WAR Explain why Stalin imposed a blockade in Berlin in the 1940s. Firstly, Stalin imposed a blockade in Berlin due to the increasing tensions between USA and USSR as a result of fundamental differences in ideology. Both superpowers had conflicting visions over Germany. USSR wanted Germany to become communist and Stalin wanted to achieve this by using the Soviet-controlled government in the Soviet zone as a base to spread communism to the rest of the country. On the other hand, the Western powers, especially the USA and Britain, were anxious to keep the rest of Germany under their own sphere of influence. Hence, this led to the Berlin Blockade as their differences in ideology had resulted in different views with regard to how the Germans should be living their lives. USSR disliked the fact that Western Allies were in Berlin as their capitalist way of life was on show. However, the Western Allies wanted to be in Berlin because they wanted to prevent USSR from controlling the capital of Germany. They also wanted to observe Soviet activity behind the iron curtain. Thus, Stalin decided to impose blockade Berlin off Western influence in order to keep Germany weak and to ensure that the Germans living in the Soviet zone would not rebel against Communist influence. [8] Secondly, Stalin imposed a blockade in Berlin due to differences in how Germany should be reconstructed. USSR was furious with USA s attempt to help Germany to recover economically after WWII. This is evident from the introduction of a new currency, the Deutsch Mark, which replaced the worthless Reichsmark and Rentenmark in the Western zones. Stalin was very angry at this measure because this helped to prevent hyperinflation and steady the prices of German export products. Seeing that there was a strong economic recovery in the Western Zones, it propelled Stalin to blockade Berlin because Stalin feared that a strong Germany would become a military threat. Thus, Stalin saw the need to blockade Berlin because he was angered by the measures of economic reunification the West introduced since he felt that a strong economy would lead to an eventual reunification of Germany.

2 (b) Gorbachev s policies did more harm than good. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [12] No, Gorbachev s foreign policy reforms were a success. For example, he aimed to cultivate friendly relations with the West and believed that Eastern European states should be allowed to handle their political affairs without Soviet interference. In November 1985, Reagan and Gorbachev met for the first time at the Geneva Summit. This meeting established friendly and personal relationship between the two leaders. Eventually the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed where both leaders agreed to remove the mobile intermediate range missiles deployed in Europe as a result of Able Archer 83. This was the first agreement between the superpowers that led to arms reduction. Gorbachev also removed troops from Eastern Europe and Afghanistan to cease Soviet interference in the affairs of other countries. Eastern European countries then had the freedom to choose their own governments. Thus, Gorbachev s foreign policy reforms were a success and did more good to the people in these countries. Yes, Gorbachev s policies brought more harm than good as he caused the whole country to be in chaos. He wanted to revive the Soviet Union by implementing a series of reforms, but they had the unintended effect of unleashing forces that brought about the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Firstly, Gorbachev introduced glasnost, which means openness, and essentially called for greater transparency, freedom of speech and expression. By implementing Glasnost, he sought to give his supporters permission to speak out in favour of reform, and to provide the space and opportunities to convince the Soviet people that these reforms were necessary. Hence, he began by launching series of public debates in He instructed the Soviet censors to relax the censorship of books, journals and newspapers. Soviet writers were given freedom to voice their opinions on the need for reform. New editors were appointed. The release of prominent Soviet dissident, Andrei Sakharov, from exile in Siberia in December 1986 also signified that dissident voices would now be forgiven and heard without the fear of imprisonment. Gorbachev also permitted new discussions on and reconstructions of Soviet history, believing that this would help explain why his reforms were necessary. However, all these did more harm than good for the people. The relaxation of censorship and new revelations about Soviet history caused people to realise the issues facing the country. The government had previously denied the existence of problems such as poor housing, food shortages and high mortality rates. It also suppressed vital information such as the government s purges and Stalin s atrocities. The positive picture of Soviet life that the government previously presented to the public fell apart. Many citizens in the Soviet bloc felt that their government had lied to them and deprived them of what the rest of the world had access to. They lost confidence in the vision and rule of the communist governments and increasingly desired independence. (9m)Secondly, Gorbachev wanted to encourage greater interest, productivity and investment among Soviet workers in their respective industries and improve the economy of the Soviet Union and hence encouraged Perestroika. However, Perestroika was also a failure. The government had relaxed

3 its control over the kinds of goods and services that may be produced and the quantities. But, it still retained controls over the means of production, such as trucks and tractors. Small business owners had to pay high taxes and deal with dishonest officials for these technologies. Agricultural infrastructures and storage and refrigeration facilities remained very inadequate. Thus, Perestroika was a failure as many soviet citizens lost interest in wanting to start up their own businesses, shortage of food and other basic necessities were common. Thus, the lives of people had not improved and Perestroika failed to revive Soviet economy.. To the general Soviet public, Gorbachev s policies did not improve the lives of the people. Instead, it caused people to be aware of the issues the country was facing and caused them to go against the current government and to desire for independence. The only consolation was that he managed to reduce arms and allow more money to be allocated to the production of goods and services for the people. However, in the long run, Gorbachev s policies caused a major change in the Soviet s politics and Soviet Union was eventually dissolved in This was better for the peace in the world as USA and Soviet Union no longer had to compete, Cold War ended and there was increase in cooperation between the superpowers.

4 (a) Explain how United States and the Soviet Union caused the Korean War. The United States caused the Korean War when it tried to prevent the spread of communism to Korea. Korea was important to the United States in light of the Cold War context as the United States sought to prevent Korea from turning communist in light of the communist victory in China. The involvement of the United States in Korea was therefore driven by its determination to apply containment beyond Europe on a global basis. Following the invasion of South Korea, the United States and the United Nations therefore decided to intervene in repelling the invasion by sending in American and United Nations forces to resist the invasion of south Korea. Therefore, the United States was a reason why the Korean War occurred as the United States intervened to protect and prevent South Korea from falling to communism. The Soviet Union caused the Korean War as it tried to spread its ideology of communism to the entire Korean peninsula. Korea was important to the Soviet Union and the communist bloc in light of the Cold War context as the communist bloc sought to expand its global influence. The Soviet Union provided military supplies such as Soviet tanks, artillery, and fighter planes to North Korea. The Soviet Union was also involved in training the North Korean forces and providing economic support to North Korea. Therefore, the Soviet Union was a reason why the Korean War occurred because the Soviet Union provided the necessary support for North Korea to invade South Korea. [8]

5 (b) The failure of the Soviet economy brought about the end of the Cold War. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [12] I agree with the statement that the failure of the Soviet economy brought about the end of the Cold War to only a small extent as there were other factors such as the economic might of the United States and the policies of Gorbachev that brought about the end of the Cold War. Each of these factors had a role to play in ending the Cold War and it is therefore not accurate to only attribute the end of the Cold War to the failure of the Soviet economy. In light of these factors, the Soviet economy can therefore be counted as a long term factor together with the economic might of the United States and the policies of Gorbachev as the immediate short term causes which precipitated the end of the Cold War. Yes e.g. The failure of the Soviet economy was a factor that led to the end of the Cold War in Europe. The structural weaknesses of the command economy resulted in the Soviet economy underperforming and the Soviet citizens having a continued lack of consumer goods such as clothes, electronics, housing and food. In addition, Soviet citizens had a low quality of life because the Soviet Union devoted its resources to the production of military goods and weapons to match up to the United States during the arms race. The Soviet economy was also further drained due to its support of poorer communist economies as well as the Soviet-Afghan War. The failure of the Soviet economy therefore led to the end of the Cold War as it resulted in the lack of support and growing internal pressures from its citizens for political and economic reforms. No e.g. The economic might of the United States was a factor that led to the end of the Cold War in Europe. Due to Ronald Reagan s economic reforms such as economic liberation, the economies of the United States and the Western European countries saw a significant improvement in the early 1980s. In particular, the West enjoyed a financial boom in the 1980s, showing the success of capitalism. The economic might of the United States therefore led to the end of the Cold War because it showed the Soviet Union how strong and economically sound capitalism was, and that the Soviet Union were unable to compete against it. e.g. Mikhail Gorbachev s policies of glasnost was a factor that led to the end of the Cold War. The policy of glasnost called for greater transparency, as well as freedom of speech and expression. Through this policy, Gorbachev hoped that the Soviet citizens would discuss the economic and social problems affecting the country. However, the relaxation of censorship and new revelations about Soviet history resulted in the previously positive picture about soviet life falling apart. Many citizens felt that the government had lied to them and lost confidence in the vision and rule of communism. Gorbachev s policy of glasnost was therefore a factor that led to the end of the Cold War because many citizens in the Soviet bloc increasingly desired independence and lost confidence in the Soviet Union.

6 e.g. Mikhail Gorbachev s policy of perestroika was a factor that led to the end of the Cold War. Perestroika was a programme of economic and political reforms to encourage greater interest, productivity and investment among Soviet workers in their respective industries. For example, Gorbachev called for private ownership of small businesses and also elections of candidates to local Party positions. However, as a result of the economic reforms, the number of unprofitable enterprises that needed government support increased and shortages of food and basic necessities became common. In addition, Gorbachev s political reforms led to mounting criticism of him by both Party conservatives and radical opposition and paved the way for the rise of various opposition groups in the government. Mikhail Gorbachev s policy of perestroika was therefore a factor that led to the end of the Cold War as it resulted in the criticism and loss of confidence in the Communist Party and laid the foundation of political revolutions both in the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states.

7 (a) Explain how ideological differences and formation of military alliances led to Cold War between the USA and the USSR. Ideological differences led to the Cold War between the USA and the USSR. The two superpowers left behind from the world war were the USA and the USSR which had differing ideologies. The USSR under Stalin followed communism which believed that political power is to be centralised in the hands of the communist party and its leadership and the country s wealth to be owned by everyone in the society. It also aimed to create a utopian world governed under communist principles by inciting world revolution and destroying capitalism through a worldwide class struggle. On the other hand, the US believed in the idea of a free market economy (capitalism) and the freedom to choose one s own government (democracy). Different ideologies led to the Cold War because both countries are fearful of the ideology of each other affecting their way of life and they began to take preventive measures in their foreign policies to stop the other camp from expanding their influence. Over time, such foreign policies would lead to tense relations between the two nations, and thus the outbreak of the Cold War. [8] E.g. The formation of the military alliances led to the Cold War between the USA and the USSR. As a result of the contest between the USA and the USSR for supremacy, the USA began to organise a military alliance in response to the perceived threat from the USSR. This was known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in which countries from the West grouped together under the leadership of the USA. NATO s aim was to unite member countries, which would come to each other s defence, in case any one of them was attacked by an external party. In response, the USSR also set up a similar organisation in its sphere of influence, known as the Warsaw Pact, which comprised the USSR and its satellite states in Eastern Europe. Countries in Warsaw Pact pledged to defend any member country which may be attacked by an external party. The formation of military alliances led to Cold War because it caused the emergence of two hostile military alliances which were pitted against each other. This meant that the two camps constantly viewed each other as a potential military threat and such perceptions led to tension between the two nations, thus leading to the outbreak of the Cold War.

8 (b) The main reason for the end of Cold War was the weakness of the command economy. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. Weakness of the command economy [12] E.g. I agree with the statement that one of the reasons for the end of Cold War was the weakness of the command economy. The command economy adopted by the USSR relied on central control by the government on all aspects of the economy. This gave rise to a series of problems, such as delay in the allocation of resources, poor infrastructure and corruption. On the other hand, the free market economy adopted by the USA and its allies provided room for innovation and competition and helped spurred their economies. The weakness of the command economy is one reason for the end of the Cold War because the Soviets continued to face economic hardships as compared to the Americans who experienced economic prosperity. It exposed the problems of communist control and weakened the faith of the Soviets in the communist government. This would eventually lead to the collapse of the communist government under Gorbachev, paving the way for the end of the Cold War. External economic burdens of the Soviet Union E.g. Another reason for the end of Cold War was the external economic burden of the Soviet Union. Due to its commitments to the Eastern European satellite states, the USSR pledged substantial economic resources to aid its ailing Warsaw Pact allies, such as through discounted oil that amounted to about US$3 billion. In addition, the involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War ( ) cost the USSR several billion dollars a year, adding further devastation to the Soviet economy. The external economic burdens of the Soviet Union is another reason for the end of the Cold War because it aggravated the already ailing Soviet economy that was not doing well due to failed domestic economic policies. This would weaken the faith of the Soviets in the communist government and eventually lead to the collapse of the communist government under Gorbachev, paving the way for the end of the Cold War. Increasing resistance within the communist bloc E.g. Another reason for the end of Cold War was increasing resistance within the communist bloc. After the death of Stalin in 1953, the people in Eastern Europe hoped for more freedom from Soviet control. They saw the Soviet retreat from Cuba, the policy of détente and the Sino-Soviet split as signs of weakening Soviet authority and took the opportunity to break away from Soviet control. Even though attempts such as Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia in 1968 were suppressed by Soviet military intervention, dissent became increasingly prevalent in the Eastern European states thereafter. The increasing resistance within

9 the communist bloc is another reason for the end of the Cold War because it exposed the dissent by the people in Eastern Europe of the repressive Soviet leadership as well as the lack confidence in the ability of the USSR to alleviate the economic problems in the communist bloc. This would forestall the revolutions in Eastern Europe in 1989 which accelerated the collapse of the USSR due to the loss of its sphere of influence, thereby leading to the end of the Cold War.

10 (a) Explain why both USSR and USA were to be blamed for the escalating tensions arising from the Cuban Missile Crisis. USSR to be blamed In 1962, US spy planes identified nuclear missile sites being built on Cuba. Cuba was of a strategic importance to USA and Soviet missiles set in Cuba could hit major American cities such as Washington, the capital, Los Angeles and New York. This presented a very real threat to USA and therefore there was a need for USA to quickly act on the situation. President Kennedy and his closest advisers discussed what to do about the Soviet missiles in Cuba. In his broadcast to the American people, Kennedy informed them of the potential threat and what he intended to do about it. Fearing that USSR might supply Cuba with nuclear warheads due to the countries strong ties, Americans blockaded Cuba and began to stop ships suspected of carrying arms and equipment. The Soviets and Cuban leader, Fidel Castro complained about US action to the United Nations and said that American actions were a threat to world peace. President Kennedy threatened to invade Cuba and remove the missiles by force. The next ten days were tense. The world seemed to hold its breath as the USSR and USA headed towards nuclear conflict. Khrushchev broke the stalemate and on 28 October agreed to remove the missiles and return them to the Soviet Union. The Cuban missile crisis was over. Even though the nuclear war did not happen, USA would never trust USSR as USSR might do this to US again. USSR also worried that US spies would come to their countries. Thus, the Soviet s actions of placing missiles in Cuba were a strategic move that worsened the already tense relations between USA and USSR. Hence, USSR was rightly to be blamed for the escalating tensions in the Cuban Missile Crisis. [8] USA to be blamed USA should be blamed for the escalating tensions. USA possessed a huge missile advantage against USSR and had many bases facing USSR. USA was leading in the arms race in many areas, especially in the production of nuclear warheads. USA also had many allies that were surrounding Russia such as West Germany and Japan. USA also possessed the Jupiter missiles based in Turkey, which had the ability to hit major Russian cities such as Kiev, Stalingrad and its capital, Moscow. It was dangerous for USA to have a Communist enemy at his doorstep. USA s had earlier tried to launch a group of ex-cuban exiles, trained by the CIA, back into Cuba to remove Castro. When this operation called the Bay of Pigs failed and USA was found to be the perpetrator, relations between the two sides soured. If Cuba, which is now USA s enemy, was equipped with weapons that could attack US soil, USA would be in grave danger and therefore it needed to react. Hence, USA could also be blamed for the tensions arising from the Cuban Missile Crisis.

11 (b) The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan were successful in containing communism in Europe. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. YES: SUCCESSFUL [12] The policy of containment was successful as the Truman Doctrine saved Greece and Turkey, both of which were in danger of being taken over by Communists. The USA supplied Greece with arms, supplies and money and the communists were defeated. According to the Truman doctrine, the USA would help democratic countries threatened by Communism. The USA used all means available - money, weapons and fuel - to force Communism to remain within its borders. As a result, both Greece and Turkey were able to defeat the Communists by Thus, the Truman Doctrine succeeded in containing communism in Europe. The Marshall Plan was a massive plan to end Europe s hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos, and to restore the economies of Europe. An industrialized and prosperous Europe with stable, capitalist, democratic governments in Europe, and with its people enjoying high standards of living would help ensure that they were less likely to support Communism. In injecting US$13 billion to 16 countries in Western Europe, the USA s financial aid in loans and goods was instrumental in building a prosperous and successful Western Europe capable of resisting Communism. It was so successful that it led to the USSR labelling the plan as dollar imperialism. The success of the policy of containment was seen in the American aid given to West Berlin to deal with the 10- month Berlin blockade by the USSR in The order by Truman to fly over the blockade and bring food and supplies into West Berlin showed the determination of the USA to deny the USSR a chance to seize control of West Berlin and an eventual Communist domination in Germany. USA, Britain and France set up the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in April USSR set up the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in October When political and economic situation in the east worsened, many people left the east to live in the west. USSR was angered by this that in August 1961, it built a wall across the city, with checkpoints to stop people from moving freely between the two sides. The Berlin Wall became one of the most visible symbols of the Cold War. NO: UNSUCCESSFUL The USA s policy of containment could not do anything to save Eastern Europe from coming under Communist control. Between 1945 to 1948, Soviet troops occupied the East European countries and set up Communist governments in these countries. There was nothing the USA could do to stop the Soviet Union from setting up Communist governments. Democratic governments were forced out of power. These Communist governments with Soviet Union backing were influenced to follow policies that were non-threatening to the USSR. All these were in line with the USSR s plan to create a series of satellite states so that they could buffer the USSR from any future attacks on the USSR. The participation of the East European

12 countries in COMECON and the Warsaw Pact helped ensure that these countries would remain firmly entrenched in the Soviet sphere of influence.

13 (a) Explain why the Korean War could be considered a proxy war. A proxy war is one which is instigated by one or more major powers without their own participation. External powers which have interest, provide indirect support for one of the domestic political factions or indirect support as through the provision of financial aid, military equipment, advisors and training. The Korean War could be considered a proxy war because superpower motivations and actions greatly influenced the course and development of the Korean War. The Soviet Union and China supported Kim II Sung s government in North Korea, while the USA supported Syngman Rhee s government in South Korea. The superpowers became involved in the conflict due to perceived interests in Korea and the Asia-Pacific. The Soviet Union and China sought to extend the communist sphere of influence, while the USA sought to contain the spread of communism. The superpowers initially maintained indirect involvement and provided support through the provision of financial aid, military equipment, advisors and training. The conflict was therefore exacerbated through the involvement of external powers which supported opposing political factions within Korea. The Korean War was also seen as a proxy war as a result of the decisions made by the USA and the Soviet Union at the Potsdam Conference in July-August This divided Korea and and subsequent events set the stage for the Korean War. The USA and the Soviet Union never consulted the Koreans about their opinions on the division of the country. Instead, the superpowers divided Korea on their own terms and occupied the opposing sides in order to serve their own purposes. In the North, the Soviet Union refused to allow the commission appointed by the UN to carry out elections. Instead, the Soviet Union supported Kim II Sung as the leader of the democratic People s Republic of Korea. The Soviet Union also supplied the North with the weaponry that would help it invade the South. Even though Stalin did not actively encourage Kim to invade the South, he eventually gave his approval and also asked China to help Kim. Kim II Sung also did not take action against the South until he had attained Stalin s approval and support. The indirect involvement of the Soviet Union therefore gave Kim the confidence to carry out the invasion. The Korean War was therefore considered to be a proxy war. In the South, the Americans helped to install Syngman Rhee in power and recognised the Republic of Korea as the legitimate government of Korea. The involvement of the USA increased after the North Koreans invaded the South. The USA also pushed for the UN to become involved. The USA saw the North Korean invasion of South Korea as part of a Soviet plan to gain hegemony in Asia and eventually control the world. The USA therefore had its own motivations for becoming involved in Korea, relating to the Cold War against the Soviet Union. [8]

14 (b) The USA was responsible for escalating tensions during the Cuban Missile Crisis. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [12] Yes, the USA was largely responsible for the escalating tensions during the Cuban Missile Crisis due to its interpretation of the deployment of the Soviet missiles in Cuba as hostile, as well as its response by using the strategy of brinkmanship. Khrushchev saw the deployment of Soviet missiles in Cuba as a purely defensive measure that counter balanced the threat of American missiles that were already installed in Turkey. However, the USA interpreted this as an offensive measure that deliberately threatened the security of the USA. It was the USA s response to adopt the strategy of brinkmanship and impose a naval blockade on Cuba that caused the Soviet Union to mobilise its forces and publicly declared his readiness to die fighting. Such a response was due to the fact that Khrushchev did in fact interpret the USA s actions as illegal act of war. It may be argued that this escalation would not have happened if Kennedy adopted other more peaceful and diplomatic measures, such as pressurising Khrushchev through the UN to negotiate to withdraw the missiles. This would be especially so as Khrushchev had been expecting to engage in negotiation with the USA in the first place. Hence, even though Khrushchev s deployment of Soviet missiles to Cuba was not welcomed by the USA, tensions between the two superpowers escalated during the crisis as a result of the USA s interpretation of such a move as offensive as well as its firm response that can be construed as an act of war. No, The Soviet Union was largely responsible for the escalating tensions during the Cuban Missile Crisis, as its deployment of missiles to Cuba was what caused the crisis in the first place. Khrushchev decided to send the missiles to Cuba because he hoped to achieve some gains from the deployment, rather than Castro asking him to do so. For example, he hoped to counter the threat of Jupiter missiles stationed in Turkey by the USA, as well as using it as leverage in future policy negotiations such as the issue of Berlin. In addition, the Soviet Union s mobilisation of its forces in Cuba in response to the American naval blockade further escalated the tensions on top of those which resulted from his deployment of missiles in Cuba. While he forbade the Soviet forces in Cuba from using the nuclear missiles and ordered recently-departed ships to return to the Soviet Union, these were not explicitly revealed to Kennedy in contrast to his condemnation of the blockade as an illegal act of war. Cuba had also a large part to play in escalating tensions during the crisis. Castro knew that his acceptance of the missiles would escalate tensions and increase the risk of nuclear war, but saw the missiles as necessary for Cuba s defence, especially against a possible invasion by the USA. In addition, in response to the American blockade, Castro not only mobilised his forces, but also publicly declared his readiness to die fighting. This arguably strengthened the impression of the USA that the intent of the missiles deployment in Cuba was primarily aggressive, and potentially undermined any notions that a peaceful negotiations might be worthwhile to achieve. Even though the USA s response to the deployment of the Soviet missiles in Cuba did contribute to an escalation of tensions between the two superpowers, the

15 Soviet Union and Cuba were primarily responsible for the escalation tensions causing the Cuban Missile Crisis in the first place. Tensions also escalated further when Khrushchev responded firmly to the USA, and Castro s public declarations of his readiness to die fighting made peaceful resolution impossible.

16 (a) Explain why did the Cold War break out between the USA and the Soviet Union. The Cold War broke out because of competing ideologies between the USA and the Soviet Union. For political differences, the USA is governed by a democratic system of government. Under this system, a country is governed by 2 or more political parties.the government is made up of representatives elected by the people. Citizens could choose among two or more parties to vote for. Generally, there is freedom of speech and no (little) censorship of the press. Thus, citizens and media could provide feedback and criticize the government. The USSR, on the other hand, adopted a communist system of government. Under this system, the country is governed by a single political party the Communist Party. Political power is centralised in the hands of the Communist Party and its leadership. Citizens could only vote for the Communist Party and generally, there is no (or very little) freedom of speech and strict censorship of the press. Those who speak against the government are regarded as dissidents and will be imprisoned. Thus, as a result of their conflicting ideologies, both sides were highly suspicious of the other. The USA wanted to create a world where individual rights over areas such as property, profits and freedom of expression are protected. While the USSR wanted to incite world revolution and destroy capitalism through a worldwide class struggle. Thus, both saw the existence of the other as a threat to their own way of life. This affected their foreign policies, thus bringing both sides into conflict with each other after the Second World War, thus causing the Cold War. The Cold War also broke out because of USA s Marshall Plan (June 1947). The Marshall Plan was a commitment by the USA to give economic aid to reconstruct Europe and its economies, regardless of whether they were under communist influence of otherwise. The USA reasoned that Europe was under greater threat from economic problems leading to hunger and poverty. This would provide opportunities for communists to promote communism as an alternative and solution to the problems. Thus, to make communism less appealing and minimize the danger of European countries embracing communism, the Marshall Plan would offer economic assistance from the USA to provide immediate relief and revitalize the European capitalist economies. The Marshall Plan helped to kick-start the economic recovery of Western Europe and succeeded in helping the USA contain the spread of Soviet influence in Europe.Of course, Stalin was unhappy with it as it threatened to undermine Soviet influence in Eastern Europe, some of whom were interested in participating in the Marshall Plan.He thus rejected the offer to participate in the Marshall Plan and forbade the Eastern European countries from participating too. Thus, American containment measures were perceived by the Soviet Union as aggressive bids by the USA to build its own empire in Europe which undermines Soviet influence and security.as a result, such distrust caused tensions between the superpowers to increase sharply as they adopted various measures that actively sought to undermine each other, thus intensifying the Cold War. Other reasons: History of distrust, breakdown of wartime alliance, USA containment policy and establishment of Soviet Satellite State in Eastern Europe etc [8]

17 (b) The main reason why communism failed in the Soviet Union was due to Gorbachev s weak leadership. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [12] The main reason why communism failed in the Soviet Union was due to Gorbachev s weak leadership. Gorbachev had implemented Glasnost, which meant openness which essentially meant greater transparency, freedom of speech and expression. He believed that if the economic and social problems were discussed openly, he would be able to bring about reforms to the Soviet Union and improve the way the Soviet Union was run as well as improve the lives of the people. In 1986, Gorbachev began by launching a series of public debates. Censorship on books, journals and newspapers was relaxed and Soviet writers were given freedom to voice their opinions on the need for reform. He also released Andrei Sakharov, a prominent Soviet dissident from exile which signified that dissident voices would now be forgive, and heard without the fear of imprisonment. However, the relaxation of censorship and new revelations about Soviet history affected how the Soviet and Eastern European citizens viewed the government as more information about the existence and extent of problems such as poor housing, food shortages and high mortality rates became known to the public. The citizens also became aware of the government s purges of the Soviet people and the full extent of Stalin s atrocities. As a result, the positive picture of Soviet life that the government previously presented to the public quickly fell apart as many citizens in the Soviet bloc felt that their governments had lied to them and deprived them of what the rest of the world had access to. They lost even more confidence in the vision and rule of the communist governments and wanted independence. Glasnost thus created a platform where criticism of communist rule could not be controlled as people began to demand for a change to the communist system instead of just reforming it. Due to the loss of support from the people, Gorbachev and his government were unable to maintain control over the country as demands for independence became more powerful. Hence, it was due to Gorbachev s weal leadership that led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the failure of communism. e.g. However, another reason why communism failed in the Soviet Union was due to the weakness of the Soviet economy. Long-term structural flaws in the Soviet Union s command economy led to its underperformance, and gradually weakened the political legitimacy of the Soviet government and eventually led to failure of communism. The government s ownership and control all decisions on resource allocation stifled innovation and creative enterprise in the Soviet economy. An overemphasis on quantitative indicators and the lack of checks and balances in the Soviet government contributed to the rise of corrupt practices such as the falsification of statistics and bribery. These developments were in stark contrast to the strengths of the USA s free market economy, where the emphasis on private ownership and competition provided motivation and opportunities for innovation and creativity. Over time, the poor quality of consumer goods and low quality of life in the Soviet Union eroded the political legitimacy of the Soviet government which led to the failure of communism. Moreover, the inherent problems in the Soviet economy were exacerbated by American economic and military superiority, which place strain

18 on the Soviet Union in the areas of superpower competition. I think the main reason why communism failed in the Soviet Union was due to the weakness of the Soviet economy but Gorbachev s weak leadership helped to accelerate the decline of communism. It was the structural problems within the Soviet economy, created a situation where the Soviet Union could not provide quality life to her people and was also struggling to keep up with Cold war competition by the 1980s. Gorbachev s weak leadership in implementing reforms accelerated the disintegration of Soviet sphere of influence as well as the Soviet Union from within, hence led to the failure of communism.

19 (a) Explain the reasons behind Gorbachev s domestic reforms Gorbachev wanted to revive the economy of the country. The Soviet economy had been stagnating since 1970s because of the intrinsic weakness of the command economy where the government controlled all aspects of production to ensure a classless society and private enterprises were forbidden. The command economy failed because there was lack of full and accurate information to policymakers to make decisions on the allocation of resources in the economy and lack of mechanisms to reward hardwork and innovation. There was rampant corruption and inefficiency as a result of poor quality control. This led to low standards of living and poorly perfoming economy led to much resentment from the citizens towards the government and the communist system as a whole. This reform would enable him to improve the economy and win the support of the people. Furthermore, USSR had to maintain an empire consisting of15 republics that had diverse ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. It was a vast area and it was expensive to govern it as it was held together by force. For example in the 1980s, the politburo deployed the Red Army to quell anti-soviet nationalist sentiments in the republics. Under the Brezhnev Doctrine, if socialism was threatened military intervention was implemented. For example in 1979, they intervened into Afghanistan to stop militant Islam from spreading to the Soviet Republics of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. All these caused severe financial strain on the Soviet defence spending as the USSR was already spending millions of dollars on troops to support its Warsaw Pact Allies and financial support to Eastern European countries through COMECON. With these reforms, he would to be able to strengthen USSR economy. [8]

20 (b) The years of Cold War competition had led to the collapse of Soviet Union. Do you agree? Explain your answer. [12] Years of Cold War competition bankrupted the Soviet Union thus leading to the collapse of Soviet Union in The USSR had for more than 40 years competed against the USA in an arms race. This had resulted in the former spending huge capital outlay on maintaining a competitive edge over the latter, monetary resources which it barely could afford. In addition, the US also tried to weaken the USSR by preventing the sale of computers and other technologies to the USSR. The USA also worked to keep the price of oil low to deprive the USSR of vast earnings from the sale of oil. Thus, during the 1980s, the USSR was not able to earn hard currency. Furthermore, the USSR was also forced to spend more money than it could afford to due to the Star Wars programme and the war in Afghanistan. As such, this simply meant that the USSR had such a huge budget deficit that it could not keep up with the USA anymore, which therefore resulted in Gorbachev taking steps to reduce military spending but it was too late to reverse the fortune of USSR. Gorbachev intended to reform the government while maintaining its one-party system. Instead it led to mounting criticisms of him by both Party conservatives and radical opposition. Due to the changes he had implemented, it led to Congress of People s Deputies in 1989, where it allowed the formation of opposition groups in the government. These officials formed the first opposition bloc called the Interregional Group of Deputies and their leader was Boris Yeltsin. The hardliners who were members of Gorbachev s own government tried to overthrow Gorbachev due to his great concessions to the US, which led to reunification of Germany, strategic Arms treaty, thus threatening their own power. In August 1991, they launched a coup against Gorbachev, but it was unsuccessful due to opposition from Yelstin as he viewed the hardliners as more of a threat than Gorbachev. As such, Yeltsin asked the Russian people to not support the coup, a call which was heeded by large numbers of Russians. As such, the failure of the coup seriously threatened Gorbachev s position as he had failed to control his own party members and looked weak. The policies he had created were not a unifying factor in forming a stronger Communist party. Instead, these radical changes which Gorbachev had implemented for the Soviet Union, had caused a lot of disarray amongst the Communist Party officials as not many agreed with his mind-set. This created division with the fraternity thus it further divided the party. Thus, when Gorbachev found that he did not have the support of the Communists or the anticommunists, he resigned on 25 Dec The Soviet Union broke up and became the Commonwealth of Independent States. Thus leading to the collapse of the Soviet Empire in Perestroika and Glasnost had raised people s hopes for a better life. His economic and political reforms, though well-intentioned was a failure. It did not lead to an improved economy and led to the Soviet people to further criticise his government policies. Gorbachev s changes failed because communist officials did not want to implement them or only implemented them half-heartedly. It was difficult to put his changes into practice because he was trying on one hand, to run the country in the communist way and on the other hand, to run the Soviet economy in a capitalist way.

21 For example, the government relaxed its control over the kinds of good and services produced. However, they still retained control over the means of production such as trucks and tractors. It was difficult for Gorbachev to combine the two systems as economically, more goods and services might have been produced under the capitalist system but the infrastructure might not have been improved or upgraded sufficiently to deal with the increase in the demands on the communication and transport system because the government was still working like a communist system, with a few leaders making the decision too slowly. In addition, the relaxation of censorship and new revelations about Soviet History changed the way the Soviet and Eastern European citizens viewed their government. The full-extent of Stalin s atrocities were made public and anti-communists broadcasts were no longer blocked by the government. As such, his policies instead of improving the standard of living of the Soviet people and making them more aware of the world they live in, instead led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev failed to realise that one simply cannot undo years of governance under the communist ideology. Gorbachev had expected his policies to be effective but failed to realise that change can only be done through acceptance and knowledge. Thus his economic and political reforms led to further complications of the system and did not improve the lifestyles of the Russians. Instead, lines to buy food got longer and more became angry with the Soviet Union. They lost confidence in the vision and rule of the communists governments. Hence instead of rallying the people behind the Communist Party s leadership, Glasnost had unintentionally created a platform where criticism of communist rule in Soviet Union could not be controlled. Thus leading to the collapse of the Soviet Empire in Other accepted examples under the failure of Gorbachev reforms: Deideologisation of Soviet Foreign Policy leading to end of Soviet control over Eastern Europe.. In conclusion, I agree that the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991 was mainly due the failure of Gorbachev reforms. People were very dissatisfied with Gorbachev s reforms as they exacerbated problems of food shortages and job losses. With no immediate end to their difficulties, people began to take to the streets to protest against Gorbachev s governance. Even the coup was the result of government officials feeling threatened by Gorbachev s reforms. This period resulted in a very destabilizing Soviet Union. The economic burden due to the implications of cold war was not enough to lead to the collapse of the communist party as economic issues was something that troubling communist countries for long periods of time. Thus, it was the consequences that were brought about by Gorbachev s reforms which were the main reason for the collapse of the USSR.

22 (a) Explain the failures of the Soviet economy by the 1980s. [8] An inefficient economy was the main reason for the failure of the communist economic system in Soviet Union. The command economy was inefficient in allocating resources. Under the communist system, resources were badly managed and as such, essential items such as food were rationed and there were shortages of consumer goods. Productivity was low as there was no incentive to work hard since there was no reward system under communism. These weakened the Soviet economy greatly. Moreover, targets were measured in terms of quantity produced, so the goods produced were often of poor quality. The Soviet economy was also weakened by the need to support its communist allies in Eastern Europe and its arms race with USA. The years of Cold War competition had bankrupted the Soviet economy. Due to these economic problems, standard of living remained very low compared to the West. Hence, the Soviet Union s communist system failed as the command economy brought about economic problems. There was also the issue of an ineffective and rigid communist government. The central government/politburo consisted of many leaders who were not willing to introduce changes. These hardliners saw changes as threats to their positions. So the efforts to introduce changes to improve the country were opposed. The selection of leaders for the politburo was not based on merit. As a result, there was also rampant corruption among the top senior Communist leaders, with the communist system being eroded by corruption and favouritism. As people could not elect their own leaders and there was strict control over what they could do or say, many felt that they could not do anything to improve the system. Thus, the government was unable to obtain honest feedback to improve the system and this had an impact on the country, as it led to the eventual failure of the Soviet Union s economy and system.

23 (b) Gorbachev s rule was the main factor that led to the end of the Cold War. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. Gorbachev came to power in March 1985 and aimed to reform the economy of the Soviet Union and end the military competition between the Soviet Union and the USA. For Gorbachev, the inefficiencies of the command economy and the high cost of maintaining the military competition with the USA were weakening the Soviet economy. He first loosened the control of the Communist Party and the military over the Soviet economy by appointing his own supporters in government, such as Eduard Shevardnadze, who was not a strong supporter of the old military-industrial complex. In this, he showed that he was ready to end the Cold War with the US. [12] Gorbachev s implementation of glasnost gave his supporters opportunities to speak out in favour of the reform of the Soviet economy and allowed them to convince the Soviets that these reforms were necessary. Beginning by launching a series of public debates in 1986, Gorbachev then instructed that censorship of books, journal and newspapers be relaxed to give Soviet writers the freedom to voice their opinions on the need for reform. He also allowed new discussions on and reconstructions on Soviet history as he believed that this would help the Soviets understand the necessity for reform. However, glasnost had profoundly changed how the Soviets and eastern Europeans viewed their governments. Information on the economic problems or previously-classified data on the government s purges on the people, previously suppressed under previous regimes, was gradually made public and received increased attention. Anti-communist media from Western radio stations such as Voice of America was also fully accessible to the Soviet public. The Soviets were more exposed to life outside the Soviet Union, and the positive picture of Soviet life that had been painstakingly managed by the previous Soviet regimes quickly fell apart. The Soviets lost confidence in their government, as they felt that they had been deceived by them and they had been deprived of what the rest of the world had access to. Gorbachev s glasnost reforms sped up the process of the Communist Party losing support from the Soviets. This thus led to the disintegration of the USSR and the end of Cold War. NO The strength of the American military and economy in the 1980s enabled a renewal of the arms race between the US and the Soviets, such as through the Star Wars programme. It was an expensive programme that the US was able to fund due to its extensive financial resources and network. However, the escalation of the arms race led to renewed fears of a possible nuclear war between the two sides again, especially after the Able Archer 83 NATO joint-military exercise, which led the Soviets into preparing for a possible nuclear attack by the US. Regan switched from his previous militaristic attitude towards a more favourable attitude towards the Soviets, and became more willing to negotiate with the Soviets on nuclear disarmament. This led to the eventual end of the Cold War. Eg. The poor Soviet economy also contributed to the end of the Cold War. Structural