ADVANCED COLD WAR & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXAM

Section 1: Multiple-Choice Questions (30 Questions)

Select the correct answer for each question.

1. What was the primary reason for the breakdown of the Grand Alliance after
World War II?
a) Disagreements over the use of nuclear weapons
b) Clashing ideological and political visions for postwar Europe
c) The USSR’s refusal to join the United Nations
d) The U.S. economic downturn following the war

2. What event led the USSR to withdraw from the Bretton Woods agreements?
a) The Marshall Plan’s economic provisions
b) The creation of NATO
c) The Nuremberg Trials
d) The signing of the Yalta agreements

3. What was a major consequence of the Yalta Conference?

a) The immediate division of Germany into East and West
b) The Soviet Union’s agreement to enter the war against Japan
c) The establishment of NATO
d) The breakdown of the United Nations negotiations

4. What was the significance of George Kennan’s Long Telegram?

a) It advocated for diplomatic cooperation with the Soviet Union
b) It outlined the basis for the U.S. containment policy
c) It revealed Soviet nuclear capabilities
d) It encouraged the U.S. to withdraw from European affairs

5. What was the primary Soviet response to the Truman Doctrine?

a) The Berlin Airlift
b) The establishment of the Warsaw Pact
c) The creation of Cominform
d) The invasion of Czechoslovakia

6. What was the first major direct confrontation of the Cold War?
a) The Soviet blockade of West Berlin
b) The Korean War
 c) The Cuban Missile Crisis
d) The invasion of Hungary

7. What was the significance of the Percentages Agreement between Churchill and
Stalin?
a) It divided spheres of influence in Eastern Europe
b) It led to the formation of the United Nations
c) It determined the military occupation of Germany
d) It established postwar economic cooperation

8. What was the main motivation for the Soviet Union’s support of North Korea’s
invasion of the South in 1950?
a) To expand Soviet naval power in the Pacific
b) To test U.S. commitment to containment
c) To secure economic resources in Korea
d) To remove American troops from Japan

9. How did Stalin initially react to the Truman Doctrine?

a) He dismissed it as Western propaganda
b) He increased Soviet military presence in Greece
c) He focused on economic reconstruction in the USSR
d) He formed a direct military alliance with China

10. What was one of the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

a) The formal division of Germany into East and West
b) The withdrawal of American troops from Berlin
c) The Soviet annexation of West Berlin
d) The reunification of Germany under Soviet control

11. Why did the U.S. shift to a policy of NSC-68 in 1950?

a) The establishment of Mao’s Communist China
b) The Soviet Union’s detonation of an atomic bomb
c) The formation of the Warsaw Pact
d) The signing of the Helsinki Accords

12. What was a key element of the Soviet postwar strategy in Eastern Europe?
a) Allowing democratic elections in Poland
b) Establishing military bases in neutral Austria
c) Expanding influence through one-party Communist rule
d) Seeking military alliances with France and Britain
13. What was the geopolitical significance of Turkey during the early Cold War?
a) It provided the USSR with a key naval base
b) It controlled access to the Mediterranean through the Straits
c) It was a neutral buffer state between NATO and the Warsaw Pact
d) It remained aligned with the Soviet Union

14. Which major event solidified the formation of NATO?

a) The Berlin Blockade
b) The Cuban Missile Crisis
c) The Korean War
d) The Hungarian Revolution

15. What was the main Soviet criticism of the Marshall Plan?
a) It excluded Eastern European nations
b) It was seen as an attempt to weaken Soviet influence
c) It provided military aid instead of economic support
d) It allowed France and Britain to dominate European trade

16. How did the Dumbarton Oaks Conference shape postwar international
relations?
a) It laid the foundation for the United Nations
b) It determined the occupation zones in Germany
c) It formalized the Truman Doctrine
d) It led to the establishment of the IMF

17. Why was the Korean War significant for the Cold War?
a) It marked the first military application of the containment doctrine
b) It ended with the unification of Korea
c) It resulted in direct U.S.-Soviet combat
d) It led to a global nuclear disarmament initiative

18. What was the Soviet reaction to the creation of West Germany (FRG)?
a) The establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR)
b) The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Eastern Europe
c) A trade agreement with the United States
d) The military occupation of Austria

19. How did the Prague Coup of 1948 affect Western Europe?
a) It led to the formation of NATO
b) It increased U.S. commitment to European security
 c) It caused Britain to withdraw from Greece
d) It resulted in German reunification

20. What role did the CIA play in early Cold War conflicts?
a) Organizing nuclear weapons development
b) Supporting regime changes in countries like Iran and Guatemala
c) Preventing the Korean War
d) Negotiating the end of the Berlin Blockade

21. What was the main goal of the Molotov Plan?

a) To counter the economic influence of the Marshall Plan in Eastern Europe
b) To establish a Soviet military alliance with China
c) To integrate Western European economies into the Soviet system
d) To provide agricultural aid to the United States

22. How did the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) impact the Cold War?
a) It led to the reunification of Germany under Allied control
b) It demonstrated Western commitment to resisting Soviet pressure
c) It resulted in Soviet military intervention in West Berlin
d) It ended with the U.S. withdrawal from Berlin

23. What was one of the primary reasons for Stalin’s blockade of West Berlin?
a) To force the withdrawal of Western forces from Berlin
b) To stop West Berlin from aligning with NATO
c) To pressure the Allies into recognizing East Germany as legitimate
d) To prevent German rearmament

24. What was the impact of the Soviet atomic bomb test in 1949 on U.S. foreign
policy?
a) It led to the immediate military invasion of the Soviet Union
b) It resulted in the development of the hydrogen bomb
c) It caused the U.S. to abandon the policy of containment
d) It led to the dissolution of NATO

25. Why did China’s entry into the Korean War in 1950 alter the conflict?
a) It forced a stalemate by driving U.S. forces back from the Yalu River
b) It led to a decisive U.S. victory in North Korea
c) It resulted in the expansion of the war into the Soviet Union
d) It caused the United Nations to withdraw from Korea
 26. How did the formation of COMECON (1949) strengthen Soviet influence in
Eastern Europe?
a) It provided economic coordination to limit reliance on Western markets
b) It established a single currency for Eastern Bloc nations
c) It allowed Soviet industries to expand into Western Europe
d) It created a military alliance between the USSR and France

27. What was the most significant factor that led to the creation of the Warsaw Pact
in 1955?
a) The establishment of NATO and the rearmament of West Germany
b) The breakdown of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the USSR
c) The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
d) The signing of the Marshall Plan

28. What was a key outcome of the Geneva Conference of 1954 regarding Cold War
tensions?
a) It temporarily divided Vietnam into North and South
b) It resolved the Korean War by unifying the peninsula
c) It resulted in a peace agreement between the U.S. and the USSR
d) It established a demilitarized zone in East Germany

29. How did Eisenhower’s “New Look” policy change U.S. Cold War strategy?
a) It prioritized nuclear deterrence and reduced reliance on conventional forces
b) It focused on strengthening U.S. ground forces in Europe
c) It abandoned containment in favor of isolationism
d) It reduced defense spending and ended alliances with NATO members

30. Why did the Soviet Union suppress the Hungarian Uprising in 1956?
a) To prevent Hungary from leaving the Warsaw Pact and pursuing political
liberalization
b) To retaliate against U.S. nuclear threats
c) To expand Soviet territorial control into Western Europe
d) To increase military pressure on China

Section 2: Essay Questions (2 Questions)

Provide a comprehensive analysis for each question using historical evidence.

1. Assess the impact of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan on the
geopolitical landscape of Europe between 1947 and 1952.
a. Explain how both policies aimed to contain Soviet influence.
 b. Discuss the economic and political implications for both Western and
Eastern Europe.
c. Analyze Soviet responses and countermeasures.

2. Analyze the role of nuclear weapons in shaping the diplomatic strategies of the
United States and the Soviet Union during the early Cold War.
a. Discuss the significance of the atomic bombings in Japan and their
implications for the Cold War.
b. Explain the effects of the Soviet Union’s nuclear development in 1949.
c. Examine the role of nuclear deterrence in Cold War conflicts such as
Korea.

Section 3: Map (20 answers)

1. _Bután______________________ 11. Nueva Caledonia_ _

2. __Timor Oriental_ ___________ 12. _Fiyi ________________
3. _Kirguistán____ ____________ 13. _ Molucas_________________
4. _Tayikistán__________________ 14. _ Islas Salomón ___________
5. _Brunéi_____________________ 15. _ Liberia _______________
6. _Burundi____ ______ ________ 16. _ Moldavia __________ ___
7. __Eritrea________ __________ 17. __ San Marino_____ ________
8. __Madagascar_ ____________ 18. _ Luxemburgo ______________
9. __Gabón _ ______ 19. __Portugal__________________
10. _Malavi ___________________ 20. __Montenegro_______ _______