“Confrontation rather than reconciliation ended the Cold War.” Discuss with reference to the period from 1980 to 1991.

Candidates must offer a considered and balanced review of the hypothesis that it was confrontation rather than reconciliation that brought about the end of the Cold War. The timeframe is explicitly stated within the question and the response will cover events up to but not beyond 1991, which is when the Soviet Union collapsed. The relative importance of both confrontation and reconciliation must be considered as factors that ended the Cold War. For confrontation, reference may be made to the tension that dominated superpower relations prior to 1985 as well as the impact of the Soviet–Afghan War on superpower relations. Additionally, candidates may choose to consider the confrontation between Gorbachev and anti-reformists within the Soviet Union. For reconciliation, the relative harmony that characterized the Reagan–Gorbachev summits as well as the support for economic reforms that came from the populations and some leaders of the Eastern Bloc may be discussed.