Discuss the impact of two Cold War crises on superpower rivalry.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the impact of two Cold War crises on superpower rivalry. The two crises may or may not be from the same region. Impact may extend beyond the timeframe but it must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may offer equal coverage of both crises or they may prioritize their discussion of one of them. However, both crises will be a feature of the response. Candidates may refer to the impact of a Cold War crisis in positioning superpowers in opposing camps, for instance the Berlin Blockade. Candidates could discuss the impact of crises like Korea (1950) or Congo (1960–61) that brought the struggle to new regions, and/or involved the UN in Cold War tensions. It would be valid for candidates to discuss the different aspects of crisis, for example Cuba (1962) and refer to the negative impact of brinkmanship or to the compromise reached in Turkey. Other crises, like Hungary (1956) and Prague Spring (1968), provided an opportunity to discuss steps taken by a superpower to deal with perceived challenges to their influence and international reactions. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the impact of two Cold War crises on superpower rivalry. This was a very popular question with almost every candidate able to identify two crises, the popular examples being the Berlin Blockade and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Unfortunately, the level of knowledge demonstrated was often quite limited and, almost invariably, the Berlin Blockade was confused with the building of the Berlin Wall. Knowledge of the Cuban Missile Crisis tended to be more accurate and narratives of the events of October 1962 were often very detailed. Mostly, however, there was only limited analysis of the impact on the crises on superpower rivalry, despite this being the crux of the question. Only a few responses included an analysis of the consequences of the crises and to link these to either improving or worsening relations between the superpowers.