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Cold War Essay Predictions (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Beckleman
- Start date
Consider Question 20 from the sample Modern History HSC paper for the new syllabus:
Soviet policies under Gorbachev directly contributed to the end of the Cold War. Perestroika, glasnost and new thinking in regard to foreign policy significantly impacted the move towards peace and the eventual collapse of the USSR. Despite the significance of policies under Gorbachev other factors, especially economic conditions and the unsustainability of Cold War arms production, also played an important part. US policies under Reagan in the corresponding period also directly contributed to the end of the Cold War.
I hope this helps!
To what extent were Soviet policies under Gorbachev responsible for the end of the Cold War? (25 marks)
Answers to this particular question may include:
Soviet policies under Gorbachev directly contributed to the end of the Cold War. Perestroika, glasnost and new thinking in regard to foreign policy significantly impacted the move towards peace and the eventual collapse of the USSR. Despite the significance of policies under Gorbachev other factors, especially economic conditions and the unsustainability of Cold War arms production, also played an important part. US policies under Reagan in the corresponding period also directly contributed to the end of the Cold War.
- Gorbachev – rises to power in 1985 in a period of economic crisis and need for internal reform, perestroika – restructuring and glasnost – open discussion, unsustainable military spending, withdrew troops from Afghanistan and stopped following the policy of Brezhnev to intervene wherever communism was under threat. New thinking in regard to foreign policy resulted in more open communication.
- Eastern Europe – move towards self-determination, collapse of the Berlin Wall.
- Reagan – established a position of strength, built up arms, ‘Star Wars’ defence systems, clear foreign policy agenda in response to Gorbachev.
- Summit meetings – arms agreements moved US and USSR towards ending the Cold War.
- Economic cost of Cold War was too great to continue for USSR. Western economic success allowed US to maintain spending.
I hope this helps!
But since this was basically a question from the 2019 paper, do you think it would still come up?
something that was tested so recently probably won't come up
if u wanna be sure tho check past papers and look for any time they have repeated a question in the past and look at the time difference between the first time and second time they used the question
The version of this question that was included in the 2019 paper is as follows:
Who was more significant in ending the Cold War: Reagan or Gorbachev? (25 marks)
The main difference between this question and that of the sample Modern History HSC paper is that the sample question encouraged a response that is more focused on the Soviet policies under Gorbachev while still requiring that you cover one or more of the points highlighted above, whereas the 2019 question implies the need for a direct comparison between Reagan and Gorbachev with respect to ending the Cold War.
To answer your question, it is highly unlikely that 2 identical questions are included in different HSC papers. However, there may be variations of a particular question, as seen with that of the sample paper and that of the 2019 paper. If this ends up being the case, you will need to ensure you address the specific needs of the question without being influenced by other versions of the question that you may have attempted prior to the exam. Additionally, as mentioned by vishnay, it is less likely for a particular component that was assessed in a recent HSC paper to be assessed in the subsequent paper.