P1 ASRJC 2019 END OF THE COLD WAR

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Section A Answer Question 1. Section B Answer two questions. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of the each question or part question. You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers. This document consists of 5 printed pages and 3 blank pages. ANDERSON SERANGOON JUNIOR COLLEGE JC2 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS 2019 Higher 2 HISTORY Paper 1 Shaping the International Order (1945-2000) Additional Materials: Answer Booklet 9752/01 Wed 4 September 2019 3 hours

2 © Anderson Serangoon Junior College 9752/01 Section A You must answer Question 1. THE END OF BIPOLARITY 1 Read the sources and answer the questions which follow. Source A Whereas the arms race, which we are working so hard to stop, is mankind’s mad race to the bottom, regional conflicts are bleeding wounds which rot the body of mankind. The earth is literally spotted with such wounds. Each of them means pain not only for the nations directly involved but for all – whether in Afghanistan, in Kampuchea, or in Central America. Implementing political settlement in Afghanistan will be an important ruptur e in the chain of regional conflicts. Just as the agreement to eliminate intermediate- and shorter-range missiles is to be followed by a series of further m ajor steps towards disarmament, likewise behind the political settlement in Afghanistan already loom s a question: which conflict will be settled next? And it is certain that more is to follow. States and nations have sufficient reserves of responsibility, political will and determination to put an end to all regional conflicts within a few years. This is worth working for. The Soviet Union will spare no effort in this most important cause. Statement by Gorbachev setting forth the Soviet position on the Afghan War published in the New York Times, 1988. Source B The USSR supports Afghanistan’s efforts to defend its sovereignty. We would like, in the nearest future, to withdraw the Soviet troops stationed in Afghanistan at the request of its government. Moreover, we have agreed with the Afghan side on the schedule for their phased withdrawal as soon as a political settlement is scheduled that ensures an actual cessation and guarantees the non- resumption of foreign armed interference in the internal affairs of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. It is in our vital, national interest that the USSR should always have good and peaceful relations with all its neighbours. From Gorbachev’s speech to the Soviet Communist Party Congress, 1986.

3 © Anderson Serangoon Junior College 9752/01 Source C Common sense also told us that to preserve the peace, we had to become strong again after years of weakness and confusion. So, we rebuilt our defenc es, and this New Year we toasted the new peacefulness around the globe. Not only have the superpowers actual ly begun to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons —and hope for even more progress is bright —but the regional conflicts that are racking the globe are also beginning to cease. The Soviets are leaving Afghanistan and the Vietnamese are preparing to pull out of Cambodia. The lesson of all this is: as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. And something else we learned: Once you begin a great movement, there is no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world. From President Ronald Reagan’s ‘Farewell Address to the Nation’ speech, January 1989. Source D Most historians would concede that without a reformer taking over in the Kremlin, not only would there have been nobody with whom Reagan could engage but also there would have been no end to the Cold War either. The United States could raise its own military expenditures as high as it liked; it could have lent very strong support to so-called ‘freedom fighters’ in Afghanistan, but without a very different kind of Soviet leader responding to some very real Soviet problems, it is impossible to envision 1989 ever happening. While some give Reagan his due, they often go on to point out that one also has to take into account the central part performed by the ordinary people of Central and Eastern Europe in their own liberation. Indeed, but one must be clear about this . Was Gorb achev prepared to loosen Soviet control over Eastern Europe and let the states there choose their own way? Obviously so. Did he, however, think that this would lead to the rapid and complete collapse of socialism in all its forms? Apparently not. In reality, Gorbachev miscalculated and it was this miscalculation that brought the Cold War to an end. From an online article published by a British scholar of international relations, 2019.

4 © Anderson Serangoon Junior College 9752/01 Source E Perhaps the most dangerous myth regarding the legacy of the late President Ronald Reagan is that he was somehow responsible for the end of the Cold War. It was not Reagan’s military build -up or aggressive threats against the Soviets and their allies that brought down the system. Dissident Czech playwright and later president, Vaclav Havel, when asked about Western influences on his movement, replied that he had been more inspired by musician John Lennon than Ronald Reagan. While Reagan was certainly capable of inspirational leadership, idealism, and personal charm, the myth that he is responsibl e for the downfall of Communism and the end of the Cold War does a disservice to the millions of Eastern Europeans and others who struggled against great odds for their freedom. It was not American militarism, but massive nonviolent action – including strikes, boycotts, and mass demonstrations – that finally brought down these communist regimes. From a website belonging to an American organisation that champions grassroots politics, 2004. Source F A cartoon published in a British newspaper, 1987. Now answer the following questions: a) Compare and contrast the evidence provided in Sources A and B about Gorbachev’s motivations behind his foreign policy towards Afghanistan. [10] b) How far do Sources A -F support the assertion that the Cold War ended largely because of Gorbachev? [30]

5 © Anderson Serangoon Junior College 9752/01 Section B You must answer two questions from this section. EITHER 2 ‘The US was the actor largely responsible for the Crisis Decades that afflicted the global economy.’ Discuss. [30] OR 3 Evaluate the impact of the government on the economic transformation of South Korea and Taiwan from the 1970s to 1990. [30] AND EITHER 4 ‘Changes to United Nations peacekeeping made the United Nations more relevant to the maintenance of international security.’ How far do you agree with this view? [30] OR 5 How effective were United Nations reforms in tackling the challenges of the sovereignty of nation-states and Great Power politics from 1990 to 2000? [30]

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