SRJC H1 HIST 8821 P1

This document consists of 5 printed pages and 3 blank pages. © Serangoon Junior College 2018 [Turn over SERANGOON JUNIOR COLLEGE JC2 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2018 Higher 1 HISTORY 8821/01 Paper 1 The Cold War and the Modern World (1945-2000) Wednesday, 12 September 2018 3 hours Additional Materials: Cover Page Answer Paper READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name and civics tutorial group in the spaces provided on the cover page and on every sheet of answer paper. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. Write clearly the question numbers on the first page of every question attempted and the cover page. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid and tape. Section A Answer Question 1. Section B Answer two questions. At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. You are reminded of the need for good English and clear handwriting in your answer, and to leave two lines between each paragraph on the answer paper.

© Serangoon Junior College 2018 8821/01 2018 JC2 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2 Section A You must answer Question 1. THE SOVIETISATION OF EASTERN EUROPE 1 Read the sources and then answer the questions which follow. Source A Truman complained that all “our agreements with the Soviet Union so far had been a one-way street and that could not continue; it was now or never.” He blustered that he intended to go ahead with the plans for San Francisco, and if the Russians did not care to join us, “they could go to hell.” Yet Truman had admitted to Harriman (US Ambassador to the Soviet Union) that without the Russians, there would be no world organisation. Stimson (US Secretary of War) tactfully disagreed with Truman’s accusations that the Soviets failed to keep their agreements. He pointed out that the Russians had kept their word in big military matters, and that the US military authorities had come to rely on it. Although the Soviet Union had agreed to free elections in Poland, only the United States and the United Kingdom had any real conception of an ‘independent, free ballot’. The Soviet conception of ‘independence’ and ‘democracy’ in areas vital to the security of the Soviet Union was very different. Stimson advised Truman to “go slowly and avoid any open break.” Minutes from a meeting of President Truman with his newly-appointed senior Administration and military officials, April 1945. Source B The Soviet Union and its agents have destroyed the independence and democratic character of a whole series of nations in Eastern and Central Europe. It is this ruthless course of action, and the clear design to extend it to the remaining nations of Europe, that have brought about the critical situation in Europe today. The tragic death of the Republic of Czechoslovakia has sent a shock wave through the civilised world. There are times in world history when it is far wiser to act than to hesitate. There is some risk involved in action – there always is. But there is far more risk in failure to act. A speech by President Truman to the US Congress, March 1948.

© Serangoon Junior College 2018 8821/01 2018 JC2 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION [Turn over 3 Source C Mr. Churchill describes all this as “unlimited expansionist tendencies” on the part of the Soviet Union. It needs no particular effort to show that in this Mr. Churchill grossly and unceremoniously slanders both Moscow, and the above-named States bordering on the USSR. […] The Germans launched the invasion of the USSR through Finland, Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. The Germans were able to launch the invasion through these countries because in these countries there were then governments that were hostile to the USSR. Needless to say, the Soviet Union lost several times more people than England and the United States of America put together. Possibly there is an inclination in some places to ignore these colossal sacrifices of the Soviet people, which secured the liberation of Europe from Hitler. But the Soviet Union cannot forget them. It may be asked what can be surprising about the Soviet Union wanting security in the future, about its attempts to see to it that in these countries there are governments that have loyal relations with the Soviet Union? Is it possible, without taking leave of one’s senses, to characterise these peaceful efforts of the Soviet Union as expansionist tendencies of our state? An interview of Stalin on Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech on March 14, 1946. Source D A British cartoonist on Soviet action in Europe, June 1947.

© Serangoon Junior College 2018 8821/01 2018 JC2 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 4 Source E Since the USSR could not hope to compete on equal economic terms with the USA immediately after the Second World War, Stalin concluded that the only policy available was to withdraw to Soviet Union behind its new defensive east European barrier. Germany became the new front line in this defensive system. This explains why Stalin became so sensitive and uncooperative on the German question, always regarding Western suggestions for a settlement as the thin end of the wedge being driven into Soviet security. The USSR’s economic plight made Marshall Aid a sorely tempting offer, and Stalin for a brief period considered accepting it. But, in the end, he felt he could not risk allowing the Eastern bloc to become economically dependent upon the USA. The political dangers were too great. An article by a British historian specialising in European history, 1990. Now answer the following questions: (a) Compare and contrast the evidence provided in Sources A and B on the consistency of American attitudes towards Soviet policy in Eastern Europe. [10] (b) How far do Sources A-E support the assertion that the Sovietisation of Eastern Europe was driven by Soviet ideological ambition? [30]

© Serangoon Junior College 2018 8821/01 2018 JC2 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION [Turn over 5 Section B You must answer two questions from this section. EITHER 2 ‘The 1960s were a turning point in China’s relationship with the superpowers.’ Assess the validity of this statement for the period up to 1979. [30] OR 3 How consistent were Singapore’s foreign policy responses to the Cold War in Southeast Asia over time? [30] AND EITHER 4 To what extent was UN peacekeeping able to overcome the challenges of Cold War bipolarity in maintaining international peace and security from 1945 to 1989? [30] OR 5 ‘The experience in Cambodia showed that the fortunes of UN peacekeeping had improved after the end of the Cold War.’ How valid is this view of the 1990s? [30]

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