Edexcel IGCSE History: A World Divided, Superpower Relations, 1943–72 — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board. The extracts below are entirely invented for this exercise — none is a real historian’s work, and none should be treated or cited as one.

Related: Superpower relations revision notes | Superpower relations study guide

These questions practise the three Depth Study question types of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 1 across the five key topics of “A world divided: superpower relations, 1943–72”. Answer guidance follows the questions.

---

Question 1 — the origins of the Cold War, 1943–49

Extract A (invented for this exercise).

“At Yalta the Big Three still spoke as allies; at Potsdam, five months later, they already listened as rivals. Little had changed in Europe. A great deal had changed at the table.”

1(a) What impression does the author give about relations between the Allies in 1945? You must use Extract A to explain your answer. [6]

1(b) Explain two effects of the Marshall Plan. [8]

1(c) “Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe was the main reason for the Cold War in the years 1945–49.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• Stalin’s policy in Poland and Czechoslovakia
• the Truman Doctrine

You must also use information of your own.

Question 2 — the 1950s and the three crises

Extract B (invented for this exercise).

“The Wall was an admission of failure dressed up as a triumph. A state that had to imprison its own citizens to keep them had lost the argument with the West.”

2(a) What impression does the author give about the building of the Berlin Wall? You must use Extract B to explain your answer. [6]

2(b) Explain two effects of the Soviet invasion of Hungary (1956). [8]

2(c) “The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most dangerous moment in superpower relations in the years 1956–68.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the U2 incident
• the invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968)

You must also use information of your own.

Question 3 — thaw and détente, 1963–72

3(b) Explain two effects of the Cuban Missile Crisis on superpower relations. [8]

3(c) “By 1972 détente had transformed relations between the superpowers.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the Test Ban Treaty (1963)
• the SALT talks

You must also use information of your own.

---

Answers and mark guidance

1(a) [6]

The author suggests relations deteriorated quickly in 1945 and that the change was in attitudes rather than events. The contrast between “spoke as allies” and “listened as rivals” shows a shift from cooperation to suspicion; “five months later” stresses speed; “a great deal had changed at the table” hints at new leaders (Truman, Attlee) and the atomic bomb.

1(b) [8]

• Western European recovery: billions of dollars of aid rebuilt economies and reduced the appeal of communism in countries such as France and Italy.
• Deeper division of Europe: Stalin rejected the aid for the Eastern bloc and set up Cominform (1947) and Comecon (1949), so Europe split into two economic blocs.

1(c) [16]

Agree: communist takeovers through salami tactics; Poland’s government under Soviet control despite Yalta; the Czech coup (1948); the Berlin Blockade.

Other factors: ideological rivalry dating back to 1917; Truman’s tougher attitude and the atomic bomb; the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, which Stalin saw as aggressive; disputes over Germany (Bizonia, the new currency).

Judgement: Soviet actions created Western fears, but American policy turned rivalry into a lasting division; strong answers show how each side reacted to the other.

2(a) [6]

The author presents the Wall as a sign of weakness disguised as strength. “Admission of failure dressed up as a triumph” points to the gap between GDR propaganda and reality; “imprison its own citizens” describes the Wall’s purpose of stopping emigration; “lost the argument” suggests communism had lost the contest of systems.

2(b) [8]

• Soviet control reinforced: Nagy was removed (and later executed) and Kádár installed, showing that no satellite would be allowed to leave the Warsaw Pact.
• Western limits exposed: the USA and UN condemned the invasion but did not intervene, showing that the West accepted the Soviet sphere in practice and that containment did not mean liberation.

2(c) [16]

Agree: nuclear missiles ninety miles from the USA; the US quarantine and DEFCON alert; the U2 shot down over Cuba; leaders believed war was possible within days.

Other moments: the Berlin Wall standoff (1961), when US and Soviet tanks faced each other at Checkpoint Charlie; the U2 incident (1960), which wrecked the Paris Summit; Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968), which were serious but stayed within the Soviet sphere.

Judgement: Cuba was the most dangerous because it involved direct nuclear confrontation; the others raised tension without the same immediate risk.

3(b) [8]

• Direct communication: the Hotline (1963) was set up so leaders could talk directly in a crisis.
• Arms control: the Partial Test Ban Treaty (1963) began a series of agreements leading to the NPT (1968) and SALT.

3(c) [16]

Agree: a chain of treaties — Test Ban, Outer Space, NPT, SALT I and the ABM Treaty; Nixon’s visit to Moscow in 1972; reduced risk of direct confrontation.

Disagree: rivalry continued in Vietnam; the invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) and the Brezhnev Doctrine; SALT I froze rather than reduced arsenals; both sides continued developing new weapons.

Judgement: détente changed the way the superpowers managed their rivalry, not the rivalry itself.

Where marks are usually lost

• In (a), describing the event rather than the author’s impression of it.
• In (b), giving one effect in two ways.
• In (c), narrating crises in order without comparing them.

Source: question patterns modelled on the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 1.

Frequently asked questions

How is each Paper 1 depth study question structured? Each 4HI1 Paper 1 question has three parts: (a) what impression an extract gives (6 marks), (b) explain two effects (8 marks) and (c) a ‘how far do you agree’ essay (16 marks), with bullet prompts and your own knowledge.

Which crises are covered? The origins of the Cold War 1943–49, Berlin, Hungary and Cuba, and the thaw and détente to 1972.

What does part (a) reward? Explaining the author’s impression from the extract’s language, not describing the event itself.

Are these real Edexcel past-paper questions? No. They are original questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1; use them alongside the official past papers and mark schemes.