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History Quiz - The Cold War 03 (Questions)

Try our third KS3 History quiz on the Cold War. The two superpowers of the Cold War, the USA and USSR, both liked to demonstrate their power. They became involved in several 'races'. In the arms race, they developed ever more powerful nuclear weapons, including the H-bomb (hydrogen bomb). This was far more destructive than the first nuclear bombs. In the space race, the two powers fought to be the first to put a satellite into orbit, then a person and finally to land people on the Moon.

During the Cold War, and thanks to the arms race, there was always the threat of a nuclear war. There were several major incidents like the Suez Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban missile crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Any one of these could easily have led to nuclear bombs being dropped and ICBMs (inter-continental ballistic missiles) being launched. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy set up a direct telephone line between the US and Soviet governments for better and faster communications to take place.

1. In what year did Berliners destroy the Berlin Wall?
[ ] 1986
[ ] 1987
[ ] 1989
[ ] 1991
2. 1950 saw a war begin within which country?
[ ] Cambodia
[ ] China
[ ] Korea
[ ] Pakistan
3. The Korean War ended in which year?
[ ] 1953
[ ] 1955
[ ] 1957
[ ] 1959
4. In 1962 Russia tried to put nuclear missiles on which island near the USA?
[ ] Cuba
[ ] Haiti
[ ] Hawaii
[ ] Jamaica
5. Which president forced Russia to back down over the Cuban missile crisis?
[ ] Dwight D Eisenhower
[ ] John F Kennedy
[ ] Lyndon B Johnson
[ ] Richard Nixon
6. The emergency USSR-USA telephone line was called what?
[ ] Crisis line
[ ] Hot line
[ ] Rant line
[ ] War line
7. Where did Khrushchev send an army in 1956?
[ ] Albania
[ ] Hungary
[ ] Poland
[ ] Rumania
8. In 1968 the Soviet President, Brezhnev, crushed a rebellion where?
[ ] Bulgaria
[ ] Czechoslovakia
[ ] Poland
[ ] Yugoslavia
9. Where were American troops sent in 1965?
[ ] China
[ ] Korea
[ ] Laos
[ ] Vietnam
10. Which theory said that communist victory in Vietnam would lead to communism elsewhere?
[ ] Concertina theory
[ ] Domino theory
[ ] House of cards theory
[ ] Toppling theory

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - The Cold War

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History Quiz - The Cold War 03 (Answers)
1. In what year did Berliners destroy the Berlin Wall?
[ ] 1986
[ ] 1987
[x] 1989
[ ] 1991
Small sections can still be seen in the city
2. 1950 saw a war begin within which country?
[ ] Cambodia
[ ] China
[x] Korea
[ ] Pakistan
The USSR backed North Korea - the UN backed South Korea
3. The Korean War ended in which year?
[x] 1953
[ ] 1955
[ ] 1957
[ ] 1959
Technically, the war has not yet ended. The Armistice (ceasefire) was signed in July 1953 and a final peaceful solution has yet to be found
4. In 1962 Russia tried to put nuclear missiles on which island near the USA?
[x] Cuba
[ ] Haiti
[ ] Hawaii
[ ] Jamaica
They threatened most US cities with the missiles
5. Which president forced Russia to back down over the Cuban missile crisis?
[ ] Dwight D Eisenhower
[x] John F Kennedy
[ ] Lyndon B Johnson
[ ] Richard Nixon
Kennedy was assassinated in 1963
6. The emergency USSR-USA telephone line was called what?
[ ] Crisis line
[x] Hot line
[ ] Rant line
[ ] War line
It was set up in 1963 to try to avoid war
7. Where did Khrushchev send an army in 1956?
[ ] Albania
[x] Hungary
[ ] Poland
[ ] Rumania
To stop it breaking away from communism
8. In 1968 the Soviet President, Brezhnev, crushed a rebellion where?
[ ] Bulgaria
[x] Czechoslovakia
[ ] Poland
[ ] Yugoslavia
Much of the trouble was in the capital, Prague
9. Where were American troops sent in 1965?
[ ] China
[ ] Korea
[ ] Laos
[x] Vietnam
Vietnamese rebels wanted to unite the whole country under communism
10. Which theory said that communist victory in Vietnam would lead to communism elsewhere?
[ ] Concertina theory
[x] Domino theory
[ ] House of cards theory
[ ] Toppling theory
Even though the USA lost the war and Vietnam became a communist country, the worry that many more countries would become communist did not happen