Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History · specification 4HI1 · Paper 1 · Free · no account needed
Superpowers 5 — The Thaw and moves towards Détente, 1963–72 (4HI1 specification)
After Cuba, both sides built machinery to stop it happening again — and the specification stops in 1972 for a reason.
Learn it on Incandio
The 2 Incandio pages that teach this — each explained in full, then proved in marked questions, taught back to an AI pupil and defended in a debate. Completely free.
- The Hotline and the treaties of 1963–68 — What do you call an agreement that limits how a competition is run without reducing it?
- Reasons for Détente, SALT I, and its extent by 1972 — How can an arms-control treaty be signed and the number of warheads rise faster than before?
The teaching route this belongs to: The Thaw and moves towards Détente, 1963–72 — A world divided — the lessons in order, with every gate.
Specification coverage
Paper 1 — A world divided: superpower relations, 1943–72, key topic 5
Assessment objectives: AO1, AO2, AO4. Suggested learning time: 80 minutes.
Required knowledge
- The thaw: 'Hotline', Test Ban Treaty, Outer Space Treaty and Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
- Reasons for Détente
- SALT talks and treaty
- The extent of Détente in 1972
Required skills
- Explain and analyse using second-order concepts: causation, consequence, change, continuity, similarity, difference and significance
- Analyse and evaluate a written interpretation of this period (AO4)
- Reach a supported judgement rather than describing events
How it is examined
- (a) 6 marks — “What impression does the author give about…?” (AO4)
- (b) 8 marks — “Explain two effects of…” (AO1 4, AO2 4)
- (c) 16 marks — a statement, “How far do you agree?”, choice of two (AO1 7, AO2 9)
Common mistakes
- Writing past 1972. The depth study ends there; later events earn nothing.
- Presenting détente as friendship. Both sides were pursuing self-interest, and the strongest answers say what each gained.
This page maps the specification. The pages above teach it, and the History lessons hold the whole course — completely free.