Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History · specification 4HI1 · Paper 1 · Free · no account needed
Superpowers 2 — Early developments in the Cold War, 1945–49 (4HI1 specification)
Containment declared, Europe divided economically, and Berlin turned into the first crisis of the nuclear age.
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 Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan — Was the offer of Marshall Aid to the USSR meant to be accepted?
- Bizonia and the Berlin Blockade — Why did a blockade intended to prevent a separate West German state produce one?
The teaching route this belongs to: Early developments in the Cold War, 1945–49 — A world divided — the lessons in order, with every gate.
Specification coverage
Paper 1 — A world divided: superpower relations, 1943–72, key topic 2
Assessment objectives: AO1, AO2, AO4. Suggested learning time: 90 minutes.
Required knowledge
- Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe
- Churchill and the 'iron curtain'
- The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
- Cominform and Comecon
- Disagreements over Germany including Bizonia
- Causes, events and results of the Berlin Crisis (1948–49), including the setting up of NATO and the creation of two Germanys: the Federal Republic (FRG) and the Democratic Republic (GDR)
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
- Describing the Berlin Blockade without explaining what caused it — the currency reform and Bizonia matter.
- Treating the Marshall Plan as pure generosity, or as pure imperialism. It was both an economic and a strategic instrument.
This page maps the specification. The pages above teach it, and the History lessons hold the whole course — completely free.