A reminder of your learning outcomes
Having completed this chapter, and the Essential reading and activities,
you should be able to:
• explain what is involved for IR in the debate
about the end of the Cold
War
• explain how competing theories of IR explain the end of the Cold War
differently
• explain how and why the end of the Cold War helped reshape the
international
system
• define vocabulary terms in
bold.
Chapter vocabulary
Constructivism
deterrence
European Union
individual
level of analysis
iron curtain
material determinism
reification
systems level of analysis
Third World
unit level of analysis
Chapter 3: The
end of the Cold War
49
Sample examination questions
1. Why has the end of the Cold War been the subject of so much debate in
IR?
2. What role did individuals play in ending the Cold War?
3. Would you place more emphasis on ideas
or economics in explaining
why the Cold War came to an end?
4. Why have post-communist states been impacted differently by the end
of the Cold War?
After preparing your answers,
refer to the Examiners’ commentaries on
the VLE for targeted feedback on specific questions.
