AQA GCSE History · BE

Conflict and tension in the Gulf and Afghanistan, 1990–2009

50 exam-style questions with answers for BE Conflict and tension in the Gulf and Afghanistan, 1990–2009 in AQA GCSE History (spec 8145). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
When was the Iran-Iraq War fought? [1 mark]
Answer:
1980 to 1988.
Question 2 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
State two consequences of the Iran-Iraq War for Iraq. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: huge debts, especially to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia (1); hundreds of thousands killed (1); a large, experienced army (1); damaged economy (1).
Question 3 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
Explain why Western powers were interested in the Gulf region. [2 marks]
Answer:
It holds a large share of the world’s oil reserves (1); instability threatened oil supplies and prices (1).
Question 4 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
Explain why the West supported Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. [2 marks]
Answer:
Western powers feared the spread of Iran’s Islamic revolution after 1979 (1); they saw Iraq as a counterweight to Iran (1).
Question 5 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
Explain how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict contributed to tension in the Gulf. [2 marks]
Answer:
US support for Israel caused resentment in the Arab and Muslim world (1); it was used by extremists, including Al-Qaeda, to justify terrorism (1).
Question 6 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
State two reasons why Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Iraq owed Kuwait billions from the Iran-Iraq War (1); claims that Kuwait was overproducing oil and lowering prices (1); accusations of slant drilling into the Rumaila oil field (1); Saddam claimed Kuwait was historically part of Iraq (1).
Question 7 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
What was Thatcher’s role in the response to the invasion of Kuwait? [1 mark]
Answer:
She urged President Bush to take firm action against Iraq.
Question 8 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
How did the UN respond to the invasion of Kuwait? [2 marks]
Answer:
It imposed economic sanctions on Iraq (1); Resolution 678 authorised force if Iraq did not withdraw by 15 January 1991 (1).
Question 9 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
What was Operation Desert Storm? [2 marks]
Answer:
The US-led coalition’s air and ground campaign in January–February 1991 (1); it liberated Kuwait in about six weeks (1).
Question 10 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
State two consequences of the Gulf War. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Saddam stayed in power (1); no-fly zones were set up over Iraq (1); UN weapons inspections began (1); uprisings by Kurds and Shia were crushed (1).
Question 11 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
Explain why the Gulf War increased US influence in the region. [2 marks]
Answer:
US troops remained in Saudi Arabia (1); the USA became the main power protecting Gulf states (1).
Question 12 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
State two Arab reactions to the Gulf War. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria joined the coalition (1); Jordan and the PLO supported Iraq (1); many Arabs resented Western troops in Saudi Arabia (1).
Question 13 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part one
Explain why Western countries armed Iraq in the 1980s. [1 mark]
Answer:
They wanted to prevent an Iranian victory that could spread the Islamic revolution and threaten oil supplies.
Question 14 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Who founded Al-Qaeda? [1 mark]
Answer:
Osama bin Laden, in 1988.
Question 15 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
State two aims of Al-Qaeda. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: remove US and Western influence from Muslim lands (1); overthrow governments it saw as un-Islamic (1); end US support for Israel (1); create an Islamic state ruled by its strict interpretation of sharia (1).
Question 16 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Explain why bin Laden opposed the USA. [2 marks]
Answer:
US troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites (1); he opposed US support for Israel and the sanctions on Iraq (1).
Question 17 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
What happened on 11 September 2001? [2 marks]
Answer:
Al-Qaeda hijackers flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, with a fourth plane crashing in Pennsylvania (1); nearly 3,000 people were killed (1).
Question 18 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Who were the Taliban? [1 mark]
Answer:
An Islamist group that controlled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
Question 19 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
State two policies of the Taliban regime. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: girls banned from school (1); women required to wear the burqa and banned from most work (1); music and television banned (1); harsh punishments (1).
Question 20 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Define the term ‘rogue state’. [1 mark]
Answer:
A state seen as a threat to world peace, for example by supporting terrorism or seeking weapons of mass destruction.
Question 21 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Explain why Afghanistan was called a rogue state. [2 marks]
Answer:
The Taliban allowed Al-Qaeda to run training camps (1); they refused to hand over bin Laden after 9/11 (1).
Question 22 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Name two ethnic groups in Afghanistan. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Pashtuns (1); Tajiks (1); Hazaras (1); Uzbeks (1).
Question 23 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Explain why ethnic divisions caused problems in Afghanistan. [2 marks]
Answer:
The Taliban were mainly Pashtun and persecuted others, especially the Shia Hazaras (1); the Northern Alliance of Tajiks and Uzbeks fought the Taliban (1).
Question 24 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
State two of Bush’s aims in the War on Terror. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: destroy Al-Qaeda (1); capture bin Laden (1); remove the Taliban (1); act against states that supported terrorists (1).
Question 25 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Explain why Blair supported intervention in Afghanistan. [2 marks]
Answer:
He believed in the ‘special relationship’ with the USA (1); he argued that terrorism threatened Britain and that the Taliban oppressed Afghans (1).
Question 26 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Describe the US/UK operation in Afghanistan (October 2001). [2 marks]
Answer:
Air strikes supported the Northern Alliance (1); Kabul fell in November and the Taliban regime collapsed by December (1).
Question 27 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
What was decided at the Bonn Conference (December 2001)? [2 marks]
Answer:
It was a UN-sponsored meeting of Afghan leaders (1); Hamid Karzai was chosen to lead an interim government (1).
Question 28 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
State two problems faced by Karzai’s government. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: corruption (1); the drug trade in opium (1); local warlords (1); limited control outside Kabul (1); Taliban attacks (1).
Question 29 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Explain why the Taliban were able to regain strength after 2003. [2 marks]
Answer:
They regrouped in border areas of Pakistan (1); US attention moved to Iraq, and the Afghan government was weak (1).
Question 30 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part two
Explain why many Muslims were critical of the Taliban. [1 mark]
Answer:
Many Muslim countries and scholars rejected the Taliban’s extreme interpretation of Islam, and only three states recognised the regime.
Question 31 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Who was Saddam Hussein? [1 mark]
Answer:
The dictator of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, leader of the Ba’ath Party.
Question 32 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
What happened at Halabja in 1988? [1 mark]
Answer:
Saddam’s forces used chemical weapons on the Kurdish town, killing about 5,000 people.
Question 33 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Describe Saddam’s treatment of the Shia after the Gulf War. [2 marks]
Answer:
He crushed the Shia uprising of 1991 (1); he drained the southern marshes, destroying the Marsh Arabs’ way of life (1).
Question 34 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Explain how religious divisions affected Iraq. [2 marks]
Answer:
Shia Muslims were a majority but Saddam’s government was dominated by Sunnis (1); this caused resentment and later sectarian violence (1).
Question 35 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Explain why there was debate about links between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. [2 marks]
Answer:
The Bush administration claimed Saddam supported Al-Qaeda (1); no strong evidence was found, and Saddam’s secular regime was hostile to Islamist groups (1).
Question 36 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
What did weapons inspectors do in Iraq? [2 marks]
Answer:
UN and IAEA inspectors searched for weapons of mass destruction (1); Iraq often obstructed them, and they left in 1998 before returning in 2002 (1).
Question 37 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
What are weapons of mass destruction (WMD)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Nuclear, chemical and biological weapons that can kill large numbers of people.
Question 38 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
What did Hans Blix report in early 2003? [1 mark]
Answer:
Inspectors had found no evidence of WMD and needed more time.
Question 39 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Explain why the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was controversial. [2 marks]
Answer:
There was no new UN resolution authorising force (1); the WMD claims were disputed and no WMD were found (1).
Question 40 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
State two ways opposition to the Iraq War was shown. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: mass protests, eg about a million in London in February 2003 (1); France, Germany and Russia opposed it (1); Robin Cook resigned from the UK cabinet (1).
Question 41 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Describe the military campaign in Iraq in 2003. [2 marks]
Answer:
Coalition forces invaded in March with ‘shock and awe’ bombing (1); Baghdad fell in April, and Saddam’s regime collapsed within weeks (1).
Question 42 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
What happened to Saddam Hussein after the invasion? [2 marks]
Answer:
He was captured in December 2003 (1); he was tried by an Iraqi court and executed in 2006 (1).
Question 43 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Define the term ‘insurgency’. [1 mark]
Answer:
An armed rebellion against an established government or occupying force.
Question 44 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
State two causes of the insurgency in Iraq. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: the disbanding of the Iraqi army (1); removal of Ba’ath Party members from jobs (1); resentment of occupation (1); sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia (1); Al-Qaeda in Iraq (1).
Question 45 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Describe two effects of the war on the Iraqi people. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: tens of thousands of civilian deaths (1); millions displaced as refugees (1); damage to electricity, water and hospitals (1); sectarian violence (1).
Question 46 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
What happened in Iraq’s elections of 2005? [2 marks]
Answer:
Iraqis voted for a Transitional National Assembly in January (1); a new constitution was approved and a permanent government elected in December (1).
Question 47 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Give two examples of global terrorism linked to the wars. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: the Madrid train bombings (2004) (1); the London bombings of 7 July 2005 (1); attacks in Iraq by Al-Qaeda in Iraq (1).
Question 48 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
What was the 2007 US troop surge? [2 marks]
Answer:
Bush sent about 20,000–30,000 extra troops to Iraq (1); combined with the Sunni Awakening, violence fell (1).
Question 49 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
How stable was Iraq by the end of Bush’s presidency (2009)? [2 marks]
Answer:
Violence was lower and an agreement set US withdrawal by 2011 (1); but sectarian divisions and weak government remained (1).
Question 50 · Spec 3.2.2 BE, Part three
Explain why western interests, including oil, were linked to the Iraq War. [2 marks]
Answer:
Iraq had some of the world’s largest oil reserves (1); critics argued that securing oil and US influence in the region was a motive for invasion (1).

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