What were the benefits to smaller states of belonging to alliances during the Cold War period? a. Smaller states were able to gain leverage over their local rivals. b. The superpowers received aid and advise in situation of conflict. c. Each state was protected by all the others in the same alliance in face of an attack d. Being a part of an alliance guaranteed access to nuclear weapons.

a and b a and d a and c a only

a and c

International alliances during the Cold War era were determined by the requirements of the superpowers and the calculations of the smaller states. In a world sharply divided between the two alliance systems, a state was supposed to remain tied to its protective superpower to limit the influence of the other superpower and its allies. The smaller states in the alliances used the link to the superpowers for their own purposes. They got the promise of protection, weapons, and economic aid against their local rivals, mostly regional neighbours with whom they had rivalries.