What is détente
Détente is French for ‘relaxation’. It is used to describe the period between 1967 and 1979, when tensions between the superpowers were more ‘relaxed’.
What were the key features of détente?
- 1967 Outer Space Treaty
- 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
- 1972 SALT I Treaty
What was the 1967 Outer Space Treaty
The superpowers pledged not to place nuclear weapons in outer space.
What was the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Superpowers guaranteed not to supply nuclear technology to other countries.
What was the 1972 SALT I Treaty
- The first time the superpowers successfully agreed to limit missile production. They agreed:
- To limit the increase in ICBMs and SLBMs (submarine-based missiles).
- There would be a five year delay on the building of more missiles.
- In 1975 Soviet and US astronauts carried out a joint Soyuz-Apollo space flight.
What is the The Helsinki Agreement on Human Rights (1975)
- the USA and the Soviet Union, along with 33 other countries signed
- This guaranteed that they would respect human rights and fundamental freedoms,
What were the key features of the Kabul Revolution, April 1978
- A new government seized power in Afghanistan Led by communist President Mohammed Taraki, the new government became an ally of the Soviet Union.
- Many Muslim leaders opposed socialist reforms and demanded Hafizullah Amin become Prime Minister.
- In October 1979 Amin supporters assassinated Taraki and Amin claimed the post of President.
Why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan
- Brezhnev hoped to gain access to the oil-rich Middle East if he secured power over Afghanistan.
- Brezhnev wanted to avoid an Islamic take-over in Afghanistan (such as occurred in Iran at this time) which would turn it against communism.
- Afghan communist Babrak Karmal offered to form a pro-Soviet government if they helped him defeat Amin.
- Brezhnev did not think the US would intervene – on Christmas Day 1979, the Soviets invaded. Amin was executed and replaced by Karmal
Why did the invasion of Afghanistan end the period of Détente
- In a statement known as the Carter Doctrine, President Carter promised to stop the Soviets from extending their influence towards the Middle East.
- The CIA provided weapons and funds to the Mujahadin – an Islamic group that led the fighting against the Soviet invasion.
- Exports of US grain to the Soviet Union were stopped.
- The USA refused to ratify SALT II. The agreement would have meant further reductions in strategic weapons.
- The USA boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games, which were held in Moscow. 60 other countries joined the US boycott. (The Soviet Union and 14 communist countries responded by boycotting the Los Angeles Olympic Games four years later)
Why was there a ‘New Cold War’ between 1979 and 1985
- Ronald Reagan became president in 1981. He had always taken a hard line against Communism. In a speech in March 1983, Reagan called the Soviet Union ‘The Evil Empire’.
- They realised that the Soviet Union’s economic problems were getting much worse and that it would soon be on the point of bankruptcy.
How did Reagan’s SDI affect the relationship between the USA and the USSR?
- In 1983 Reagan announced ‘Star Wars’, the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI). The idea was to find a way to be shoot down Soviet missiles using lasers in space.
- The plan went directly against the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.
- Reagan also stopped high technology exports to the Soviet Union.
- The Soviets did not have the money or the technology to carry out similar research, so SDI made the Soviets look weak.
- In order to compete in the arms race, the Soviet Union would risk becoming bankrupt.
What contribution did Gorbachev make to the end of the Cold War?
- Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet leader in 1985 – he realised that the USSR had many problems
( economy, Chernobyl became a symbol of the soviets crisis )
What was perestroika and Glasnost
perestroika (economic restructuring) to make the economy more efficient
Glasnost - new sense of openness (greater freedom), both within the Soviet Union and also with the West.
Why did Gorbachev and Reagan want to end the Cold War
- Although the USSR had more missiles than the USA, it could not carry on the arms race. Gorbachev knew that if the Soviet Union was to survive was by making agreements with the USA to reduce arms.
- Although America had the money and resources to carry on the arms race, it had fewer missiles. Reagan also needed to cut military expenditure.
what happened in the 1985 Geneva Summit
although no formal agreement was made, this first meeting showed signs that both were prepared to change
what happened in the 1986 Reykjavik Meeting
Gorbachev rejected Reagan’s idea of scrapping all ballistic missiles until Reagan dropped SDI. He refused. This meeting allowed both leaders to test each other and find their limits
what happened in the 1987 Washington Meeting
- The Intermediate–range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, was signed at this meeting
- The treaty committed both sides to the getting rid of all medium-range missiles from Europe within 3 years.
- This was the first treaty to actually reduce the number of nuclear weapons – previous ones just limited how much they could produce.
Why did Gorbachev sign the INF Treaty?
- The Soviet economy was in a desperate situation.
- Disarmament would be popular with the West and make trade deals easier.
- A degree of trust between the US and Soviet leaders had been established.
What led to the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe
- Human Rights Protests
- Economics
- The Warsaw Pact
What were the key events of the collapse of the Soviet Union
- In 1989 Communist rule collapsed across Eastern Europe
- In September 1989 Hungary opened its borders with Austria and East Germany opened its borders with Austria.
- In November 1989 Berliners tore down the Berlin Wall with hammers and chisels and the Communist governments of East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria all resigned.
- In December 1989 Ceausescu, the Romanian dictator, was overthrown and shot.
What led to the fall of the Soviet Union
- Many senior members of the Communist Party blamed Gorbachev’s reforms for the break-up of the Eastern Bloc and felt that he had weakened communism.
- A group of senior communist government officials, known as the ‘Gang of Eight’ organised a coup to remove Gorbachev –Initially it was successful but was eventually defeated by a group including the future leader, Boris Yeltsin.
- Gorbachev’s resignation – Gorbachev returned to his position but his authority had been severely damaged by the coup.
- He tried to introduce a new constitution but this was rejected by the leaders of the Soviet Republics (e.g. Latvia and Ukraine).
