22) Summits between the USA and USSR

Question 1

why did the USSR want summits?

Answer 1

-Gorbachev recognised that nuclear weapons did not equal guaranteed security
-New thinking policy, security achieved through political and economic processes not nuclear/the two superpowers should work together towards a common goal
-G wanted to end the cold war, it was very expensive

Question 2

Why did the USA want summits

Answer 2

-believed in G’s new thinking policies
-Reagan wanted to change American-Soviet relations
-fear of nuclear war

Question 3

Geneva Summit

Answer 3

-November 1985
-Discussed restrictions on nuclear weapons such as the ban of chemical weapons, an agreement to cut offensive nuclear weapons by 50% and limits on medium range missiles

Question 4

Impact of the Geneva summit

Answer 4

-limited, it had no concrete outcomes and Reagans SDI plans caused tension
-did remove the split between east and west as it reopened talks

Question 5

Reykjavik summit

Answer 5

-October 1986
-tense summit, Reagan wanted an elimination of nuclear weapons but Gorbachev would not comply until Reagan abandoned his plans for SDI
-Made it clear that both sides did want arms reductions

Question 6

impact of the Reykjavik Summit

Answer 6

-partial, they mainly discussed human rights
-valuable as each power gained an insight to what the others limits were (SDI)

Question 7

Washington Summit

Answer 7

-December 1987
-Intermediate Range Nuclear Force treaty (INF) is signed
-huge step in ending the arms race
-INF, ban and destruction of all intermediate range ballistic and cruise missiles, first time the superpowers and agreed to ban a whole class of weapons
-British and French missiles not included
-USSR destroyed over 1000 missiles, the USA about 800
-G also announced his intentions to withdraw from Afghanistan at this summit

Question 8

Impact of the Washington Summit

Answer 8

-Very good
-two major proclamations
-SDI no longer a huge factor
-people began to believe that tensions were truly ending

Question 9

Moscow Summit

Answer 9

-May/June 1988
-focus on cultural exchanges
-Reagan’s last year in office
-signing of several agreements over fishing rights and student exchange programmes

Question 10

Impact of the Moscow Summit

Answer 10

-Gave Reagan access to the Russian people, he spoke of freedom
-Gorbachev and Reagan walk together through Moscow
-START remains an issue
-Good for moral but no further nuclear agreements

Question 11

what is SDI

Answer 11

An initiative proposed by Reagan in 1983 that could supposedly destroy ICBMs in space, before they reached their target. Thus ending nuclear monopoly as the USA would have the ultimate defence system

Question 12

Support for SDI

Answer 12

-Reagan
-NATO leaders such as Thatcher and Helmut Kohl

Question 13

Against SDI

Answer 13

-Soviets, continued to heavily fund their nuclear programs, leading to a lack of finances for the rest of the country
-Gorbachev, against it in summits, however he abandoned this perspective after a while and was forced to justify talks with the USA even though it seemed they were developing an Anti-Soviet weapons system
-before their support, France and England were sceptical it could work

Question 14

Reality of SDI

Answer 14

-could not and would not every work, too expensive and ambitious of a programme
-nicknamed Star Wars by those inside the US (also a link to Reagan’s ‘Evil Empire’ talk)
-in march 1983, Reagan directed military/scientific/industrial communities in the US to research, only ever research
-still created lots of fear within the USSR as its creation would entirely tip the balance of the cold war

Question 15

Summary of Bush

Answer 15

-liaison to PRC and director of the CIA, very experienced
-1989-1993
-had foreign success but wasn’t popular internally due to a failing economy and rising violence
-supported Gorbachev
-Sent troops to overthrow the ruling General in Panama
-Sent troops (via the UN) to Kuwait after Iraqi invasion, this proved successful

Question 16

Bush’s support for Gorbachev

Answer 16

-while some US policy makers still believed that the Soviet Union were using the ‘new thinking’ as a facade to remerge, Bush chose to support Gorbachev in his quest to end the cold war
-in July 1989, he was invited to visit Poland and Hungry were he requested that his speeches would not be victorious/inflammatory
-he did not want to complicated Gorbachev’s position
-In July 1991 a new treaty (START) was signed and came into force in 1994, this treaty renegotiated the number of weapons to be destroyed following the 2nd arms race caused by SDI

Question 17

ending of the war in Afghanistan

Answer 17

-although he faced difficulties doing so, Soviet troops were removed in 1988-98
-‘peace with honour’ idea
-significantly improved tensions

Question 18

reducing tensions with Cuba

Answer 18

-after the fall of the USSR, Cuba lacked lots of funding
-forced to withdraw troops from Africa
-forced to diversify its training partners and it also opened up to tourism
-Cuba becomes an independent communist state under Castro, less tensions as it is not aligned with a superpower anymore

Question 19

ending of tensions with Nicaragua

Answer 19

-in the later 1980s, the US reduce their funding for the Contras which results in them having to negotiate a ceasefire and elections are called in Feb 1996
-USA withdraw aid in 1992, arguing the Sandinistas were controlling the economy

Question 20

Tensions in El Salvador

Answer 20

-country plunged into a civil war (1979-92) due to the unpopularity of US backed leader Jose Napoleon Duarte (provided $6 million to his campaign)
-his army were out of control and committed many atrocities so leftist guerrilla groups began to fight back (supported by the USSR and Cuba)
-Reagan and Bush continue to send aid to prevent the fall to communism
-a truce was needed and peace accords were signed in 1992, a sign the US are relaxing in their anti-communist stance after the end of the USSR, the leftist opposition groups are allowed to become legitimate political parties

Question 21

ending of tensions in Angola

Answer 21

-G announces that the USSR will ends it support to the MPLA (to improve finances and US relations)
-still supported them, however, as south Africa still supported UNITA
-in May 1988 S.Africa agrees to negotiations as the war was beginning to impact them too
-Dec 1988, agreements that Cuba will withdraw, helped by the USA and USSR- joint action to reduce tensions in South West Africa
-big source of contention is resolved

Question 22

ending of tensions in Ethiopia

Answer 22

-even though the Ethiopians regain the territory invaded by the Somalians, droughts and famine continue them into a civil war
-1987, declared the Peoples Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, support from the USSR
-in May 1991, this party falls and a new government comes into power
-although this new party was communist in its founding, it received help from the USA, signalling that the Cold War was officially over and rewriting the US = anti communist narrative (the importance of this stance diminished)