3 - End Of The Cold War 1970-91 Flashcards
What does détente mean
A French word that refers to a reduction in tensions between superpowers
Reasons for Détente
- fear of nuclear war due to Cuban missile crisis
Early examples of detente
- hotline between Washington + Kremlin
- test ban treaty - 1963
When was the six day war
1967
What was the six day war
Israeli vs other Arab states
Consequences of the six day war
- Arab states more closely drawn it Soviet Union because USA had supplied so much military hardware to Israel
Why did USA get involved in the Vietnam war
- to try + stop the spread communism
USAs involvement in Vietnam war
- sent military advisors to south Vietnam in 1950s
- sent troops in 1965
Consequences of the Vietnam war
- USA couldn’t defeat north Vietnamese + the Viet Cong
- High US casualties - up to 10,000 killed a year
1969 - 9400 killed + 53,000 injured + 112 missing in action
When did Nixon become president
1969
When did the US begin seeking an end to the war
1968
- peace talks began spring of 1968
Why were the US hopeful there would be an end to the Vietnamese war
- after Nixon became president - hoped that if USA could improve trade + Technology links + made an offer of arms reduction - then Brezhnev might persuade his north Vietnamese ally to end war
- idea of concessions called ‘linkage’ by Nixon’s advisors
When did Nixon visit Moscow
1972
What did Nixon clarify in Moscow
That he did not see Vietnam as an obstacle to the process of detente , even though Soviet Union was supplying arms to north Vietnam
Why did Brezhnev want to improve relations with Nixon
- Nixon visited china three months before - didn’t want to see a US- China Alliance
- keen to gain access to US technology
- increase grain sales
- reduce spending on arms
Why did Nixon want to improve relations with Brezhnev
- help end Vietnamese war
+ High cost and casualties
What was agreed at the Moscow meeting - 1972
- Nixon agreed to take part in European security conference from which emerged the Helsinki agreements
When was peace signed between US and north Vietnam
1973
When was SALT 1
May 1972
What does SALT stand for
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
Why were SALT talks held
- previous talks at Vienna +Helsinki for three years
- move to detente + idea of linkage + economic problems in Soviet Union
Agreements of SALT 1
- Anti - ballistic missile Systems allowed at only two sites - each containing 100 missiles
+ these were systems designed to detect, track and destroy attacking ICBMs - Interim agreement on Offensive Arms - imposed a 5 year freeze on total number of ICBM + SLBM
Limitations of SALT 1
- agreements did not limit number of strategic bombers eg. Planes designed to bomb distant enemy targets
- did not limit types of bombs each side could have
- no restriction on MIRVs (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle)
- each side could use satellites to check the other side was not breaking arms limits - spying
When was the Yom Kippur war
1973
EXAMPLES OF DÉTENTE IN ACTION
1 - Nixon visits Moscow - 1972 2 - SALT I - 1972 3 - Yom Kippur War - 1973 4 - Nixon visits Moscow - 1974 5 - Space link up - 1975 6 - Helsinki agreements - 1975 7 - SALT II - 1975
What was the Yom Kippur War
Syria and Egypt made surprise attacks on Israel
- Syria/ Egypt supplied by Soviet Union
- Israel supplied by USA
Brezhnevs plan - Yom Kippur War
- join US - Soviet Union force would be on hand to save the Egyptian army from Israelis
- If US refused - Soviet forces would go separately
Nixons response to brezhnevs plan - Yom Kippur War
- Nixon angry at Brezhnevs suggestion at independent action but didn’t want to accept the offer
- Nixon put all US forces, including nuclear strike groups, on alert
- NIXON PROPOSED an alternative - that UN peacekeeping force of non-nuclear countries intervene in the conflict
- Brezhnev accepted proposal and war ended
When did Yom Kippur war end
- ended with a ceasefire
- 24th October 1973
When did Nixon visit Moscow for the second time
July 1974
What was agreed at the second Moscow visit - 1974
- they would continue to remove the danger of war - Particularly nuclear war
- to limit + eventually end arms race - especially in strategic warheads = said their ultimate objective was complete disarmament, which would be monitored by appropriate international control
- they would contribute to the elimination of sources of tension + war
- to relax tensions throughout the world
- to develop broad, mutually beneficial co-operation in commercial, economic, scientific
technical and cultural fields - aim was to promote increased understanding and
confidence between the peoples of both countries.
Consequence of Moscow meeting
Space link up
Helsinki agreements
When was the space link up
17th July 1975
What was the space link up
- Apollo - Soyuz mission
- three US astronauts + two soviet astronauts met up in space as US Apollo aircraft docked with a soviet Soyuz one
- there was a symbolic handshake
When were the Helsinki agreements
1975
What was the Helsinki agreements
- USA and Soviet Union along with 33 other nations made declarations about three distinct international issues - known as baskets
- Security
- Cooperation
- Human rights
Helsinki agreement - security
- Recognition of Europe’s frontiers
- Soviet Union accepted the existence of West Germany
Helsinki agreement - Cooperation
There was a call for closer economic, scientific and cultural links - these would lead to even closer political agreement
Helsinki agreement - Human rights
Each signatory agreed to respect human rights and basic freedoms such as thought, speech, religion and freedom from unfair arrest
Consequences of Helsinki agreements
- following human rights Helsinki agreement - president carter sent a letter to the soviet dissident (Andrei Sakharov) - supporting his stand against soviet authorities
- carters actions seen as a big interference in soviet internal affairs + Brezhnev made this clear in a speech
What is a dissent
Someone who disagrees with the government
Consequences of carters actions
- various groups were set up in eastern Europe, known as the Helsinki Groups to monitor the Soviet Union’s adherence to the Agreements.
- They, along with President Carter and other human rights organisations, complained about Soviet violations of 975 Agreements.
+ violations = lack of free speech, religious restrictions and lack of freedom of movement. - The human rights issue was becoming an embarrassment for Brezhnev.
How did the Soviet Union go against the Helsinki agreements
Despite the Helsinki Agreements, the Soviet Union sent huge amounts of weapons to Angola and Ethiopia, and by 1980, 21 other
African states had received Soviet weapons.
When was SALT II
Began in 1974 and signed in June 1979
Terms of SALT II
- A limit of 2400 strategic nuclear delivery vehicle (ICBMs, SLBMs and heavy bombers) for each side.
- 1320 limit on MIRV systems for each side.
- A ban on construction of new land-based ICBM launchers.
- Limits on deployment of new types of strategic offensive arms.
- SALT Il to last until 1985.
When were SALT II agreements meant to last up to
1985
Why did ratification (agreement) of the SALT II treaty not take place
US Congress did not believe that the limits put forward in SALT Il could be verified, and there was renewed concern over the 2,000 Soviet troops stationed in Cuba.
How was detente endangered
In late 1979, NATO decided to place long-range missiles in Europe.
- Détente was under pressure, but its end came unexpectedly when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on 25 December 1979.
- The US Senate refused to ratify SALT II and many said that a second Cold War was starting.
When was Gorbachev appointment as leader
March 1985
Russias economy in 1985
- not nearly efficient as American
- while Americans enjoyed excellent standard of living Russians faced shortages every day
- eg. Not uncommon for Moscow housewives to queue for 5 hours just to buy bread
Why was Gorbachev different
His ‘new thinking’
Why did Gorbachev come up with his ‘new thinking’
- Cold War was draining Russia’s wealth, couldn’t develop economically - fall of standard of living + faith in communism being lost
- Gorbachev wanted to address these problems by reforming the communist party + modernising soviet - style socialism
- introduced radical programme called new thinking
What was Gorbachevs ‘new thinking’
Three strategies -
- Initiating reforms in the Communist Party and Soviet system - perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness).
- Ending the arms race with the USA and signing various arms reduction agreements.
- Abandoning the Brezhnev Doctrine and stopping Soviet interference in eastern European satellite states like Poland, Czechoslovakia and other Warsaw Pact countries.
What was seen as the beginning of gorbachevs restructuring + economic acceleration
- APRIL 1985 - roamed around industrial district of Moscow + visited supermarkets + chatted with workers at a truck factory
- discussed computer training with teachers
- discussed nurses pay with staff at hospital
Gorbachevs other developments
- dissidents released from jail
- banned books were published + people learned of atrocities Stalin committed
Why was glasnost described as a ‘two - edged sword’
- more freedom people gained the more they wanted + more they criticised Gorbachev
Why was Russia’s economy damaged
- arms race
- Afghanistan invasion
- space race
What did perestroika bring about
- certain aspects of a free economy were introduced
- people can think more freely without fear of reprisal
- reforms of political system - eg. Elections for local government
Why were arms limitation talks renewed
After it became clear Gorbachev wanted to improve relations
When + where was the first summit meeting with Gorbachev + Reagan
November 1985 at Geneva
How long was the Geneva summit meeting
Lasted 2 days
What was different about the Geneva summit
They broke convention and met without their advisors
What happened at the Geneva summit
- reagan would not give up his commitment to SDI Defense System
- both spoke of the world being a ‘safer place’
- Geneva accord set out
What was the Geneva accord
Committed the two countries to -
- speed up arms talks
- work towards abolition of chemical weapons
- be more active on issues of human rights
When and where was the second summit between Gorbachev + Reagan
October 1986 in Reykjavik, Iceland