4 -- End of Cold War [done] Flashcards
Describe and explain the introduction of detente from the 1960s to the 1970s.
Who implemented the policy? What does it entail? What benefits did it bring for the 2 superpowers?
Under Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1974, the USA implemented a policy of detente towards the USSR.
- instead of focusing on containment and confrontation, it held that the USA and the USSR had the right to coexist as sovereign states
- both superpowers accepted and respected each other’s SOI
This led to a period of reduced tensions between the 2 superpowers, where they aimed to reduce direct conflict and avoid conflicts that could lead to another nuclear war.
Benefits for the USA:
- have more time to stop its involvement in the Vietnam War, which was costly and grew increasingly unpopular back home and abroad
Benefits for USSR:
- USSR felt secure (less paranoid & aggressive) as it largely caught up with the American military and nuclear arsenal
Describe some achievements under detente.
1. Arms control negotiation
- Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I) were held in May 1972 to attempt to limit and reduce the number of nuclear weapons possessed
- Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty was signed in May 1972, limiting both superpowers’ possessions of anti-ballistic missiles to just 2
2. Soviet cooperation in ending Vietnam War
- By late 1960s, prolonged involvement in the Vietnam War damaged the prestige of the USA both within and outside of the country
- USA enlisted support of the USSR to convince the communist north to negotiate a peace treaty with the USA to end the war
3. Trade negotiations
- in 1972, Brezhnev agreed to repay WWII debts to the USA, and USSR was in turn given the most favoured nation status
- this allowed the USSR to purchase large amounts of grains from the USA
- status was revoked in 1974 when USSR supported Arab nations which were enemies of Israel, USA’s ally
Describe and explain the stalling and abandonment of detente.
Afghan-Soviet War
Many people disliked detente, as they still saw the USSR violating human rights. Detente began to stall when Jimmy Carter criticised the USSR, increasing tensions between the superpowers.
Also, both superpowers continued to involve themselves in other countries’ internal affairs.
The Afghan-Soviet War
- A ruthless but ineffective Afghan govt. was in power at the time, and heavily relied on Soviet supplies and equipment
- It faced open rebellion from a group called the Mujahideen who were supported by the Afghan people
- Afraid of losing its influence over Afghanistan, USSR sent troops and installed a president it chose in 1979
- The invasion was heavily criticised by the international community
- Carter cancelled the ongoing SALT talks, and imposed embargoes on grain and technology against the USSR
- The new British PM and US presidents susequently also adopted more confrontational attitudes towards the USSR
This led to the end of detente, signalling the rise of tensions once again.
Explain how the economic boom experienced by the USA and West Europe countries led to the end of the Cold War.
long-term factor
- in the 1970s, the US economy suffered a severe downturn due to 2 oil crises in 1973 and 1979, and the costs incurred in the Vietnam War
- Reagan began a process of economic liberalisation to address this
- under this, people were encouraged to own businesses instead of rely on government goods and services, and the government sold national assets
- this was also done in other West European countries, which stimulated economic growth, leading to a financial boom in the 1980s
- in 1985, USSR’s GDP was 914 billion USD, while the USA’s GDP was 4185 billion USD
Free market economies were much richer and more popular than the command economy. People in the USSR saw this, highlighting the USSR’s weaknesses and making it more unpopular. Lack of support for the USSR government and greater discontentment.
Explain how the renewal of the arms race led to the end of the Cold War.
long-term factor
- The USA invested in the Star Wars Programme which involved adding more satellites into orbit in order to detect missiles
- The Pershing II missiles were also installed in West Germany, which could reach the USSR
- A military exercise with NATO called Able Archer 83 with new codes, procedures and routines looked highly realistic to the USSR
- The USSR were on very high alert for war and thought USA and NATO were getting ready for a first strike
- Reagan realised that his actions didn’t help keep USA safe, but instead threatened that safety by provoking USSR and making it feel scared instead
Thus, he decided to change his attitude towards the USSR and became more peaceful and friendly in his approach. He began to cooperate and be more willing to negotiate with the Soviets and was willing to embark on nuclear disarmament.
Explain how the structural weaknesses of the command economy led to the end of the Cold War.
long-term factor
Command economy had centrally planned economy, with the state controlling wages, resources and quotas. There was also poor communication between decision makers, and a lot of corruption within the system. The production emphasis was also on quantity and not quality. People had a poor QOL and SOL, in comparison to the free market economy which had freedom of information, less control by the government and encouraged individual enterprise.
The free market economies experienced an economic boom, while the command economy struggled to keep up. This gap in SOL was noticed by people who lost their support for the Soviet government.
Explain how the continued lack of consumer goods and low QOL led to the end of the Cold War.
long-term factor
- Stalin’s 5YPs focused on industrial production instead of consumer goods production
- clothes, electronics, housing and food is lacking in the USSR, and often of low quality or not widely available except for the high-ranking officials
- in order to keep up with the USA, resources was focused on military and industrial production instead,
- there was a stark contrast in quality of life between the USA and the USSR, and the citizens were deprived of the goods
USSR rule became unpopular with its citizens who were unhappy as they were suffering and starving, while the people in Western countries were thriving.
Explain how the external economic burdens of the Soviet Union led to the end of the Cold War.
long-term factor
- USA had useful allies who it could do trade with and be supported by, while USSR’s allies were a burden and drained its resources
- annual subsidies of discounted oil prices to Warsaw Pact countries amounted up to US$3 billion
- the decade-long Afghan War was also costly and drained manpower and resources
Lack of manpower and resources led to the country being unable to sustain its actions and economy, and did not help it to become more popular with the people.
Explain how increasing resistance within the communist bloc led to the end of the Cold War.
long-term factor
- Soviet leadership is well-known for crushing opposition, and sustained communist support in Eastern European countries by force, often installing its own puppet government if things got out of hand
- the Hungarian Revolution was crushed in 1956, while the Prague Spring was also crushed in 1968
Lack of support by the people in the EE countries made Soviet rule very unpopular, and eventually led to its downfall as people didn’t want to support it.
Explain how Gorbachev’s policies led to the end of the Cold War.
short-term factor
Glasnost, Perestroika
- Glasnost
- called for greater transparency in the government and aimed to increase trust in government actions, to gain more support
- newspapers, journals, radio stations, books and music censorship was relaxed or lifted entirely, allowing the people of USSR to be exposed to other information from the outside world
- debates and discussions were encouraged, and he encouraged ideas for reforms as well.
However, the relaxation of censors meant that people were now exposed to criticism of USSR rule. The people eventually learned about the atrocities that the USSR government hid from its people, and saw the better QOL of Western countries. Criticism of the USSR could not be controlled, and people lost support for the government instead.
- Perestroika
- programme of economic and political reforms to encourage greater productivity within the citizens
- allowed for private ownership of small businesses in service, manufacturing and foreign goods sectors
- central control over wages was relaxed, and people can vote for their factory managers
- allowed elections for local Party positions
- general elections for Congress was also allowed for people from other groups, not only the Communist Party members
Although well-intentioned, it was still a failed policy. People still had to deal with corrupt officials and had no access to good infrastructure and facilities. There was also still shortages of food and necessities, and so Perestroika didn’t revive the economy.
Explain how Gorbachev’s policies led to the end of the Cold War.
short-term factor
foreign policy reforms, nuclear disarmament talks
- Foreign policy reforms
- ‘New Thinking’ was also introduced to Soviet foreign policy, where problems should be solved based on moral and ethical principles instead of conflict in ideology
- he also believed EE states should be allowed to handle their own politics without Soviet interference, leading to the reduction of Cold War tensions and the dissolution of the Soviet bloc
This led to better relations between the 2 superpowers and led to decreased control over the Soviet SOI.
- Nuclear disarmament talks
- In Nov 1985, Reagan and Gorbachev met for the first time at the Geneva Summit in Switzerland with a friendly atmosphere
- although both could not come to a compromise in the arms race issues, they were both each willing to make sacrifices to step towards nuclear disarmament
- eventually, in Dec 1987, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed, which led to the removal of the mobile intermediate range missiles in Europe
This led to a reduction in weapons and hence led to improving relations and decreased tensions between the 2 superpowers.
Explain the consequences of Gorbachev’s policies in ending the Cold War.
-
End of Soviet Control over Eastern Europe
- the USSR would abandon the Brezhnev Doctrine, and would no longer interfere with the political affairs of its allies
- without backing, the EE communist regimes collapsed one after the other, leading to the loss of EE countries in the Soviet SOI
- in 1989, the Hungarian government began democratic reforms and agreeds to hold free elections
- in 1989, students in Czechoslovakia held peaceful demonstration for months, and the communist party eventually agreed to resign -
Fall of Berlin Wall
- the Berlin Wall is the most enduring symbol of the Cold War bi-polarity, as it was a physical manifestation of it
- in Nov 1989, an official of the East Germany Communist Party opened travel between the wall up for private trips
- however, many people stormed and overran the wall that night, overwhelming the guards and checkpoints
- the wall was also eventually dismantled from 1990 to 1991 -
Increased cooperation between superpowers
- there were also further efforts between the superpowers in 1990 and 1991 to reduce arms and emphasis on idelogical confrontation
- superpowers were willing to accomodate each other on the issues which would previously cause tensions
- Gorbachev allowed for the reunification of Germany and for it to regain sovereignty in 1990
- Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) talks aimed to reduce nuclear arsenals instead of just limiting them -
Disintegration of the Soviet Union
- Gorbachev was elected the Presiden of the Soviet Union in 1990, and Yeltsin was elected the President of Russia in 1991
- hardliners in the Communist Party realised their power was being threatened and tried to launch a coup against Gorbachev in 1991
- however, Yeltsin’s opposition led to the coup failing
- in December 1991, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the Belavezha Records, agreeing to dissolve the Soviet Union.
