5 Détente between the US and the USSR (1968-79)

Question 1

Why did the US and USSR adopt a more cooperative policy in the 1970s?

Answer 1

1. split between SU and china in the mid 1960s
2. Vietnam war important lessons for Americans
3. both SU and US anxious to reduce costs of arms race + wanted to bring it under control
4. MAD, nuclear destruction

Question 2

different motives for detente

Answer 2

US:
1. promote detente to keep SU and china apart
2. reconsider cold war strategy after defeat in Vietnam
3. expensive arms race great burden to country
4. fear of nuclear war

Su:
1. fear US + china would combine forces against SU
2. way to increase Soviet trade with West + improve Soviet economy
3. costs of arms race + aid to support allies more than she wanted
4. fear of nuclear war

China:
1. find a powerful ally in the US against SU
2. trade more with the West -> improve economy + help modernise country

Question 3

US motives for detente

Answer 3

1. promote detente to keep SU and china apart
2. reconsider cold war strategy after defeat in Vietnam
3. expensive arms race great burden to country
4. fear of nuclear war

Question 4

SU motives for detente

Answer 4

1. fear US + china would combine forces against SU
2. way to increase Soviet trade with West + improve Soviet economy
3. costs of arms race + aid to support allies more than she wanted
4. fear of nuclear war

Question 5

China motives for Detente

Answer 5

1. find a powerful ally in the US against SU
2. trade more with the West -> improve economy + help modernise country

Question 6

forms of cooperation

Answer 6

1. Arms limitation talks
2. improved relations between US + China
3. Helsinki Agreement, 1985

Question 7

arms limitation talks

Answer 7

by late 1950s superpowers realise need for some form of arms control in order to ease East-West relations -> begin negotiations
1. Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963
2. Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty in 1968 -> aimed to prevent spread of nuclear weapons
1969-1972 -> SALT TALKS (strategic arms limitation talks) held:
3.1972 Salt 1: strategic arms limitation treaty signed -> limiting number of nuclear missiles each power could have -> relations good + visit each others country
4. June 1979 -> salt 2 signed

Question 8

improved relations between US and China

Answer 8

Chinese Communist party established PRC in 1949 -> USSR + China became close allies + even helped China carry out a 5 year plan -> split began to develop in 1960 -> Mao Zedong did not agree with Khrushchev’s policy of peaceful existence -> worked scout own form of Chinese communism -> peasants basis of support
disagreement became more open -> soviet advisors + technicians left China -> grew apart over the years -> relief to the West

1971 -> UN members voted to resume membership of china in UN -> relaxed embargo on China
1972-> Nixon becomes first American president to visit china
1979 -> full diplomatic relations established

Question 9

why did soviet chinese relations worsen

Answer 9

Mao Zedong disagreed with Khrushchev’s policy of peaceful coexistence

Question 10

Helsinki Agreement date

Answer 10

1975

Question 11

Helsinki Agreement

Answer 11

35 states (including US and SU) -> attending conference at Helsinki, Finland
1. agree that borders of post 1945 should be kept
3. unanimously agree to respect human rights

-> pleased SU because she thoughts Soviet influence in Eastern Europe was accepted -> west hoped communist countries would respect human rights more by giving more freedom

Question 12

major events during detente

Answer 12

1. Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons treaty -> US, USSR, Britain promise not to supply any other country with nuclear tech
2. membership of China in the UN resumed in 1971
3. April 1971 -> US table tennis team accepted invitation of Chinese Table Tennis Association to visit China -> first contact between countries since communist takeover in 1949 -> paved way for further sino-american contact
4. Nixon visited china in 1972
5. salt I signed in 1972 -> between US + SU -> limited number of long range missiles each side could have
6. Helsinki Agreement signed in 1975 -> marked new era of friendliness between two countries
7. American + soviet astronauts met in space during joint American-Soviet space missions -> new era of friendliness between two countries
8. SALT 2 -> signed in 1979 after long period of negotiations-> US refused to accept due to soviet invasion of Afghanistan

Question 13

Why did the US and USSR adopt a more cooperative policy in the 1970s?: split between SU and china in the mid 1960s

Answer 13

they became enemies -> US felt less threatened by Communist forces -> both SU + China feared being isolated + keen to make better relations with the US

Question 14

Why did the US and USSR adopt a more cooperative policy in the 1970s?: Vietnam war

Answer 14

Vietnam war important lessons for Americans -> nuclear supremacy but could not beat a small poor country -> war buried US with heavy military expenditures -> great blow -> reconsider cost of “intervention policy” of defending world against communism

non commitment policy adopted in the 1970s -> ease international tensions

Question 15

Why did the US and USSR adopt a more cooperative policy in the 1970s? : both SU and US anxious to reduce costs of arms race + wanted to bring it under control

Answer 15

US: by 1968, 40% of US yearly expenditure spent on armed forces -> weakened US foreign aid program + problem of internal poverty unsolved
SU: wanted to use country’s own resources to develop national economy + raise people’s standard of living

Question 16

Why did the US and USSR adopt a more cooperative policy in the 1970s? MAD

Answer 16

MAD, nuclear destruction could destroy the entire world -> neither of them would survive if they used their nuclear