chapter 10 - end of cold war Flashcards
detente between US and USSR
both richard nixon and leonid brezhnev were worried about risk of direct conflict and financial cost of their rivalry. both feared triggering a nuclear war. sino-soviet relations declined while sino-american relations improved. brezhnnev was worried that USSR might become isolated unless he improved relations with US. they became more open to cooperation . they began visting each other’s countries and meeting to dicuss important issues, known as summit meetings
effects of detente and its decline
nixon visited brezhnev to sign a document known as the basic prinicples to prevent dangerous exacerbation in their relations by avoiding military confrontations and to prevent the outbreak of a nuclear war. they also signed SALT I to limit each other’s production of nuclear weapons. there were also promises to try and resolve international disputes by diplomacy and protection of human rights. ford, who succeeded nixon, continued with the policy, but jimmy carter, who came after ford, abandoned the policy and went for a more aggressive approach. both began to criticise each other’s actions, and accused each other of trying to get around the numeorus nuclear arms limitation treaties
decline of USSR
the state was the one that decided production, wages and other vital parts of the economy. however, in the 1920s, USSR was a rural economy, and most people lived in poverty and often died of diseases. however, up till 1940s, USSR was transformed into a modern industrial power with impressive growth rates.nfurthurmore, it can be seen that they were able to defeat germany despite immense loss in population and properties. however, from 1950s to 1960s, the economy began to slow down and it experienced a steady decline. for example, industrial production dropped from double digits to 3% a year. the economy worked well when there was only a small number of large industries, making it easy for the government to make decisions. however, as more large industries developed, the government became overwhelmed with the increasing demands . they acted slowly and made poor decisions furthurmore, USSR’s frequent involvement in proxy wars and aiding their allies called for large investment in their military power. due to their prioritisation of military over everything else, things like worker’s wages and research and development in universities were stagnant. corruption and bribery in the work force only worsened the situation.
opposition to communism in EE
despite the soviet economy being closely tied with economies of EE, due to EE countries heavy reliance on soviet subsidies for oil and resources, as well as the frequnt borrowing from western banks, their debt levels continued to skyrocket to be some of the highest in the world. in 1968, the brezhnev doctrine was introduced, where all countries of the eastern bloc would be one party states under the communist party. any attempt to reverse communism would be seen as a threat and action would have to be taken against them. many communist leaders were pleased with the doctrine as thet were able to strengthen their own position in their countries. the movements only showcased failure of communism to provide good living standards and the anture of communist control was one of force and threat. furthurmore, the ageing soviet leaders were ill-equipped to deal with the economic stagnation and a strengthened US leadership
