Chapter 22: Summits between the USA & USSR Flashcards
Why did leaders need the summits?
- Gorbachev - needed to reduce tension to allow economic and political reform
- Reagan - needed to reduce the threat of nuclear war
What order did the summits happen?
Geneva
Rekjavik
Washington
Moscow
Malta
Paris
Moscow
When was the Geneva summit?
- Nov 1985
What was discussed at Geneva?
- Halving nuclear weapons
- Eliminating medium range missiles
- Ending nuclear proliferation
- Banning chemical weapons
What were the outcomes of Geneva?
- Nothing concrete
- Joint statement on avoiding nuclear war
- Success at improving relations
What caused arguments at Geneva?
- SDI - complicated agreements, unbalanced MAD
When was the Rekjavik summit?
- Oct 1986
What was discussed at Rekjavik?
- Limiting continental weapons
- Reducing warheads
- Eliminating nuclear weapons in 10 yrs
- Humanitarian issues and human rights
What was a decided at Rekjavik?
- Nothing concrete
- Got an insight into each others views
What was a problem at Rekjavik?
- SDI - would not abandon it despite talks on removing all weapons
- Reagan called the USSR an evil empire
When was the Washington summit?
Dec 1987
What was agreed at Washington?
- INF treaty - no use of intermediate range ballistic and cruise missiles - all to be destroyed by June 1991
- By 1991 - Us destroyed 846, USSR 1846
What did the Washington summit lead to?
- USSR left Afghanistan in 1988 - all troops left by 1989
When was the first Moscow summit?
May - June 1988
What was discussed at Moscow 1?
- Meant to be about START to limit arms to 5000 each
- Instead discussed human rights and cultural exchange
What was decided at Moscow 1?
- 7 agreements
- Fishing rights, student exchanges
What else was important about Moscow 1?
- Reagan had access to the Russian people
- Still some concerns over SDI
When was the Malta summit?
- Dec 1989
What was different at Malta?
Bush replaced Reagan
What was decided at Malta?
- Closer economic relationship
- Informal agreements on Europe - USSR not intervene in Eastern Europe, USA not intervene in Germany, USA not intervene in Baltics
When was the Paris summit?
- Nov 1990
What was decided at Paris?
- Conventional forces in europe treaty - CFE
- Signed by Gorbachev, Bush and other European leaders
- Gorbachev agreed to end military superiority in Europe
When was the second Moscow summit?
- July 1991
What was decided at Moscow 2?
- Concluded START 1, implemented SALT
- Agreed not to pass nuclear technology to third party states
What was in START 1?
- 1600 launchers
- 6000 warheads
- Missile and bomb stocks - 9000 US, 7000 USSR
What were soviet concerns about SDI?
- Destabilise the balance between the superpowers
- Fuelled continued expansion of weapons to compete
- Could extend warfare to outer space
How did NATO members view SDI?
- Thatcher - sceptical if it was possible
- Kohl - West Germany - supported it
- Mitterand - France - wanted a general agreement on space
