Co-operation — Nuclear Arms Talks and Détente Flashcards
How much did Kennedy increase the defence budget by in 1961?
15%
Replaced New Look policy with a policy of ‘flexible response’
What was ‘flexible response’?
- building up conventional forces, special forces like the Green Berets, and nuclear weapons
How much did the number of ICBMs increase by in 1963?
In 1961, there were 63
In 1963, there were 424
Kennedy exacerbated the arms race significantly , but in September 1963 made a plea for arms control in a speech to the UN
What did the NSC report in 19633 discover about the powers nuclear capabilities ?
If the USA and USSR both set off their nuclear weapons, the combined casualties would be 93 million people
What was Kennedys position towards nuclear weapons before and after the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Before:
- faced criticism he was soft on communism
- strong anti-communist stance
- he couldn’t risk relaxing the arms race
After:
- openly expressed goal of reducing nuclear weapons
- began negotiations but was assassinated November 1963
What was Khrushchev’s position towards nuclear weapons before and after the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Before:
- peaceful coexistence and wanted to reduce spending on arms race
- was criticised by Mao and his own party
- arms and space race continued
After:
- openly expressed goal of reducing nuclear weapons
- was ousted in October 1964 after beginning negotiations
What was the Washington-Moscow Hotline, what was its purpose, strengths, and limitations?
It was a direct line of communication between the leaders of the USA and the USSR
1963: teletype machine
1964: fax machine
2008: email
PURPOSE: give 24/7 quick communication without having to go through a series of exchanges and avoids miscommunication or delay to discussion
STRENGTHS: meant the leaders didn’t have to address each other on TV, symbolised new spirit of communication
WEAKNESSES: still not instantaneous = had to travel and go through a translator
What was the Moscow Test Ban Treaty (Aug 1963) and what was its purpose, strengths, and weaknesses?
It prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons above ground, underwater, and in space
PURPOSE: to try to limit the proliferation (rapid increase) of nuclear weapon build up
STRENGTHS:
- showed both sides were concerned about nuclear conflict and wanted to de-escalate tensions
- show of trust
- first collective agreement
WEAKNESSES:
- had opposition = members of the public didn’t want to seem weak
- France and China refused to sign
- didn’t include a ban on underground testing
What was the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (July 1968) and what was its purpose, strengths, and weaknesses?
Meant signatories would not provide nuclear devices or capabilities to other non-nuclear states
PURPOSE: to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons
STRENGTHS: most UN countries signed up between 1968 and 1970
WEAKNESSES: France and China didn’t sign up until 1992
What did the 1963 Test Ban treaty prove?
That the two powers could do more than live side by side and showed that the policy of improved relations had gone further than peaceful coexistence
What was detente?
The policy of reducing conflicts through diplomacy or by a period of easing tensions and hostility
What was the USA perception of detente?
- will be a new way to control the Soviets and will compel them to join peace talks due to the new trade links
- so the USA can win the Cold War
- negotiation over confrontation
- strategy not an objective
- creates a situation here the Soviet Union would have more to gain by cooperation than confrontation
- Soviets will enjoy detente and will develop a self-interest to help stop, and to foster a new, less tense relationship with the USA
What was the USSR perspective of détente?
- Brezhnev saw detente as a means of restoring normal and equal relations
- legitimate interests of each side would be recognised and it would be a mutually advantageous system
- was a result of reaching nuclear parity with the USA - put the USSR in a equal position to negotiate and cooperate with the west and it needed such cooperation as far as the west was concerned
Wat do the differences in the USA’s and the USSR’s perceptions of detente suggest for its long term successes?
Both had slightly selfish reasons to push for detente with success of their own county triumphing the need for peace - selfish attitude meant that detente may not b a viable long term solution
How many ICMBs did the powers have by 1969?
USSR = 1140
USA = 1054
What problems were there in the eastern bloc in 1970?
Food shortages - caused riots in Poland
Who was Henry Kissinger?
- Jewish + escaped Nazi Germany in 1938
- Nixon’s National Security Advisor
What were Kissinger’s secret meetings?
With Dobrynin (Soviet ambassador to the US) about US-Soviet relations
Backchannels allowed for Nixons visit to the USSR and China in 1972
What is linkage (Kissinger)?
Argued that if closer economic, political, and strategic ties were built between the USA and USSR, there would be less room for conflict - but couldn’t build these ties in one area whilst disagreeing in the other area = the two should be linked
So Nixon and Kissinger would negotiate arms reduction with the USSR, while in return, the Soviets would help n pressurising the North Vietnamese to end the war
What was the Bucharest Declaration (1966)?
Issued by the Warsaw Pact outlining what they wanted from relations with the West
- no nuclear weapons in West Germany
- more cooperation between East and West
