Détente Flashcards
When did Richard Nixon become president?
- 1969
What did détente mean, and what did it refer to?
- French: relaxation
- A reduction in tension between the superpowers during the 1970s
What 4 moves were made towards détente in the 1960s?
- After the Cuban Missile Crisis both sides showed a willingness to look at the issue of developing nuclear weapons
The superpowers ignored: - How they had armed opposing sides in the Six Day War of 1967 in the Middle East (the USA had supported Israel, while the USSR had supported the Arab countries)
- Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968
- US involvement in the Vietnam War, although they were openly showing hostility against communism
When and why had the USA gotten involved in the Vietnam War?
- They sent military advisers to South Vietnam in the 1950s, and troops in 1965
- To halt the spread of communism
Why did the USA want to end its involvement in Vietnam?
- Despite their huge military presence they could not defeat the Viet Cong
- The number of casualties was very high (over 14,000 killed and more than 87,000 injured in 1968 alone), which made the war unpopular domestically
- By then they wanted to end their involvement, and began peace talks
What was ‘linkage’ and how did it relate to the Vietnam War?
- Linkage was the name given to offering concessions by Nixon’s advisers
- They hoped that offering a reduction in arms and improved trade and technology links would convince Brezhnev to persuade his ally in North Vietnam to negotiate the end of the war
List 4 reasons why the superpowers wanted détente.
- Nixon wanted to negotiate a way out of the Vietnam War
- Brezhnev wanted access to US technology and further grain sales
- He also wanted to reduce arms spending
- Nixon had visited China in 1972, and the USSR did not want a Chinese-US alliance to develop
What 2 moves to reduce tension were made in 1972?
- Nixon visited Moscow
- Strategic Arms Limitation Talks I (SALT I)
What were 4 outcomes of Nixon’s 1972 visit to Moscow?
- He made it clear that he did not see events in Vietnam (the USSR were supplying the North with weapons) as being an obstacle to détente
- Nixon agreed to take part in the European Security Conference, which led to the Helsinki Agreements
- Nixon was able to show his dedication to détente through making a public declaration with the USSR
- Brezhnev worked as an intermediary between Washington and Hanoi (the capital of North Vietnam), and peace was signed between the USA and North Vietnam in 1973
What was the purpose of SALT I?
- First step towards and agreement about nuclear arms control after talks were held for almost 3 years
- Was a clear recognition that the nuclear balance needed to be protected- no country should ever consider itself safe from retaliation
What were the 3 agreements in SALT I?
- Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty: systems only allowed at 2 sites (one for each country), and each site limited to 100 of them
- These detected, tracked, intercepted and destroyed ICBMs (the problem with ABMs was they created the need for more powerful deterrents to be made)
- 5 year freeze was agreed on the number of ICBM and SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) launchers
- Satellites would be used to make sure both sides were adhering to the agreement
List 2 limitations of SALT I.
- No limit was placed on strategic bombers (planes that carried bombs) and bombs either
- No restriction on MIRVs (contained several nuclear warheads per missile, and each could detonate with 25 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima)
What was the Yom Kippur War, when did it happen, and how did it involve the USA and the USSR?
- Syria and Egypt made surprise attacks on Israel
- 1973
- Syria and Egypt were armed by the USSR, and Israel by the USA
- Nixon also ordered for replacement weapons to be sent to Israel after the surprise attacks
What did Brezhnev suggest he and Nixon do about the Yom Kippur War? How did Nixon react?
- Brezhnev suggested that a joint US-Soviet force would save the Egyptian army from the Israelis, who had broken the ceasefire (on 24th October 1973)
- If Nixon refused, the USSR alone would send a force
- Nixon was angry at this, and placed all US forces on alert (including nuclear strike groups)
How was a peaceful resolution to the Yom Kippur War reached?
- The USA suggested instead that a UN peacekeeping force from non-nuclear countries intervenes
- Brezhnev agreed to this
What happened between the superpowers in 1974?
- Nixon visited Moscow again
List 5 things Brezhnev and Nixon agreed on during Nixon’s 1974 visit to Moscow.
- To continue to remove the danger of war, particularly war using nuclear weapons
- To relax tensions throughout the world to avoid military conflict
- To promote increased understanding between their 2 countries, particularly in the commercial, scientific and cultural fields
- To limit and eventually end the arms race, especially in strategic warheads (delivered by rockets or missiles and ready for launch)
- Their ultimate objective would be complete disarmament, monitored by international control
Who replaced Nixon as president, and how long did his term last?
- Gerald Ford
- 1974-7
What was a positive consequence of Nixon’s visit to Moscow in 1974?
- In July 1975 there was a space link-up between 3 US astronauts and 2 Soviet cosmonauts
- Their Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts docked together, and there was a symbolic handshake
When were the Helsinki Agreements made, and what did they include?
- 1975
- Was made between the USA, USSR and 33 other countries
Declarations were made about 3 main issues (called ‘baskets’): - Security: frontiers in Europe were accepted, and the USSR accepted the existence of West Germany
- Human rights: the signatories agreed to respect basic human rights and freedoms (e.g. of thought, speech, religion and from unfair arrest)
- Co-operation: call for closer economic, scientific and cultural links for better political agreement
Who became president in 1977? What affect did he have on superpower relations?
- Jimmy Carter
- He felt strongly about human rights
- He linked them to arms limitation to put pressure on the USSR
- He sent a letter to the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov supporting the stand he and others were taking against the Soviet authorities relating to human rights
- Brezhnev was angered by this as it was a clear interference in his internal affairs
Which one of the ‘baskets’ from the Helsinki agreements continued to be an issue for Brezhnev, and why?
- Human rights
- Helsinki Groups (were set up to make sure the USSR was adhering to the agreements), Carter and other human rights groups complained about Soviet violations of the agreements
- These included freedom of speech, religion and movement
Other than the issue of human rights, what else did the Soviet Union do that was working against the Helsinki agreements, what did this cause, and what did it prove?
- The USSR was sending huge amounts of weapons to African countries (23 of them by 1980)
- Carter asked for an increase in the defence budget in late 1978
- SALT I was therefore proving to have little effect on the attitudes of both countries
When was SALT II signed, and how long did it last?
- June 1979 (it was started in 1974)
- Lasted until 1985
List 4 terms of SALT II.
- A limit of 2400 strategic nuclear delivery vehicles (ICBMs, SLBMs and heavy bombers)
- Limit of 1320 MIRVs
- Ban on construction of new land-based ICBM launchers
- Limits on deployment of new types of strategic arms
What was a problem with SALT II, and what were 2 reasons why this issue existed?
- It wasn’t ratified by the US Congress
- They didn’t believe the limits agreed on could be verified
- They were concerned over the 2000 Soviet troops stationed in Cuba
When did détente end, and why?
- 25th December 1979
- The Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan
