Detente 1969-1980

Question 1

When did Nixon come to power?

Answer 1

1969- the start of detente

Question 2

Superpowers and Detente

Answer 2

• by 1969 the arms race had created a situation in which full scale nuclear war would lead to MAD
• both sides new it was vital to avoid this

Question 3

What are the reasons for the USA to pursue Detente?

Answer 3

1) Vietnam

• Nixon’s primary aim was to take troops out
• Vietnam was extremely expensive
• in 1969 alone it cost 30 billion
• he hoped this would improve relations with the USSR who supported the Vietcong since Brezhnev came to power

2) Economics
- detente had the potential to create reductions in defence spending and greater trade with the USSR
3) Normalisation
- Kissinger believed that negotiation could normalise the relationship between the USA and USSR- could prevent erratic behaviour

Question 4

What are the reasons for the USSR to pursue Detente?

Answer 4

1) Economics

• their was becoming an increasing demand for consumer goods
• detente would allow leaders to ease their economic problems
• by decreasing defence spending and encouraging loans and trade with the West

2) Nuclear Parity

• the economy of the USSR could not produce nuclear weapons as effectively as USA
• it offered the opportunity to have nuclear parity (equal balance) trough treaties

3) China
- the deterioration of sino-soviet relations could lead to an anti soviet alliance between the US and China

Question 5

What happened at the Moscow summit of 1972?

Answer 5

• Nixon and Brezhnev started talks about rebuilding the new relationship
• SALT 1 was the priority

Question 6

What is SALT 1 1972?

Answer 6

• the agreement consisted of 2 elements
  1) The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
• this restricted both sides to 2 anti ballistic missile shields each- each of them being restricted to 100 missiles each
  2) The Interim Agreement On Offensive Missiles
• it limited the number of missile launchers- hoping it would lead to a full agreement 5 years later

Question 7

Why was SALT 1 significant?

Answer 7

• it changed the relationship between the two sides and it signalled that they were willing to limit the production and stock pulling of nuclear weapons rather than engage in a arms race

Question 8

Apart from SALT 1 what was agreed at the Moscow summit 1972?

Answer 8

The Basic Principles Agreement

• it consisted of 12 fundamental principles
• this included that the superpowers would co exist peacefully- recognised as equal
• this was significant as for the first time it introduced a series of rules that governed most aspects of the relationship- created stability

Question 9

What is Detente?

Answer 9

• the period in which the USA and the USSR attempted to reach general agreement on arms reduction and trade relations

Question 10

What were the 3 baskets that were part of the Helsinki Accords?

Answer 10

1) Security issues

• respect one another’s sovereignty
• would not intervene in each other’s internal affairs
• respect for one another’s borders- borders may change through peaceful negotiation

2) Trade

• good trading across Europe
• share western technology to the East

3) Human Rights

Question 11

What were the consequences of the Helsinki Accords?

Answer 11

• it created problems for the USSR as basket 2 highlighted the inferiority of communist economies
• goods produced by the West were more sophisticated and higher in quality
• this led to soviet people questioning the efficiency of the USSR economy
• basket 3 also caused problem. This is because travel restriction from West to East were relaxed- established friendships across the iron curtain- this meant those in the East became jealous of west culture
• this started to turn them against communism- undermined soviet rule

Question 12

How successful was Detente to 1976?

Answer 12

• it did stabilise relations- the economic consequences were much more favourable for the USA leading to a growing imbalance in power
• the successes were partially responsible for its failures

Question 13

Critics of Detente in the USA, 1970-75

Answer 13

• it ignored the USSRs violations of human rights- this was when the US were keen to improve relations
• it also allowed the SU to grow into strength without being challenged by the USA
• trade also meant the SU were growing stronger through cheap imports- nothing to deal with apart from a smile from Brezhnev

Question 14

Critics of detente in the USSR

Answer 14

• tensions over the Vietnam war almost led to the cancellation of the Moscow Summit as it coincided with a massive escalation of the war in Vietnam
• detente did nothing to challenge US dominance in the West
• detente would do nothing to advance the USSRs goal of spreading communism

Question 15

When did Jimmy Carter come into power?

Answer 15

1977

Question 16

What problems did Carter face coming into power?

Answer 16

1) SALT 1 was an interim agreement and talks for SALT 2 were progressing slow
2) detente was extremely unpopular amongst the American public who viewed it as a way that the SU could gain dominance

Question 17

What is SALT 2?

Answer 17

• in 1974 they agreed in the Vladivostok Framework- equal amount of missiles
• when Carter can to office he rejected this
• a year later Carter jeopardised talks by announcing a nuclear project- largest government construction of all time
• in June 1979 the SALT 2 treaty was signed
• this was significant because it exposed tensions in the US government between the minority who supported detente and the majority who wanted a stronger stance

Question 18

The Soviet Invasion Of Afghanistan

Answer 18

• 1979 50 000 troops were sent to Kabul
• they were acting defensively to protect the communist regime in Afghanistan which was under threat from the Islamic fundamentalists
• Brezhnev wanted to keep the USSRs only foothold that they had in the Middle East
• the invasion was taken differently in the US as the invasion shifted the balance of power away from detente and more towards supporters of confrontation

Question 19

What was the US response to the Afghan invasion?

Answer 19

• Carter demanded the withdrawal of soviet troops- it shouldn’t be part of either sphere of influence
• in 1980 he sent military aid to the Mujahedeen who were determined to get the Soviets out

Question 20

What was the significance of Afghanistan?

Answer 20

1) US public- the invasion convinced them that detente must end- they still want to expand their influence
2) US congress- they refused to ratify the SALT 2 treaty
3) US president- ended detente- started setting out plans to for surviving nuclear war

Question 21

When was Thatcher elected president?

Answer 21

1979

Question 22

When was Reagan elected president?

Answer 22

1980

Question 23

What were Reagan and Thatcher both committed to?

Answer 23

1) Encouraging free enterprise by rolling back the state
- high taxes and big government spending were damaging to private enterprise

2) Defence spending
- dedicated to new generation of nuclear missiles
- this created problems for the USSR- couldn’t keep up with growing spending

3) Standing up to the Evil Empire
- they both felt it was the need to strengthen capitalism and undermine communism

Question 24

What was Reagan’s foreign policy?

Answer 24

• it restricted trade to the USSR to deny access of west technology
• commuted to SDI (Strategic Defence Initiative) or other words Star Wars- space based nuclear shield that could should down soviet missiles
• Reagan increase support for anti soviet regimes in the third world

Question 25

What was the significance of Reagan’s policies?

Answer 25

Star Wars worried the SU for 2 reasons

1) SU leaders new they couldn’t compete- the economic problems in the east and renewed growth in the west created a huge imbalance in economic power
2) it meant Reagan was contemplating a winnable nuclear war
- it was significant as it increased tensions between them both