Detente Flashcards
What does SALT stand for?
strategic arms limitations treaty
What was détente?
A period of “relaxed tensions” between the USA and USSR.
What caused détente?
The arms race was becoming very expensive and MAD was a problem. The USA needed to end the Vietnam war and address social problems and the USSR had poor living standards and an economy that was not growing.
What were the SALT 1 policies?
- No further production of strategic ballistic weapons
- No increase in ICBMs
- No new nuclear missile launchers or submarines (SLBMs)
What was the anti-ballistic missile treaty (SALT 1)?
An agreement that limited both sides to two ABM deployment areas.
What good came from SALT 1?
It slowed down the arms race, led to further negotiations cumulating to SALT 2 and it ensured that neither side had a decisive advantage in strategic nuclear weapons.
What were the Helsinki agreements?
They were agreements signed in Helsinki by most European countries, the USA, Canada and the USSR where representatives agreed on security issues, cooperation and human rights.
Why were the Helsinki agreements important?
They helped the powers form a stable relationship, they represented the highpoint of détente and coincided with more US-Soviet cooperation like the Apollo-Soyuz mission.
What was the Apollo-Soyuz mission?
A joint space mission between the USA and USSR in which the American Apollo spacecraft and Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked high above the earth.
What was agreed at SALT 2?
Each superpower was limited to 2250 warheads and imposed limits on new launch systems.
Why did SALT 2 fail?
Some west German politicians opposed the treaty fearing it weakened defence of West Germany, the US senate did not approve the treaty after the invasion of Afghanistan.
