End Flashcards
1968
Prague spring
Liberal reforms as the leader of Czechoslovakia believed that the communist way is not working → rest of warsaw pact countries led by the soviets invaded and replaced the leader with a more compliant one
1968-1988
Brezhnev doctrine
No country was allowed to leave the pact / threaten the cohesiveness of the soviet bloc → sustaining communist govts in EE by force
To justify the warsaw pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 ,military interventions in Hungary and even used later invasion of Afghanistan 1979)
Jan 1969
Nixon ushered a period of detente (shift of foreign policy from containment)
Peaceful coexistence
Diplomatic relations between USA and China
Engaged in arms control negotiations with Soviet Union
Significance: Reduced tensions
May 1972
SALT talks started; anti ballistic missile treaty signed
Limit number of nuclear weapons that they possess
1973
Nixon ended American involvement in Vietnam War
Nov 1976
Carter became US President , detente started to stall
Carter saw detente as a huge compromise in favour of USSR
Took a tougher stance against communism when he came to power and support for human rights
Carter’s criticism of perceived human rights violation by the USSR increased tensions and stalled detente
Dec 1979
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan → End of detente
To support communist regime in Afghanistan
Soviet aggression
Increased anti-Communist stance with Western governments
On 2 Jan 1980, Carter cancelled ongoing arms limitation talks (SALT II) + imposed grain embargoes +boycotted the 1980 summer Olympics which were held in Moscow + boosted the budget of the US Defence Department + financial aid to the office of Pakistani President, who, in turn, subsidised anti-Soviet radical fighters in Afghanistan → Significance: age of detente and the friendlier diplomatic and economic relations had ended.
23 Jan 1980
Carter’s address to the Union
Carter doctrine: Use of military force if necessary (against the USSR)
Response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan – Marked the end of detente.
1981
Reagan becoming President → marked the close of détente and a return to Cold War tensions
“Make America Great Again” → hawkish,more confrontational policies towards the USSR (1st term) ; some historians terming it as the ‘second cold war’
Abandoned detente and renewed the arms race
Strategy of deterrence: further build up military capacity to discourage aggression
Making USSR struggling to keep up given its alr stretched resources → straining its economy
Reagan doctrine: US provided aid to anti-communist guerrillas and resistance movements in an effort to “roll back” Soviet-backed pro-communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to diminish Soviet influence.
1982
Zero-option
An American proposal for the withdrawal of ALL Soviet and United States intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe. This term was subsequently expanded to describe the vision of eliminating all nuclear weapons everywhere.
Designed to be rejected so that the U.S. could deploy the new missiles without condemnation by critics there and abroad (View by European and American anti-nuclear activists)
“Peace through Strength”
Military power can help preserve peace, weakness invites aggression → Build-up and modernisation of US military forces → hold an upper hand during negotiations with USSR
8 Mar 1983
Evil Empire speech
Reagan explicitly rejected the notion that the US and the Soviet Union were equally responsible for the Cold War and the ongoing nuclear arms race; rather, he asserted that the conflict was a battle between good and evil with Soviet Union as the evil empire → believed that it was America’s responsibility to save the world from Soviet repression.
*announcement of SDI
dramatically increased U.S. defence spending and ramped up the nuclear arms race with the Soviets
To constrain Soviet strategic and global military capabilities
Argued that an increased nuclear inventory as well as progress in science and technology were necessary to prevent global conflict. (International/ political agenda context)
Significance: USSR viewed it as a departure from the relative weapon parity of detente and an escalation of arms race into space → showing diff perspectives
Other than the Evil Empire speech , Reagan made many other speeches in March 1983
To show Reagan’s hardline stance against the Soviets
Purpose: The Reagan administration used these speeches to reshape public knowledge about and attitudes toward nuclear warfare. +justify increase spending on SDI (Domestic context)
Oct 1983
Invasion of Grenada
Part of Rollback → US invasion of Grenada to topple the Socialist government.
Nov 1983
NATO Able Archer 83 → Brink of nuclear war
Simulated war
The increase in realism, combined with tense relations between US and USSR and the anticipated arrival of Pershing II nuclear missiles in WE , led USSR believe that it was a real war → In response, USSR readied their nuclear forces, prepared for war → almost led to nuclear war
*Pershing II nuclear missiles: a counter to Soviet missiles on USSR’ western border → represented a major threat to the USSR
Significance: Further escalation of tensions ; some historians pin Able Archer 83 as the event that made Reagan turn from a policy of confrontation to rapprochement due to the nuclear scare
1983
Formal negotiations of START I. Diplomatic overtures were continued by the succeeding Bush administration up until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
The period 1983–1991 is sometimes referred to as a second period of détente as the state department under George P. Shultz took a more diplomatic approach beginning in 1983
1985
Reagan re elected in a landslide (2nd term)
Adopted a more accommodative approach → due to pressure from Western popular movements (growing public opposition of the SDI as well as renewed fears of nuclear war (+ subsequently due to a more conciliatory Gorbachev)
Willing to negotiate with the soviets on arms reduction
Mar 1985
Gorbachev becomes Premier of the USSR
Pursued a policy of peaceful coexistence, and disarmament
Resumed START talks (March)
Extension of Unilateral Moratorium on Nuclear Tests until end 1985 (July)
Gorbachev’s policies:
Internal policies:
Glasnost – openness (1986) ^^
Perestroika – political and economic restructuring (1986)^
Demokratizatsiya – Democracy (1987)
Heavily criticised back home but was praised as a great reformer in the west for reducing CW tensions
External policies/Foreign policy reform:
New Thinking (1987) - Soviet foreign policy, a belief that problems should be solved based on moral and ethical principles instead of conflict between ideologies
Context behind new thinking: maintaining EE is putting a strain on the USSR (eg.preferential trade given to EE), given its already weak economy -> loosening up control of EE to redirect resources to domestic reforms -> shift of Soviet foreign policy. Hence, we can make the argument that it was Gorbachev’s concerns over the USSR’s domestic problems that prompted him to loosen control over EE, that unintentionally paved the way for the collapse of communism in EE
Sought to cultivate friendly relations with the west
Believed that EE should be allowed to handle their political affairs without soviet interference → allowed de-sovietisation + reduction of soviet commitments to the third world
Sinatra Doctrine (1989)
allowing neighbouring Warsaw Pact states to determine their own internal affairs and choose “their own way”
Without soviet backing , EE comunist regimes collapsed one after the other under the pressure of popular movements and nationalist sentiments → loss of EE as a sphere of influence + diminishing USSR’s status as a superpower
Significance: hastened and enabled the disintegration of the communist bloc and led to the end of CW
Nov 19-20 1985
Geneva Summit
No formal agreements
But represented a successful engagement of the two leaders in a renewed dialogue, and marked the first step toward several later summit meetings and a gradual significant change in the relationship of the two countries
Significance: Friendly and personal relationship established between the two leaders
Feb 1986
Gorbachev introduced Perestroika and Glasnost
Oct 11-12 1986
Reykjavik Summit
Failure to come to terms on arms agreement
Due to Reagan’s unwillingness to compromise on the cessation of SDI research be included in the INF treaty
1986
Zakharov-Danioff Affair
Jun 12 1987
Berlin Wall Speech
Delivered by United States President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987. Reagan called for the opening of the Berlin Wall, which had separated West and East Berlin since 1961.
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Dec 8-10 1987
Washington Summit
Gorbachev acquiescence to Reagan’s demands
Allowed for the signing of the INF treaty (Dec)
Removal of mobile intermediate-range nuclear missiles deployed in Europe
Crucially only possible due to Gorbachev’s willingness to remove SDI disagreements from the INF.
Significance: 1st Agreement between the superpowers which actually led to arms reduction + symbolised a significant improvement in superpower relations
1987
New Thinking is announced
April 1988
Mass Protests in EE
Massive wave of worker;s strikes and demonstrations that begun from April 1988
May 29 - Jun 3 1988
Moscow Summit
Reagan and Gorbachev finalised the INF treaty
Discuss bilateral issues like Southern Africa, ME and pending withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan
Human rights
Dec 7 1988
Gorbachev’s UN Speech (De-ideologisation)
Signified the abandonment of Brezhnev doctrine
Convinced the West that Gorbachev was sincere.
Sinatra Doctrine:
Freedom of choice -> non interference in internal affairs of EE
Peaceful coexistence
Mutual cooperation, zero-sum security
50000 Soviet troops to be withdrawn from EE
Continued dialogue with the USA towards peace and nuclear disarmament
Significance: Sinatra Doctrine caused the unravelling of the Eastern Bloc and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union/ in other words, it sparked the disintegration of the Soviet Union (Oct 1989 -1991)
Nov 9 1989
Fall of Berlin Wall
Symbolised the fall of the soviet bloc and the ‘iron curtain’ between the east and the west
Dec 2-3 1989
Malta Summit
Major turning point in East-West relations + seen by some as the end of the Cold War. (No animosity + rapport + friendship)
Mar 1990
Free elections in East Germany
Reunification of East and West Germany
Jun 1990
Washington Summit
30% cut in nuclear arsenal + Soviet troops in Eastern Europe withdrew (non-involvement)
Sep 1990
Helsinki Summit
Nov 1990
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe signed (CFE)
Established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe (from the Atlantic to the Urals) and mandated the destruction of excess weaponry.
The treaty proposed equal limits for the two “groups of states-parties”, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact.
Jul 31 1991
START I Treaty official signing by Bush and Gorbachev
Bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms.
The treaty barred its signatories from deploying more than 6,000 nuclear warheads and a total of 1,600 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and bombers.
Resulted in the removal of about 80% of all strategic nuclear weapons then in existence by 2001.
Dec 1991
Fall of the Soviet Union
The USSR dissolved and the cold war effectively came to an end
11-13 Jan 1991
Bloody Sunday - Soviet military crackdown on Lithuania after declaration of Lithuanian independence –> 14 killed, 140 injured
(clear sign of Gorby vacillating between hardline stance and freedom)
Lithuania was part of USSR, not just any EE state
