end of the cold war: FP 72-89 Flashcards
detente
process of easing tensions between US and USSR in 1970s.
-began after US defeat in vietnam -> realised containment would not succeed through military intervention
-under nixon US looked for peaceful coexistence with communist countries
why did the US want detente
-slowing economy
-failure in vietnam
-domestic problems
-pressure from allies
why did the USSR want detente
-overspending on arms
-trade with the west
-poor relations with china
nixon doctrine
the US would stick to its treaty obligations but its allies would need to take care of their own defence: ‘no boots on the ground’
US relations with china
1971 - (people’s republic of) China allowed to join the UN
feb 1972 - nixon visited china
-> fears of US-china alliance put pressure on soviets to negotiate
nixon visits moscow
1974
leonid brezhnev visits washington
june 1973
SALT 1969
strategic arms limitation talks
SALT 1 (1972)
strategic arms limitation treaty: put a limit on the number of ICBMs the two countries could have
helsinki agreement 1975
signed by ford in 1975: USSR, US + 35 other countries agree to recognise borders in europe, trade soviet oil for US grain and improve human rights
-led to tension due to US criticism of soviet human rights record
arab israeli war 1973
egypt + syria attacked israel in oct 1973. both sides supported by different superpowers
-test to detente however truce signed after 3 weeks
carter’s policies
supported detente but put human rights at the centre of his policies -> cut US aid to govts with human rights abuses
-made SALT 2 negotiations very difficult
invasion of afghanistan
USSR invaded afghanistan in dec 1979: US boycotted moscow olympics (1980), congress refused to ratify SALT II, grain sales to USSR stopped
iran hostage crisis
1979, the shah overthrown by the islamic revolution. 52 americans taken hostage in US embassy and held for 444 days
operation eagle claw
attempt to rescue hostages in iran, failed + left 8 US soldiers dead, no end in sight for the hostages
1980 election
-carter looked weak + unable to make detente work
-iran hostage crisis major embarrassment
-lost 1980 election to reagan.
-negotiations followed + hostages released on day of reagan’s inauguration
Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991)
-wanted to reform soviet economy + improve quality of life
-pursued policy of perestroika: restructuring economy to allow more private enterprise. actually worsened soviet economy (shrinking by 13% a year by end of 80s)
-glasnost: openness in society, encouraging free debate to generate ideas to improve society -> opened soviet system up to criticism + demands for democracy + freedom
gorbachev’s foreign policy
-end war in afghanistan (drain on economy + lives)
-** refuse to use soviet army to maintain eastern european communist govts in power. would bring down all of these govts in 1989, when there were mass demonstrations across europe
-reduce arms race to free up money to fix economic + social problems
nixon quote
‘after a period of confrontation, we are entering an area of negotiation’
reagan quote
‘here’s my strategy on the cold war - we win, they lose’
START 1982
strategic arms reduction talks -> failed
reagan arms build up
equivalent of $550 bn yearly from 1981
SDI
strategic defence initiative 1983 -> ‘star wars’
reagan on MAD
MAD was ‘a truly mad policy’
star wars
idea to create a missile shield of satellites, interceptor missiles + lasers to track + destroy any missiles launched from soviet union
spending on star wars
projected to be between $100bn-$1 trillion
INF 1987
intermediate range nuclear forces treaty, agreed between gorbachev + reagan
-agreed to remove all missiles from europe
-largest arms reduction of the cold war
fall of the berlin wall
9 november 1989
end of the soviet union
ceased to exist when gorbachev resigned on christmas day 1991
