The End of the Cold War Flashcards
What is meant by the word detente?
A period of peace between two groups who had previously been at war, or had been hostile towards one another.
When was SALT 1 passed?
1972
What were the terms of SALT1?
1) No further production of strategic ballistic weapons (short-range, lightweight missiles)
2) No increase in number of ICBMs (though new ones could be added to replace old ones)
3) No new nuclear missile launchers. New submarines that could launch nuclear missiles only allowed as replacements for old ones
4) Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty limited both sides to two ABM deployment areas
How effective was SALT 1?
It succeeded in slowing down the arms race, led to further negotiations which culminated in SALT2, ensured neither side had a clear advantage over the other, BUT did not cover intermediate nuclear weapons and both sides continued to place these in Europe in the 1970s.
When was the Helsinki Conference?
1975
What were the three baskets in the Helsinki Accords?
1) Agreements about European borders
2) International cooperation
3) Human rights
Why were the Helsinki Accords significant?
1) Helped the USA and USSR form a relationship
2) Represented the high point of detente
3) Coincided with more US/Soviet cooperation and trade agreements
When was the joint US/Soviet space mission?
1975
When was SALT2 signed?
1979
Why did SALT 2 fail?
1) Some opposition from West German politicians who felt it would weaken their defenses
2) Some US politicians thought it gave too many concessions to the Soviets
3) Invasion of Afghanistan soured relations and meant the US Senate never ratified the treaty
What were the terms of SALT 2?
1) Each superpower limited to 2250 warheads (counted warheads, whereas SALT 1 just counted missiles and bombers)
2) Imposed limits on new launch systems including multi-warhead missiles
When did Reagan become president of the USA?
1981
When did Gorbachev become the leader of the Soviet Union?
1985
Who described the Soviet Union as the ‘evil empire’?
Reagan
When did Reagan and Gorbachev meet?
November 1985, at the Geneva Summit
Why did Reagan’s opinions about the Soviet Union change?
1) He met Gorbachev and got on with him well
2) Public opinion was against the arms race
3) Gorbachev was popular, even in the USA
What were Perestroika and Glasnost?
Soviet policies aimed at restructuring the economy and providing more openness and freedom to the Soviet people.
When was the Reykjavik Summit?
October 1986
What was agreed in Reykjavik?
1) Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to work together to cut down the number of nuclear weapons they had
2) Gorbachev wanted an end to the SDI, but Reagan didn’t agree to this
When was the INF Treaty signed?
December 1987
What were the terms of the INF Treaty?
Got rid of all 500-5500 km nuclear missiles (Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces) owned by each superpower.
When was the invasion of Afghanistan?
December 1979
Why did the Soviets invade Afghanistan?
1) Believed Afghanistan was in the Soviet sphere of Influence
2) Revolution in Afghanistan led to the Soviet influence being threatened
3) Brezhnev believed the USA would not object
What happened when the USSR invaded Afghanistan?
The leader was replaced by a pro-Soviet leader. The previous leader and many supporters were killed. The Mujahideen resisted this and the Soviets had to stay in Afghanistan to fight them.
Who was leader of the USA during the invasion of Afghanistan?
Jimmy Carter
Why was Carter worried about the invasion of Afghanistan?
1) Fear that it might lead to the Soviets getting more control of the middle east
2) Fear of potential Soviet influence in Iran
3) Fear that this could lead to the USA’s oil supplies being interrupted
What were the consequences of the invasion of Afghanistan?
1) The Carter Doctrine
2) The end of SALT 2
3) Olympic boycotts
4) The election of Reagan
5) The Second Cold War
What was the Carter Doctrine, and when was it announced?
January 1980:
1) Carter threatened to use force if the Soviets attempted to take control of the Persian Gulf
2) Economic sanctions on the USSR
3) Secret assistance to the Mujahideen
When were the Moscow Olympics, that the USA boycotted?
1980
When were the Los Angeles Olympics, that were boycotted by the Soviet Union?
1980
When was SDI launched?
1983
What was the nickname for SDI?
Star Wars
What was the SDI?
The plan to develop lasers in space that could shoot down ICBMs.
What was the impact of SDI?
1) Damaged US/Soviet relations
2) USSR argued it broke the Outer Space Treaty
3) Soviet negotiators walked out of arms control talks in December 1983 in Geneva
4) The USSR spent more money on weapons, and deepened their economic problems
When did Gorbachev announce the end of the Brezhnev Doctrine?
December 1988
When did the Berlin Wall fall?
November 1989
What were the consequences of the withdrawal of the Brezhnev Doctrine?
1) Hungary opens its borders to East Germans
2) Fall of the Berlin Wall
3) Communism falls in Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania
What was the significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall?
1) Germany was reunified.
2) Soviet Union withdrew troops from what had been East Germany
3) British, French and US troops remained in West Germany
4) Led to the end of the Warsaw Pact
5) Soviets withdrew from the eastern bloc
6) Ex-Warsaw Pact members joined NATO
What was START?
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (1991). Agreed to reduction of nuclear warheads by a third, additional undertaking to continue to further reduce.
When was the Warsaw Pact formally dissolved?
July 1991
When was the dissolution of the Soviet Union announced?
25 December 1991
