The End of the Cold War Flashcards
What was SALT 1 (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty)
US and USSR agreed to limit the amount of nuclear weapons they had
One advantage and one disadvantage of SALT 1
Adv: Slowed down the arms race
Dis-adv: Ensured that neither side had a decisive advantage with regard to nuclear weapons
When was the Helsinki conference
1975
2 agreements made at the Helsinki conference
East and West Germany officially accepted each other
USA agreed to buy oil from USSR
2 importances of Helsinki
Helped USA and Soviets form a stable relation
Represented a high point of detente
2 points of SALT 2
Imposed limits on new launch systems
Each superpower limited to 2250 warheads
Why did SALT 2 fail? (1 point)
US politicians thought this treaty granted too much to the USSR
Who became president of the US in 1981
Ronald Reagan
Who became leader of the Soviet Union in 1985
Mikhail Gorbachev
Why could the USSR not keep up with the USA in the 1980S
Its economy was falling
When and where did Gorbachev meet Reagan
Geneva summit, 1985
2 consequences of the Geneva summit
Represented an easing of the Cold War
Led to the INF treaty and START 1
What was SDI (Strategic Defence Initiative)
Reagan’s plan to use satellites to destroy nuclear missiles
1 point of the INF treaty
Eliminated all nuclear missiles with ranges 500-5500 km each superpower had
When and why did the Soviets invade Afghanistan?
1979, to take control after the president was assassinated
When was the Carter doctrine
1980
2 factors of the Carter doctrine
USA would use force if Soviets tried to take the Persian Gulf
USA promised to stop trading with the Soviets
2 consequences of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Helped lead to Reagan’s election (anti-communist)
USA boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow
When was the ‘Second Cold War’?
1979-1984
Why did relations deteriorate in the Second Cold War? (2 points)
The election of Reagan (anti-communist)
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Olympic Boycott (1980 in Moscow)
When was ‘Star Wars’ (SDI) launched?
1983
Why did Gorbachev get rid of the Brezhnev doctrine?
He believed openness would make all Eastern bloc countries better
When did the Berlin Wall fall?
1989
Significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall for superpower relations? (2 factors)
Ended the Warsaw Pact in 1991
Soviets withdrew their troops from 1990 onwards
What did Gorbachev announce in December 1991?
The dissolution of the Soviet Union and his resignation
Why did the Soviet Union lose the Cold War? (2 factors)
The USA was far ahead of the Soviets in the arms race in the 1960s
Freedom - the Eastern bloc only existed due to the Soviets force and repression
The significance of the fall of the Soviet Union (2 factors)
Cold War came to an end
Soviet Union became the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1992
