The extent of détente up to 1979 (18) Flashcards
SALT 1 Treaties?
May 1972
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
2 Treaties
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
Limited both sides to two ABM sites with no more than 100 missiles - could defend a capital city and an ICBM site - Stopped advancement of ABM defence technology - slowed the need to develop further offensive weapons
The Interim Agreement on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms
Complimented the ABM Treaty - froze strategic missiles - 1054 ICBMs USA + 1618 ICBMs USSR - 656 SLBMs USA + 740 SLBMs USSR - 450 Strategic bombers USA + 140 USSR - due to expire 1977 - no limitations on cruise missiles or MIRVs
Outcome of SALT 1?
Politically beneficial to Nixon and Brezhnev and made it beneficial for future leaders to back defensive policies
Opened an era of negotiation rather than confrontation
Ended US dominance and bought about parity so that the USSR no longer felt threatened and could afford to co-exist
Both sides had something to gain from Detente
What happened at the Moscow Summit?
Dec 1972
Finalised SALT 1
Set guide-lines for American-Soviet relations
‘Basic Principles of Relations’
A code for their behaviour
1. Must work for peaceful-coexistence and for ‘mutual-advantage’
2. To avoid situations that could damage peaceful coexistence or confrontation that could lead to nuclear war
3. ‘special responsibility’ to uphold international peace and security
Importance of Moscow Summit?
No legal status
Only depended on the states keeping their word
USA saw them as aspirations
USSR saw them as vital
SALT I and Basic Principles established parity between the states - goal of the USSR - what detente was to the USSR
Nixon’s visit to the Soviet Union in May 1972 was the first time an American President had visited the USSR since Yalta
What happened at the Vladivostok Summit?
November 1974
Agreed on 10-year plan - build up to future SALT II
USSR agreed to equal levels of ICBM launchers and SLBM launchers - Congress finally agreed in Feb 1975 due to initial fears of USSR gains
Problems as USA argued that cruise-missiles did not apply, only air-to-surface, USSR disagreed
Aftermath of Vladivostok Summit?
Kissinger returned and faced significant opposition from the Secretary of Defence and others
New proposals were also forced onto Kissinger, backed by President Ford
Brezhnev disagreed - SALT II was further stalled
January 1977 - Jimmy Carter becomes president
Carter wanted more ambitious arms reductions for SALT II
Carter under pressure to be more hard-line with the USSR
New proposals showed to Soviets in March 1977
- Ban on the development, testing and deployment of new ICBMs
- Ban on all cruise-missiles with a range above 2500 kilometres
- Reduced modern ICBMs to 150
Brezhnev rejected them
Saw the USSRs reductions were disproportionate
Feeling that the Carter Administration was moving away from detente
What happened at the Vienna Summit?
June 1979
SALT II finally signed
Neither Brezhnev nor Carter deviated from their scripts or previously agreed points
Did show warmth and respect for the other
Showed publicly the understanding of the importance of the other in controlling the arms race
US and USSR trade?
US and USSR trade grew from $220 million in 1971 to $2.8 billion in 1978
Change after Willy Brandt?
Appointed in October 1969
Abandoned Hallstein Doctrine
Wanted the recognition of territorial changes after the Second World War between East and West Germany
Architect of Ostpolitik
Secured a joint Non-Agression Pact in August 1970 with talks with the Soviet Union
December 1970 West Germany signed a treaty with Poland that recognised the post-war Oder-Neisse border
Erich Honecker replaced Ulbricht (‘last Stalinist) in May 1971 in East Germany which furthered bettered relations
December 1972 - formal agreement recognising the two states
Forced Kissinger to realise that USA had to further detente with USSR or they would lose their influence in Europe
Basic Treaty?
21 December 1972 in East Berlin
Commitment to potential economic relation, recognition of sovereignty of the FRG and GDR and their territories
Led to other nations having diplomatic relations with the GDR - Feb 1973 UK, France, Netherlands
By September 1973 both the FRG and GDR were members of the UN
What were the Helsinki Accords?
July-August 1975 Helsinki Conference where 35 states agreed to accept the territorial changes after WW2
o Moscow had been wanting this for a long time
o Failed to secure improvements of human rights in Eastern Bloc countries
Created ‘baskets’ of agreements
What were the Helsinki Accords ‘baskets’?
- Security in Europe - included recognising and not threatening each state
- Cooperation in economics, science, technology and the environment
- Cooperation in humanitarian fields
Soviet and US view of the Helsinki Accords?
USSR
- Expand Ostpolitik and gain acceptance of Eastern Europe
- Decrease barriers between states to support economics
- Further process of East-West detente
- Less interested in human rights
USA
- Not fully committed to accepting status quo in Eastern Europe
- Feared that a divided Germany and Europe with Soviet prevalence would continue
- East-West detente was what got them to sign
Continuation of arms race?
Middle of 1978 - USSR refused to end the deployment of SS-20 missiles in Europe or to reduce its stocks of heavy missiles
USA had strategic imbalance
Carter activated the deployment of new weapons and a new stealth bomber
December 1979 Carter convinced NATO allies to increase their military expenditure by 3% and to deploy 572 Perishing II and cruise missiles
Situation with China?
1976 Den Xiaoping - put economics before revolution
Nixon’s visit to China 1972 brought Sino-US confrontation to an end
Potential obstacle to US-Sino relations was Taiwan
December 1978 - China and USA reach agreement on Taiwan - US ceased to aid Taiwan militarily
Formal diplomatic relations took place from 1st Jan 1979
