The Search For World Peace Flashcards
What does detente mean ?
Periods of thaw in the Cold War primarily between 1970 and 1979
Second period when Gorbachev became leader in 1985
What were the reasons for detente?
USA wanted to end involvement in Vietnam which was expensive in terms of military expenditure and lives. Wanted USSR and China to help with negotiations
Brezhnev Doctrine - USSR took action to stop countries leaving the Warsaw Pact which alarmed the USA
To reduce the massive cost of the arms race
To reduce the risk of nuclear war
Both USA and ussr wanted improved relations with china
Detente with ussr -salt 1
In 1972 president Nixon visited Moscow to improve relations
Strategic arms limitations talks had started in 1969 and led to the signing of SALT i in 1972
What did salt 1 mean?
This treaty limited the number of intercontinental missiles and anti ballistic missiles and both agreed not to tests ICBMs and submarine launched missiles
Important as it was first agreement between the 2 superpowers to try and limit the number of nuclear weapons they held
Helsinki agreements in 1975
USA, ussr and 33 other nations made declarations about international issues :
Security: USA accepted the frontiers of Eastern Europe and ussr accepted existence of west Germany ]
Human rights : agreed to respect basic human rights including freedom of thoughts religion, speech
Co-operation : agreements to work closer in economic, scientific and cultural links
This cooperation was shown in 1975 which docking of American Apollo and soviet Soyuz spacecraft in space
How did the USA improve relations with china?
Ussr and china has strained relations and nixon wanted to exploit this split
Same time china desired for better reaction and nixon wanted it too to help negotiate an end to war agains north Vietnam
Ping pong diplomacy —> chinese tennis table table invited us steam to peking in 1971 which set the scene for improved relations
In April 1971 USA lifted its 21 year trade embargo with china.
In feb 1972 Nixon became first us president to visit china and one consequence was improved trading links
China allowed to take seat in United Nations in October 1971
The ending of detente soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979
June 1979 final stages of USA and ussr agreeing to salt 2
Us senate refused to sign up to this agreement after soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979
Diplomatic links between USA and ussr were cut
Us Olympic team boycotted 1980 Moscow Olympic Games as well as 61 other nations
Marked an end to first period of detente
Reagan and the second Cold War
In January 1981 Reagan replaced carter as US president and he returned to aggressive anti-Soviet foreign policy
Reagan vastly increased his defence budget, in 1983 he began working on Strategic Defence Initiative or Star Wars
SDI proved to be a turning point in the Cold War as USSR weakened economy could not keep up with USA spending
Reagan and Gorbachev -return to detente
In 1985 Gorbachev the new leader of the USSR started a process of reform, more friendly relations with the USA
Nov 1985 Geneva acord to speed up arms reduction talks
December 1987 third meeting in Washington , intermediate nuclear forces treaty , both leaders agreed to destroy all medium and short range weapons in Europe within 3 years
In 1989 new president bush senior and Gorbachev met at Malta and announced end to the Cold War
Washington in 1990 Bush senior and Gorbachev discussed strategic arms limitation start and signed treaty for the reduction and limitation of the strategic arms start 1 in July 1991
Ending of the Cold War
Reform policies of Gorbachev resulted in soviet grip over Eastern Europe loosening
In 1989 Gorbachev told the leaders of the 6 satellite states that the soviet troops would no longer be able to defend them
Reform spread quickly through the satellite states and ussr did nothing to stop it
Regime change sparked by falling of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and by the end of 1990 communist governments had been swept from power in eastern Germany , Poland, Hungary , czechoslovakia, Romania and Bulgaria to be replaced by democratically elected governments
These events weakened the ussr and in 1990 Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declared to be independent . In 1991 Gorbachev resigned as leader and USSR was split into independent states
Europe was no longer divided into communism and capitalism the Cold War had ended
USA increasingly involved in Middle East. Explain involvement in Iran
In jan 1979 the Shah of Iran who had received US backing was forced to abdicate
Iran fell under control of fundamentalist religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini who denounced the USA as the Great Satan
November 1979 the US embassy in Tehran was stormed by Iranian students and 66 Americans were taken hostage, they were held for 444 days
President carter authorised a rescue mission in April 1980 but it failed and served to worsen relations between the USA and IRAN
Gulf war (1990-91)
In August 1990 troops from Iraq invaded and captured Kuwait . Saddam hussein saw Kuwait as a rich prize which would lesson his country’s economic debts
Us wanted to protect its economic interests especially oil supplies in the region
United Nations imposed sanctions on Iraq. US, Britain and other states sent forces to protect Saudis Arabia and its oil reserves (operation desert shield)
In January 1991 the allies launched an air assault against Iraq (operation desert storm) and in February land forces began the liberation of Kuwait (operation desert saber)
Saddam was allowed to withdraw with much of his army intact
With the defeat of Saddam president bush seniors reputation stood high but he was increasingly criticised for allowing Saddam hussein to stay in power. America had successfully restored order to the oil producing states of the Middle East
