USA Topic 7 - The search for world peace since 1970 Flashcards
What is detente
Reduction in tension
What were the reasons for detente
- USA and USSR were keen on arms limitation talks
- USA was seeking an end to the war after the Vietnam war
- The threat of nuclear war after the cuban missile crisis concerned everybody
What were the most significant examples of detente in action
The SALT agreements and the helsinki agreements
What did SALT stand for
Strategic arms limitation talks
What did SALT stand for
Strategic arms limitation talks
What was SALT I
- Imposed limits on the USA and USSR’s nuclear capabilities
What was the significance of SALT I
It was the first agreement between the superpowers that limited nuclear weapons
What was SALT II
The agreement to limit the number of nuclear delivery vehicles to 2400 and to ban ICBM launchers
What were the Helsinki agreements
The declaration between the USA, USSR and 33 other countries on respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms
What were the reasons for the improved relations between the USA and China
- The relationship between China and the USSR had deteriorated and Nixon saw this as an opportunity to exploit their relations
- Nixon hope closer relations between China would help end the Vietnam war
What was the ping-pong diplomacy
- Chinese ping pong team invited the USA team to play in China
- Chinese player gave a car ride to an American player
- This friendly act was heavily publicised and helped to improve relations
What was the impact of the ping pong diplomacy
Nixon became the first President to visit China
When did Nixon visit China
February 1972
Who was the PDPA
A communist party in Afganistan
What did the PDPA impose
A Communist reform program where Muslims were imprisoned tortured and murdered
Who did Afghan Muslims join to oppose the PDPA
’Miyabideen’ Which was a guerrilla movement proclaimed to be on a holy mission for Allah
How did the Soviets react to the threat of the Afghan muslins 
They sent 50,000 so if your troops to restore the PDPA and protect them
Why was the Soviet occupied Afghanistan a threat to the USA
Threaten their oil supplies
How did President Carter approach the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan
Court adopted a fun approach with his Carter doctrine which stated that the USA would use military force to defend national interests
What was the strategic defence initiative - star wars programme
It would stop Soviet nuclear bombs reaching American soil as breaking plan to launch satellites with powerful lasers to intercept soviet missiles
What are the three strategies Gorbachev introduced to change western relationships
- Reforms of Perestroika and Glasnost
- Ending the arms race
- Stop Soviet interference in eastern European satellite states
What was Perestroika
Restructuring which were economic reforms designed to make Soviet society more efficient 
What was glasnost 
Openness by Relaxed censorship of press
What was the intermediate nuclear forces treaty
Signed in 1987 to eliminate missiles with a 500 to 5500 km range
What was the impact of the intermediate nuclear forces treaty
By the 1st of June 1991, 2692 weapons have been destroyed
What was the Malta conference in 1989
Bush declared that the Cold War was was over
What is significant event occurred in 1988
Gorbachev withdrew troops from Eastern Europe to save money
Describe the events leading to Germany’s reunification
- In October 1989 300,000 people protested in Leipzig
- On the 9th of November 1989 the Berlin wall was opened
- In 1991 Germany reunified into one country
Describe the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia
- November 1989 - Communist government resigns
- December 1989 - Havel becomes first non-Communist president since 1948
- 1990 - democratic elections won by an alliance of anti-Communist groups (civic - forum)
Describe the stages to the collapse of the USSR
Gorbachev became opposed by most sections of society
In August 1991 an attempted coop d’etat was defeated by Boris Yeltsin who was president of the Russian Socialist Republic
Gorbachev resigned in 1991 and the USSR split into several independent states

Who was Pahlavi 
The shah of Iran who was America’s closest ally in the Persian Gulf region
The shah tried to modernise around by industrialisation and the emancipation of women
Why did the shah abdicate
Opposition to this modernisation and his increasingly tyrannical government
Why was the USA interested in the gulf area
Oil supplies
After the shah’s abdication who was Iran run by
An Islamic Republic which denounced the USA as the ‘Great Satan’
What occurred in November 1979 in Iran
The US Embassy was taken over and the Iran offered the 66 hostages for the extradition of the shah who was in the USA
When were the Iranian hostages released
20 minutes into Reagan’s presidency after 444 days in captivity
When did Iraq invade Kuwait
August 1990
Why did Iraq invade Kuwait
Due to Iraq’s debt as a result of war with Iran
Saddam did not expect the USA to use its military power to support Kuwait
Who was the leader of the Iraq
Saddam Hussein
How did President Bush react to the Iraq invasion
Military campaigns composing of 2000 aircraft and missiles and electronic warfare
What was the outcome of the war
Iraq withdrew troops
Bush called a ceasefire to maintain support of other Arab nations
