Unit 9 Section 2

Nixon & Detente

Nixon’s Detente was his effort to reduce Cold War tensions. He visited China in 1972 and made a deal with the Soviet Union to limit nuclear weapons, hoping to create peace and cooperation.

Helsinki Accords

The Helsinki Accords were an agreement signed in 1975 by the U.S., the Soviet Union, and other countries to improve relations, focus on human rights, and promote peace and cooperation in Europe. While they helped ease tensions, they also exposed differences, especially on human rights issues in Eastern Europe.

Iran Hostage Crisis

The Iran Hostage Crisis was in 1979 when 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage by Iranian militants who had overthrown the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran. The hostages were held for 444 days in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The crisis hurt President Jimmy Carter’s popularity, and the hostages were released on the day Ronald Reagan became president in 1981.

Reagan Doctrine

The Reagan Doctrine was a U.S. policy in the 1980s where President Reagan supported anti-communist groups fighting against Soviet-backed governments. The goal was to stop the spread of communism around the world, even if the groups weren’t democratic.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union. He introduced reforms like glasnost (more freedom of speech) and perestroika (economic changes) to improve the country. His actions helped end the Cold War and led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Star Wars

Star Wars was a U.S. missile defense program announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. Officially called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), it aimed to use satellites and ground-based systems to protect the U.S. from nuclear missiles. The program was controversial and never fully developed, but it was part of Reagan's strategy to pressure the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Short Answer:Describe 2 advantages and disadvantages of Reagan’s foreign policy.

Reagan’s foreign policy had both advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, his tough approach helped bring an end to the Cold War and strengthened the U.S. military. However, he faced criticism for supporting oppressive regimes in places like Central America and for the Iran-Contra Affair, a scandal where his administration secretly sold arms to Iran and funded Nicaraguan rebels, which hurt his credibility.

Short Answer:How did Nixon’s detente approach to foreign policy compare to Reagan’s approach?

Nixon’s detente aimed to ease tensions with the Soviet Union and China through diplomacy, focusing on peaceful relations and arms control. Reagan, on the other hand, took a tougher approach, increasing military strength to challenge the Soviets but also using diplomacy later to help end the Cold War. While Nixon focused on reducing tensions, Reagan mixed strong defense with talks to push for change.

Free response: Describe U.S. involvement in one of the following nations:  Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Grenada.  Was the Reagan administration successful in meeting their foreign policy goals?  Why or why not?

The U.S. involvement in Afghanistan during the Reagan administration was a success in the short term because it significantly weakened the Soviet Union. By supporting the Mujahideen, the U.S. helped create a costly and prolonged conflict for the Soviet Union, which drained their resources and morale. This contributed to the Soviet Union's eventual withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988 and weakened its influence in the region, which was a key U.S. goal during the Cold War. The defeat in Afghanistan was a blow to the Soviet's global power and helped the U.S. and its allies gain an advantage in the Cold War struggle.