Détente

What is the definition of détente?

A period of peace (or reduced tension) between two groups that were previously hostile to each other.

Give three military factors that led to a period of détente between the superpowers.

(i) The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) had nearly led to nuclear catastrophe and the USA and Soviet Union wanted to reduce the risk of a similar event in the future. (ii) Despite the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, weapons techology had continued to advance, and the resulting arms race was both dangerous and expensive. (iii) There were still international flashpoints which created the risk of the the Soviet Union and the USA coming into direct conflict with each other: these included Arab-Israeli Wars (in 1967 and 1973) and the Vietnam War.

Give two examples of new weapons technology which fuelled the arms race between the US and Soviet Union in the 1960s.

(i) Anti-Ballistic Missile systems (ABMs), designed to intercept and destroy nuclear missiles which had been launched by an enemy. (ii) Multiple Independently-Targeted Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs), which put several warheads - each capable of destroying a city - on a single missile.

By 1968, how many troops did the US have fighting in the Vietnam War?

More than 500k - or half a million.

Which superpower backed which side in the Arab-Israeli Wars of 1967 and 1973?

The USA backed Israel and the Soviet Union backed the Arab countries.

Give two reasons related to US domestic politics which led to a period of détente between the superpowers.

(i) Richard Nixon was elected President in 1968 (replacing Lyndon Johnson). Nixon had campaigned on a promise to end the Vietnam War and this would require better relations with the Soviet Union. (ii) USA was facing major social challenges, including inequality between black/white and rich/poor, eg. there were race riots on a massive scale and Martin Luther King was shot in 1968. These problems led political leaders to want to focus on concerns in the US - and to have to worry less about the Soviet Union.

Who was Nixon's National Security Advisor who was also key in the development of the policy of détente?

Henry Kissinger. He accompanied Nixon to Moscow in 1973.

Other than the USA, which two countries got new leaders who also helped the move towards détente?

(i) The Soviet Union. Hardliner Leonid Brezhnev replaced Khrushchev in 1962, after the Cuban Missile Crisis. He felt the US was weakened (by Vietnam) but also needed to strengthen the Soviet economy. (ii) Willy Brandt was elected Chancellor (leader) of West Germany in 1969. Brandt pursued a policy of 'Ostpolitik' - wanting better relations with East Germany and other communist countries.

What is the full name of the SALT1 arms control treaty that was agreed in 1972?

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

Where were the US - Soviet talk held that led to the SALT1 agreement?

Helsinki and Vienna

When was the SALT1 agreement reached?

May 1972

What were the two main agreements within the SALT1 Treaty?

(i) Each superpower would only be allowed Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) systems at two sites, with a limited number of ABM missiles at each. (ii) There was a 5-year freeze on the number of ICBM and Submarine-based launchers that each side was allowed.

What were the main flaws in the SALT1 Treaty?

(i) The Treaty did not limit the number of strategic bombers - aircraft that could drop nuclear bombs - that each side could have. (ii) There was no restriction on the number of warheads that that each side could have on each missile..

Even if the numbers of nuclear missiles held by each side stayed at roughly the same level after SALT1, what happened to the number of warheads both sides held?

The number of warheads increased considerably between SALT1 (1972) and 1980.

What did Nixon want from his trip to Moscow in 1972? Did he get it?

Nixon wanted help from the Soviets in ending the Vietnam War. Yes, Brezhnev agreed to help broker peace with the communist North Vietnamese and a Peace Treaty was signed in 1973.

What did Brezhnev want from Nixon's trip to Moscow in 1972? Did he get it?

Brezhnev wanted access to US technology and increaed US grain sales. Yes, in time, Brezhnev got what he wanted: Nixon's Moscow visit led to a European Security Conference which, in turn, led to the Helsinki Agreements and the agreement to more technical cooperation.

What war in 1973 threatened to interrupt the improving relations between the US and Soviet Union?

The 1973 Arab-Israeli War - also known as the Yom Kippur War. A group of Arab countries, backed by the Soviet Union, launched a surprise attack on Israel. The USA provided weapons and other support to Israel which was able to repel the invasion, before an agreement to stop fighting was reached.

What was the date of Nixon's second trip to Moscow?

July 1974

What were the two most important agreements that Nixon and Brezhnev reached at their second Moscow meeting in July 1974?

(i) To limit the growth in the number of nuclear warheads each side had (and not just missiles). (ii) To broaden cooperation in cultural, scientific, economic and technical fields.

What was the name and date of the joint US-Soviet space mission that occurred during the period of détente?

Apollo-Soyuz Mission. July 1975.

What happened during the Apollo-Soyuz space mission of 1975? Why was it significant?

Three US astronauts and two Soviet cosmonauts met up in space, as their Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts docked. Their handhake symbolised the scientific cooperation which was a key component of détente.

What was the date of the Helsinki Agreements (or Accords)?

August 1975

How many countries signed the Helsinki Agreements?

33 - from both NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Who was the US President at the time of the Helsinki Agreements? Who had he replaced?

Gerald Ford was the new US President. He had replaced Richard Nixon who had been forced to resign due to electoral malpractice in the 1972 Presidential Election.

What were the three 'buckets' of the Helsinki Agreements?

(i) Security. (ii) Wider cooperation. (iii) Human Rights.

What was agreed in 'bucket1' (security) in the Helsinki Agreements?

All signatories recognised the borders of countries throughout Europe and agreed not to try to change them by force.

Who gained most from 'bucket1' - the US or Soviet Union?

Both sides. The US gained formal recognition for West Germany which the Soviet Union had always resented. The Soviets gained recogntion of the borders - and their 'buffer zone' - within eastern Europe which they had moved after WW2.

What was agreed in 'bucket2' (wider cooperation) in the Helsinki Agreements?

Signatories agreed to work towards economic, cultural, technical and scientific cooperation. It was hoped that this would help ease military tension too.

Who gained most from 'bucket2' - the US or Soviet Union?

Probably the Soviet Union which thought it could now get access to US modern technology to help the Soviet economy.

What was agreed in 'bucket3' (human rights) in the Helsinki Agreements?

Signatories agreed to respect human rights and basic freedoms, such as freedom of thought, speech and religion.

Who gained most from 'bucket3' - the US or Soviet Union?

The USA - which thought that an extension of human rights would help undermine Soviet control in eastern Europe.

What was the name of the arms control agreement reached in 1974?

SALT2

What were the most important agreements reached under SALT2?

(i) The number of nuclear missiles and bombers each side could have was limited to 2400. (ii) There was a limit placed on the number of missiles that could carry multiple warheads (ie. MIRV systems).

Did SALT2 ever come into force?

No. The US Congress (ie. parliament) refused to ratify it - and it was abandoned altogether in 1979.

What reasons did the US have for bringing an end to the period of détente?

(i) The US Congress (ie. parliament) was sceptical that keeping to the limits on missiles in SALT2 could ever be checked: they thought the Soviets would cheat. (ii) The US was concerned about Soviet support for communist in the Americas (eg. Cuba, Nicaragua and El Salvador) and Africa (eg. Angola). This seemed like further attempts to spread communism. (iii) The US was humiliated when Islamic militants occupied its embassy in Teheran (Iran) in Nov. 1979 and the US govt thought it needed to appear strong again on the world stage. (iv) The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in Dec. 1979 - which annoyed the US.

What reasons did the Soviet Union have for bringing an end to the period of détente?

The Soviets thought the US was using Helsinki 'bucket3' as a reason to interfere in the internal running of Soviet bloc countries, esp. on human rights.