4.1 - Renewed Confrontation and Resolution: Final superpower leaders and summit diplomacy

Chapter 4

How did Ronald Reagan’s "Conviction Politics" differ from the "Containment" of his predecessors?

Reagan rejected containment in favor of active confrontation, labeling the USSR an "Evil Empire" and using the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to threaten the logic of MAD with a space-based shield.

Why was Margaret Thatcher’s alliance with Reagan strategically vital for the West?

The "Iron Lady" provided ideological support and logistical backing for the deployment of US Pershing missiles in Europe, signaling to the Kremlin that the Western alliance was reunified and resolute.

How did Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit to Poland challenge Soviet authority?

He turned the Cold War into a battle for "Hearts and Minds," providing the spiritual and moral fuel for the Solidarity movement that Soviet tanks could not effectively suppress.

What was the significance of "Gerontocracy" and Yuri Andropov’s leadership in the early 1980s?

The rule by the elderly led to a period of deep paranoia and stagnation; Andropov’s suspicion of US exercises like "Able Archer 83" brought superpower tensions to their highest point since 1962.

How did Mikhail Gorbachev’s "New Thinking" contrast with previous Soviet leaders?

Taking power in 1985, he introduced Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring), believing that Soviet security was best achieved through disarmament rather than a bankrupting arms race.

How did Deng Xiaoping’s move toward "Market Socialism" further isolate the USSR?

By integrating China into the global economy and reducing tensions with the US, he proved that Communism had to adapt to survive, leaving the rigid Soviet model as a failing outlier.

Why was the 1985 Geneva Summit’s joint statement a turning point?

Reagan and Gorbachev established a personal rapport and declared that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," humanizing the "faceless enemy" for both leaders.

What was the radical outcome and the eventual sticking point of the 1986 Reykjavik Summit?

Reagan and Gorbachev nearly agreed to abolish all nuclear weapons, but the deal collapsed because Reagan refused to abandon his Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).

Why was the 1987 INF Treaty a historical landmark in arms control?

It was the first treaty to actually destroy an entire class of nuclear weapons rather than just limit them, and it introduced unprecedented "on-site inspections."

How did Reagan’s 1988 Moscow Summit statement signal the end of the Cold War?

Standing in Red Square, Reagan stated he no longer considered the USSR an "Evil Empire," proving that personal trust had officially superseded decades of institutionalized fear.

How did "Official Visits" like Deng’s 1979 US trip and the Pope’s Polish visits dismantle the Iron Curtain?

They bypassed traditional diplomacy to break ideological hegemony; Deng signaled China was "open for business" while the Pope gave citizens the moral courage to challenge the state.