Detente up to 1979

The extent of Détente up to 1979: the SALT talks; Ostpolitik and Helsinki accords; arms race; relations with China

Moscow Test Ban Treaty, Apr 1963

* did not cover underground tests
* France and PRC refused to sign

Establishment of a Direct Communications Line, June 1963

hotline between White House and Kremlin as CMC revealed reliable, direct communication between the two was a necessity

* took 12 hrs for US to recieve and decode Khrushchev’s letters

Glassboro Summit, June 1967

LBJ and Kosygin (Premier of USSR 64-80) meet in NJ, failed to reach agreement on limiting anti ballistic missile systems (mainly due to LBJ’s commitment to Americanisation of Vietnam war)

* ‘spirit of Glassboro’, like Geneva 1955

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, July 1968

agreement by most of the UN members to not give nuclear weapons to allies and proxies

* France and PRC did not sign

Why did the USA want detente?

* failure of USA in Vietnam led to reevaluation of US power globally
* detente gave opportunity to uphold US interest without intervention
* high inflation and large budget deficit after Vietnam
* allow resources to be released from military budget
* restore global credibility after Vietnam
* manage Soviet power (arms race)

Why did USSR want detente?

* faced mounting economic problems and needed to divert resources from military sector to deal with them
* improved relations would give them more access to much needed Western technology and grain supplies
* to stay ahead in arms race

What development in nuclear technology contributed to detente?

* Soviets had reached rough nuclear parity with US
* new technology such as MIRVs and ABMs were being developed = very dangerous and contributes to instability globally

When did Brezhnev come into power?

1964

Moscow Summit, May 1972

**SALT I was signed**

* limits on ICBMs, SLBMs, ABMs

**Basic Principles Agreement** also signed

* aims of reduction of hostility and rejected using force

Why was SALT I significant?

* marked beginning of cooperation between the 2
* reduced tension caused by destabilising defensive weapons
* tolerated asymmetries, which concerned Congress and gave rise to detente critics
* USA = 1054 ICBMs
* USSR = 1618

Washington Summit, June 1973

**Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War was signed**

* Kissinger = ‘a bland set of principles’

USSR produces 10m tons of grain from USA at subsidised prices = The Great Grain Robbery

Agreements on agriculture, cultural exchanges and transport

Moscow Summit, June-July 1974

last meeting between Nixon and Brezhnev

**unsuccessful as no agreement on MIRVs but kept alive possibility of SALT II**

Vladivostok Summit, Nov 1974

agreed to 10 year programme to reach equal levels of ICBMs and SLBMs

= preliminary move to SALT II

Vienna Summit, June 1979

enmeshed in wider East-West disagreements (human rights in EE, SINO-american relations)

**SALT II signed half heartedly** and never ratified by US Senate

* ICBM and SLBM launchers not to exceed 2400
* overall reduction of strategic offensive arms to 2250 by Jan 1981

When did Willy Brandt come into power in West Germany?

Oct 1969

ostpolitik

normalisation of relations between FRG and GDR and Eastern Europe from 1969

‘one German nation, two German states’

**= aimed to reunify Germany**

Treaty of Moscow, Aug 1970

non aggression pact that rejected use of force and acceptance of German borders

‘closest thing to a peace treaty ending the Second World War’

= triumph for Brezhnev, won Western acceptance for Soviet position in Germany

German-Polish Treaty, Dec 1970

acceptance of German-Polish borders established at the end of the war (Oder-Neisse line)

Warschauer Kniefall, Dec 1970

Brandt kneeling down after laying a wreath for victims of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

= W Germany did not pay reparations so this acted as an explicit acceptance of responsibility in WW2, thawed relations

Berlin Agreement, Sept 1971

* freer movement of people between East and West Berlin
* Recognition of E Berlin as part of GDR

Basic Treaty, Dec 1972

formal recognition of sovereignty of FRG and GDR

Why does Brandt pass so many treaties in 1970-72?

**in fear superpower detente is short lived**, trying to keep momentum before breakdown of relations keep Germany frozen and reduce chances of reunification

Reactions to European detente and ostpolitik

USA:

* worried about losing influence in Germany at first
* believed that it confirmed division of Germany, which they were happy about

USSR:

* happy, believed it consolidated the division of Germany, recognised post-war borders and increased access to tech from the West

Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, July 1972- Aug 1975

**outcome = Helsinki Accords 1975**

* largest multilateral gathering since WW2 (35 signatories)

Helsinki Accords, Aug 1975

**turning point,** had profound impact to the end of the Cold War eventually

* Basket 1: Security in Europe
* Basket 2: trade and international cooperation
* Basket 3: cultural exchange, freer movement of people

mostly reflect Western values, however things like ‘recognition’, ‘dissemination of tech’ and ‘sovereignty’ show Brezhnev was still achieving his aims

\
‘just a piece of paper’ - Gromyko

What was the significance of Basket 3 of the Helsinki Accords 1975?

* people such as journalists moving from West to East exposed bogus claims of the USSR being great
* freedom and human rights now linked to international relations
* was published in the Pravda so, **led to emergence of group such as Charter 77, Helsinki Watch Groups, Human Rights Groups in the Baltics etc**
* **dissidents, journalists etc began to chip away at the USSR**

Why was the USSR signing the Helsinki Accords so significant to the Cold War overall?

**UNDERMINES SOVIET POWER**

Prof. Niall Ferguson argued that **‘the signing of the Helsinki accords was an act of self-sabotage by the Soviet Union’**

* by acknowledging human rights were important, they prompted their own destruction = butterfly effect
* unintentionally inspired dissidents (like Vaclev Havel) to organise Helsinki Watch Groups
* USA used human rights to put pressure on the USSR to cooperate over detente

**‘a time bomb has been planted under the Soviet Union’ - Ford**

* however, KGB will effectively control dissidents for another 14 years

Charter 77

led by Vaclev Havel

used Helsinki Accords to call attention to human rights violations in Eastern Europe

Why did some dislike detente?

believed that USA was going to be taken advantage of by the USSR and ‘win’ the Cold war

‘all Americans should be against the Helsinki Accords’ - Reagan

* exacerbated by the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict which saw USA at DEFCON 3