Edexcel GCSE History Cold War - The End of The Cold War `1970-91

What was détente?

A period of peace between the East and West

When did Détente start and end?

1969-1979

What were the reasons for détente in the USA?

• They wanted to avoid nuclear war

• USA wanted to end Vietnam War

• Demonstrations against War in USA

What were the reasons for détente in the Soviet Union?

• Poor living standards

• Economy wasn’t developing

• Building nuclear weapons was expensive

When was Salt 1?

May 1972

What was agreed at Salt 1?

• Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty - ABMs only allowed at 2 sites with a max. of 100 missiles per site

• Interim Treaty - USA allowed 1,054 ICBMs and 740 SLBMs and USSR allowed 1,618 ICBMs and 740 SLBMs

• Basic Principles Agreement - set out steps for avoiding a nuclear war

What were the weaknesses of Salt 1?

• Unrealistic for countries to actually follow Basic Principles Agreement during an actual Nuclear War

• Did not cover the latest technology such as MRIVs

What were the positive consequences of Salt 1?

• Symbolic importance since USA and USSR wanted to reach agreements together

• Nixon visited Brezhnev in Moscow and Brezhnev went to Washington in 1983

When was the Helsinki Accords?

August 1975

What were the agreements made at the Helsinki Accords?

• Borders cannot be altered by force

• There will be more co-operation between West and East including: Trade agreements and a joint space mission

• Human rights and individual freedoms will be accepted across Europe

When did talks working towards Salt 2 end?

18th June 1979

Why did Salt 2 fail?

• Some West Germans opposed the treaty in fear that the US would not stop the USSR from invading them

• Some US politicians felt that the US conceded way too much to the USSR

• Invasion of Afghanistan

When was the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan?

24th December 1979

What were the causes of the invasion of Afghanistan?

• Afghanistan were bordered with the Muslim government in Iran and acted as a useful buffer between USSR and Iran

• The pro-soviet government was overthrown in 1979 when Amin took control who soon began talking with USA for support

When was the Truman Doctrine?

January 1980

What was the purpose of the Carter Doctrine?

• Said that the USA would repel any threat to American interests in the Persian Golf by force

• Claimed the invasion was threat to world peace

What were the consequences of the invasion on the US-Soviet relations?

• The relations became more confrontational

• Caused the US to elect anti-communist president Ronald Reagan

What was Ronald Reagan’s policies when he first became president?

• In 1983, he claimed that the USSR was an “evil empire”

• Increased spending on armed forces, for example, in 1982 13% more was spent

• Reagan Doctrine - USA would support anti-communist groups, aid was given to these groups in central america

What was Ronald Reagan’s main new policy which was used to intimidate the USSR?

The Strategic Defense Initiative - a series of satellites that carry powerful lasers that could shoot down Soviet missiles.

What was the Soviet’s reaction to SDI being reveal by Reagan?

• Hugely worried by it since their missiles would now be rendered useless

• They felt they may have to spend a lot of money in order to catch up technologically to the US

When did Mikhail Gorbachev become leader of the Soviet Union?

March 1985

What problems were the USSR facing when Gorbachev came to power?

• Little industrial growth and low standard of living in the USSR

• Lack of human rights was causing unrest in Soviet states

• Poor Leadership

• Communist rule was only kept in check by secret polices

What was Gorbachev’s “new thinking”?

• Perestroika - economy should include some capitalism practices

• Glasnost - more transparency in the government and opposition would be allowed

• Brezhnev doctrine would be dropped - soviets wouldn’t get involved in other soviet state domestic affairs

• Reduce spending on arms and withdrawal from Afghanistan

Where and when was each of the summits during 1985-89?

Geneva - November 1985
Reykjavik - October 1986
Washington - December 1987
Moscow - 1988
Malta Summit - 1989

What was signed at the Washington Summit?

INF Treaty - both US and USSR would abolish land based missiles with range of 500-5,500km

When did each of the Soviet states break off from the Soviet Union?

• June 1989 - Poland - opposing government “solidarity” wins vote

• November 1989 - East Germany - crossing opened between East and West Berlin

• October 1989 - Hungary - free elections held

• November 1989 - Czechoslovakia - “Velvet Revolution” overthrows communist government

• December 1989 - Romania - communist leader Ceausescu is overthrown

• December 1989 - Bulgaria - communist leader Mladenov resigns

When was the fall of the Berlin Wall?

9th November 1989

When was the Warsaw Pact formally dissolved?

July 1991

What was the significance of the end of the Warsaw Pact?

• Established that the East and West were no longer divided into 2 armed camps

• Pact was a symbol of Soviet dominance, the end of it showed the end of soviet dominance in eastern europe

What were the consequences of the end of the Warsaw Pact?

• Europe was reunited with no Warsaw Pact to divide it

• Satellite States now gained their full independence and every member abandoned communism

• Baltic states declare independence during 1990

• Leaders of other Soviet republics join together to lead Russia as Gorbachev resigns and USSR breaks up

When did Gorbachev resign?

25th December 1991