The Second Cold War

the reasons for renewed hostilities and developments, including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; new personalities, including Reagan, Thatcher and Pope John Paul II; the crushing of Solidarity in Poland; the shooting down of KAL 007

Eisenhower Doctrine, 1957

any Middle Eastern country can request aid from US if it was being threatened by armed aggression

Evidence of USA containing Soviet influence in Middle East after Suez Crisis 1956?

Nasser received aid and military support from the Soviets

USA began to offer significant support to Israel in 1960s (but didn’t want to alienate Arabs due to oil)

Six Day War, June 1967

Israel attacked after Egypt increased troops in Suez

* **Israel wins against multiple Arab states, trebles in size and humiliates the Arab world**
* USA imposes trade embargo on Middle East

Why doesn’t Sadat (new President of Egypt) like detente?

thought Soviet valued relationship w USA more

corrective revolution in Egypt

Sadat expelling all Soviet personnel from Egypt

However, Soviets continued to provide military support which is used to plan 1973 Yom Kippur War

Yom Kippur War, Oct 1973

coincided with Ramadan so it was unexpected

* initially went well using Soviet weapons
* However, Israel mobilised quick and came within 65miles of Cairo

‘we cannot allow arbitrariness on the part of Israel’ - Brezhnev

* implies bombing, USA goes to DEFCON 3

UN brokered ceasefire in 25 Oct after first ceasefire came to nothing

* Brezhnev is responsible for this = increases confidence in intervention in the 3rd world

1973 Oil shocks

OPEC raising oil prices in angry retaliation of USA’s support of Israel


1. raised from $3/barrel to $5/ barrel
2. raised from $5/barrel to $11.65

* supplied 17% of US oil

Consequences of the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict

**undermines but does not destroy process of detente**

* USA increases influence in ME
* Recession in USA due to oil shocks (and Vietnam)
* Spread of mixed economy within EE

Neo-conservatism in the Cold War

**political thinkers who moved from left wing to right wing anti-Soviet nationalism in response to the cold war**

viewed USA as only nation capable of shining moral light of truth as a beacon for all to follow

polarising force of evil which all could unite against = USSR

* **Reagan**

Iranian Revolution, Jan 1979

* Aug 1953: CIA backed coup placed the Shah in control in Iran, ran brutal, repressive regime
* **Jan 1979: Shah overthrown by radical Islamic fundamentalists**, replaced by Ayatollah Khomeini
* Nov 1979: US embassy in Tehran stormed in protest of the Shah being given cancer treatment in the US, 52 US citizens and diplomats taken hostage
* 24 Apr 1980: failed attempt to rescue hostages = Operation Eagle Claw
* hostages held for 444 days, released mins after Reagan is sworn in (Iran-Contra deal)

Significance of the Iranian Revolution, 1979

* the Carter Doctrine, 1980
* Iran taking US hostages now made them an enemy of USA

Afghan Revolution, 1978

* Apr 1978: Taraki (who USSR is not fond of) overthrows President Daoud Khan
* introduces land reform, improved status of women
* Brezhnev felt his reforms were too quick and radical and threatened stability of the country
* **Dec 1978: Treaty of Friendship signed with USSR, began to receive Soviet political and military advisers to help defeat Islamist risings in the rural areas**
* Mujahideen and tribal resistance

Significance of Iranian and Afghan revolutions

Muslims = 20% of USSR

fears that Islamic fundamentalism will spread to the Muslim satellite states of USSR and threaten the USSR

When and how was Taraki replaced?

**assassinated by Hafizullah Amin on 8 Oct 1979**

* became leader

**= changes Brezhnev’s decision on invasion**

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, 1979

* **25 Dec 1979: USSR invades**
* 27 Dec 1979: Amin killed by KGB agents
* Jan 1980: Soviets select Babrak Karmal to head govt
* **now 85 000 Red army troops in Afghanistan**

Brezhnev argued that this was consistent with the Basic Principles 1972, with military intervention preventing Afghanistan from becoming hostile

Consequences of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

* 1980 Moscow Olympics boycotted by USA
* international protests, damaged relations with neutral countries (Pakistan, Iran etc)
* SALT II negotiations stopped and never ratified by US
* Grain and tech held back from USSR
* cost of war added to USSR’s economic problems
* reinforced need for USA to strengthen relations with China

Carter Doctrine, 1980

**END OF DETENTE**

23 Jan 1980, reasserted Truman-Eisenhower-Kennedy style containment policy, **representing commitment to prevent further Soviet expansion into Persian Gulf and SW Asia = led to build up of US strategic forces**

* fundamental shift in Soviet-American relations
* viewed by USSR as deliberate end to detente

Characterise Reagan’s 2 terms (81-84) and (85-89)

1st term: tough, confrontational, militaristic, cold warrior

2nd term: much softer approach

Zero Option, Nov 1981

Reagan offered to cancel deployment of Pershing II and cruise missiles in W Europe if USSR would remove all its SS-20 missiles (\~600) targeted on Western Europe

* rejected by Brezhnev, as he believed that rough nuclear parity will always threaten USA, which benefits him

Reagan’s ‘devil theory’

Cold War was a moral war and USA had moral duty to invest in nuclear weapons in order to defend ‘liberty’ from the ‘evil’ Soviet Union

Star Wars, 23 March 1983

announced the **Strategic Defence Initiative** = **turning point in the arms race**

would essentially make Soviet nuclear missiles useless and therefore force USSR to disarm

* broke terms of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty

Operation Able Archer, Nov 1983

military exercise by NATO forces simulating escalation to DEFCON 1

led USSR to believe this was a build up to war and nuclear forces in GDR and Poland were put on alert

**= brought world closest to nuclear war since CMC and forced USSR and USA to the negotiating table**

Reagan’s ‘evil empire’ speech, 8 March 1983

* compared communism to fascism
* declared cold war as more than an arms race, but a moral war
* quoted the Bible and made various references to God, morality and good vs evil

How much did Reagan spend on arms build up?

$2 trillion

Reagan Doctrine, 1985

US would openly support anti-communist ‘freedom fighters’ who battled the Soviets or Soviet backed govts

* CIA funnelled aid to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, and the Contras in Nicaragua, commitments which prevent American soldiers from dying on foreign lands

KAL 007, 1 Sept 1983

S Korean airliner accidentally strayed into Soviet airspace and was shot down by USSR who thought it was a spy plane, killed 269 civilians

* called ‘barbaric’ by Reagan and Andropov declared he will no longer do business with the Reagan administration

SS-20s

Soviet missiles that could reach any target in Europe from Soviet territory

How was the Soviet Union a gerontocracy?

run by old people! esp Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko who died one after the other

Andropov era (Nov 1982-Feb 1984)

wanted to restore détente but failed to improve relations with USA

* introduced changes to improve short-term economic performance
* experimented with policies to reward greater efficiency and productivity
* 1983, national income grew by 3% and harvest was the best for a number of years
* began long overdue replacement of aged personnel in Soviet elite with younger, dynamic people
* promoted Gorbachev through Soviet heirarchy, allowing him to take over after Chernenko

Chernenko era (Feb 1984- March 1985)

* increased KGB pressure on dissidents
* tried to restore ideological conformity by banning foreign music and unlicenced videos
* only exacerbated tensions with USA
* boycotted 1984 LA Olympics
* advocated more investment in consumer goods and services in agriculture

What had both Chernenko and Andropov realised about the Soviet Union?

aware that changes needed to be made, BUT were unable to actually bring these about (due to age? dogmatism?)

Reagan’s foreign policy address, Jan 1984

**in response to the significant tensions of 1983**

* softening approach to USSR after US had regained its strength
* US missiles deployed in Europe, US economy has seemingly recovered, Western alliance appeared to be unified

How much had USSR spent on satellite states and proxies?

North Vietnam = $8b

Ethiopia during Ogaden War, 1977 = $7b

Eastern Europe = $17b per annum

Cuba = $5b per annum

\
20% of GDP annually was spent on the military

**= USSR did not have the consumer economy to fund this**