Communism loses spark- moral bankruptcy and apathy to regime
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Causes of Detente
Arms race- Cuab had created fear of nuclear war, perusing policy of MAd
USA's position in Vietnam- percieved weakness of US, protests at home, expense
USSR's fear of USA and China's Ping-Pong Diplomacy would turn against USSR
Soviet economic stagnation
Lack of consumer goods and declining living standards
Soviet economy 1/6th of USA's, only 3% in 1970s
Wanted access to USA's technology- inefficent agriculture and grain, $15 billions worth imported from USA
Paying a lot to allies (e.g. $4 billion to Cuba)
USA's economy and society
Stagnation due to military industrial complex
Urban riots and protests over Vietnam - resources needed to be diverted to New Froniter
OPEC oil crisis 1970s, as result of Yom Kippur war OPEC raised oil prices by 70%, caused inflation and panic buying in USA but USSR benefitted as an oil exporting state
Ostpolitik in Europe, links encouraged across Iron Curtain
Brandt's Treaty of Moscow 1970- recognised borders
Eastern bloc welcomed policy due to trade and access to technology- see life in the West
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SALT Treaties
SALT I at Moscow Summit 1972, agreed to:
ABM Treaty- superpower x2 ABMs
Interim Treaty- limits of ICBMs and SLBMs but didn't limit new missles and had expiry date of 1977
Basic Principles Agreement- agreed guidlines, trade to be encouraged
SALT II started 1976
Equal limits for missle launchers and strategic bombers, left out cruise missiles
Watergate Scandal halted negotiations
Carter tried to continue negotiations
US defense spending dropped from $406 billion in 1970 to $284 billion in 1976
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Helsinki Accords
33 countries
3 Baskets
1st Basket: declared borders of Europe and Soviet Bloc (US criticised for this)
2nd Basket: trade/ technology exchanges across Iron Curtain
3rd Basket: agreement to respect human rights, organisations created to monitor but mainly unenforcable
Sharing of technology showed West as superior, people could travel more freely and saw democracy/ freedom of press
Helsinki Group created to monitor/ publicise human rights abuse
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End of Detente
Jimmy Carter highly critical of Detente, president 1976
Did proposed greater cuts in arts than agreed at Vladistok 1974
Invested in Trident- lack of trust from proposing cuts but increasing arsenal
Opposing views of Secretary of State Vance and National Security Advisor Brezezinski
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979 against Mujahedin
Carter increased defence spending by 5% and banned grain/ technology exports
Botcott of 1980 Moscow Olympics
Sent military aid to Mujahedian Islamics fighting the communists
Lack of leadership caused by Brezhnev's ill health and Nixon's resignation
Soviets continuing to violate human rights
1976 US economy no longer stagnating so didn't need Detente
Thatcher PM in 1979 and Reagan President 1980- belief that communism was morally evil
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