GCSE History: Superpower Relations and the Cold War- Key Topic 3

Détente- easing in tension in the 1970s

The 1960s were marked by crises, including some of the most tense points in the Cold War, so both the USA and the USSR wanted to avoid other near misses
Both sides recognised that a new strategy was needed because boosting military power hadn't succeeded in reducing tensions
Both countries also wanted to reduce their military spending- the arms race was extremely expensive and led to falling standards of living
Under detente, the two superpowers developed closer relations. The most significant progress was achieved through diplomacy
SALT 1- treaty signed in 1972 by the USA and the USSR.
It limited the number of anti-ballistic missiles each country could have and placed a temporary limit on the number of ICBMs on both sides.
ABMs were designed to intercept incoming missiles and had the potential to upset the 'nuclear balance' between the two sides.
The treaty was a success in the short term because it slowed down the arms race.

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Helsinki Agreement- 1975
Pact between the USA, the USSR, Canada and most of Europe. All countries agreed to recognise existing Europena borders and uphold human rights
Both superpowers accepted the division of German and the USSR's influence over Eastern Europe
The West saw the USSR's agreement to uphold human rights as great progress, but the USSR didn't stick to its word. It didn't grant freedom of speech or freedom of movement to its citizens. This undermined the agreement and made the USA distrust the USSR.
SALT 2- 1979
The treaty banned the USA and the USSR from launching new missile programmes and limited the number of MIRVs each country could have
However the treaty was never approved by the US Senate, so it didn't come into effect

Both superpowers took important steps towards limiting their nuclear arms during detente, but both countries continued to hold vast stockpiles of weapons

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After the invasion, detente was badly damaged, but the situation was made worse when President Reagan succeeded President Carter in Jan 1981
Reagan was a hardline anti-communist and his speeches increased hostility between the two superpowers, as they were often filled with anti-Soviet rhetoric
He didn't believe in the policy of detente and was willing to negotiate with the USSR, but only from a position of strength
He wanted to increase American defences, as American intelligence gathered in 1976 also suggested that the USA had underestimated the USSR's nuclear strength and the USA felt it had to catch up
Reagan started the biggest arms build up in American history, which worried the USSR because it couldn't afford to match Reagan's spending
Reagan also re-authorised some weapons programmes that had been abandoned during detente, including the USA developing the neutron bomb, which was designed to cause maximum loss of life and minimum damage to property

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Relations worsened when Reagan announced SDI
The program would develop weapons that would be deployed in space and could destroy nuclear missiles after they had been launched
It would be the ultimate defence system- even nuclear missiles already heading towards the USA could be stopped
If successful, the SDI would shift the balance of the Cold War in the USA's favour. Detente was truly over by 1983.
The SDI was a means of defence for the USA, but the USSR viewed it as an act of aggression
Reagan reassessed his attitude towards the USSR when Gorbachev became the leader of the USSR in March 1985
Reagan's Change in Attitude after 1985
Gorbachev proposed radical reforms and was far more open towards the West than previous Soviet leaders. Reagan recognised that the USSR was being steered in a different direction
The USA realised that this change could be good and although initiatives weren't scrapped, Reagan thought negotiation was now the best way to protect American interests
The two leaders got on well, creating a better relationship between the two superpowers

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Laid the foundations for the collapse of the USSR- one of the biggest turning points in the Cold War
The Soviet economy couldn't support the level of spending of the arms race with the USA and the war in Afghanistan
Soviet goods were poor quality and Soviet farming was inefficient- there wasn't enough food, so grain had to be imported from the USA
The communist government was becoming more corrupt and was unable to give the Soviet people the same high living standards as in the West

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Gorbachev was more open to the West and admitted that the Soviet system had problems, his two major policies were:
Perestroika (restructuring)- wanted to make the Soveit economy more efficient, moved away from the centralisation of industry (more independence for businesses) and trading with Western powers was allowed, as well as private business ownership
Glasnost (openness)- Soviet people had new rights, thousands of political prisoners were released, free speech was allowed, censorship was relaxed and in 1989 the USSR's first elected parliament was created
Gorbachev improved relations with the West, and he met Reagan several times. His open attitude softened Reagan's hard approach.
1987- a disarmament treaty was signed- the INF treaty
1988- the first missiles were dismantled and both countries actively reduced weapons for the first time
1988- all Soviet troops would withdraw from Afghanistan
1988- Gorbachev also announced the immediate reduction of the USSR's weapon stockpile and the no. of troops in the Soviet armed forces
Gorbachev also abandoned the Brezhnev Doctrine and told the UN that Eastern Europe now had a choice and the USSR wasn't going to control it any longer

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