Section 6

Key achievements 1960s-1970s

In the late 1960s and 1970s, both superpowers talked a lot about 'détente'. Key achievements included:

Achievements in détente

• 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: powers with nuclear weapons agreed not to give any other countries nuclear technology.

• 1971 The US table tennis team played in China.

• 1971 The US dropped its veto and allowed China to join the United Nations.

• 1972 The US President Nixon visited China.

• 1972 Russia and America signed the SALT1 Treaty (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) agreeing to limit their anti-ballistic missiles and bombers.

• 1975 The Helsinki Agreement recognised Soviet control over Eastern Europe, concluded a trade agreement, and Russia promised to respect human rights.

• 1975 Russian and American spacecraft docked in space.

The end of the Cold War

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to try to prop up the communist government there, which was being attacked by Muslim…