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The Cold War 1970 - 1991

The Cold War 1970 - 1991. Détente Second Cold War Fall of the Berlin Wall Break-up of the USSR. Détente. After the tensions of the Korean War and the near disaster of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1950s and 1960s, the 1970s provided a thawing of the Cold War. Took place during the 1970s

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The Cold War 1970 - 1991

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  1. The Cold War 1970 - 1991 Détente Second Cold War Fall of the Berlin Wall Break-up of the USSR

  2. Détente • After the tensions of the Korean War and the near disaster of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1950s and 1960s, the 1970s provided a thawing of the Cold War. • Took place during the 1970s • Détente means a relaxing of tensions. • During the 1970s human rights and arms control were discussed openly. • Both superpowers were in contact with each other during this period.

  3. Détente – The High Points • Worries about the arms race (1) • Nuclear testing damaged the environment, cost a fortune and was seen by many as immoral. • There were anti-nuclear movements in the West that supported détente. • Worries about the arms race (2) • The space programs of the USA and USSR had helped to develop extremely complex missiles that could carry many nuclear warheads. • The introduction of submarine launched missiles provided a new danger because they were almost impossible to detect. Yet they had enough firepower to wipe out several cities • Arms races very costly. Both superpowers saw this as money that could be spent on foreign aid or improving the living conditions of their own people

  4. Détente – The High Points • Worries about the arms race (3) • The leaders held summit meetings • Brezhnev visited Washington and Nixon went to Moscow twice (first American President to do so) • Nuclear arms limitation treaty, SALT 1, was signed in 1972 • Continuing progress towards a possible SALT 2 • Helsinki conference, August 1975 • The borders which were set out after WW2, including the division of Germany were recognised by all countries • They agreed to respect human rights – eg. Freedom of speech, freedom of movement between countries.

  5. Détente – The High Points • High Hand Shake! • American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts met up and shook hands in space. • The end of the Vietnam War • This improved relations between USA, USSR and China

  6. Second Cold War • From the late 1970s there was increasing distrust and hostility between the superpowers. This led to renewed tensions between the USA and USSR. • This renewed tension was due to numerous factors

  7. Renewed Tensions - Causes • Revolution in Iran • The Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979 • The Shah was supported by the US because it wanted Iran’s oil • The new government was anti-American but also strongly anti-Communist. • It wanted a society based on Islamic values. • The revolution changed the balance of power in the Middle East. • Also increased tensions between the superpowers, who were worried about how each other would react.

  8. Renewed Tensions - Causes • Civil Wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Angola • Communist rebels (supported by Cuban and Soviet money and expertise) tried to overthrow the governments of these countries. • The USA funded the governments • In Angola, the USA and USSR helped to fund a long-running civil war. • Human Rights • Jimmy Carter (US President, 1977-81) openly criticised the USSR’s suppression of dissidents (people who spoke out against the government in USSR and eastern Europe).

  9. Renewed Tensions - Causes • New Nuclear Weapons • In 1977 the USSR began replacing out-of-date missiles in Europe with new SS-20 nuclear missiles. • The West saw these as a new battlefield weapon that could be used in a nuclear war confined to Europe. • In response, President Carter allowed the US military to develop the Cruise missile. • By 1979 the USA had stationed Pershing missiles in western Europe as an answer to the SS-20s. • Collapse of SALT 2 • The main terms of SALT 2 had been set out as early as 1974 • It was not signed until 1979. • However because relations between the USA and USSR were so bad by 1979, the US Congress refused to ratify SALT 2.

  10. Renewed Tensions - Causes • Afghanistan • In 1979 the pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan was under serious threat from its Muslim opponents, the Mujahideen. • To protect the regime, Soviet forces entered Afghanistan on 25 December 1979. • Western powers were alarmed that the USSR could get so close to the West’s oil supplies in the Middle East. • President Carter described the Soviet action as ‘the most serious threat to peace since the Second World War’ • The USA secretly began to send very large shipments of money, arms and equipment to Pakistan and from there to the Mujahideen. • The campaign became the Soviet Union’s equivalent of the Vietnam War. It was a virtually unwinnable campaign for the Soviet forces, although they remained there until the early 1990s

  11. Renewed Tensions - Causes • The Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics • In protest at Soviet involvement in the Afghan War, the USA boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. • In retaliation, the USSR and eastern European teams boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics four years later. • Ronald Reagan • In 1981, former Hollywood film actor Ronald Reagan was elected President. • He was staunchly anti-Communist and anti-USSR, calling it the Evil Empire.

  12. Ronald Reagan • In 1981, former Hollywood film actor Ronald Reagan was elected President. • He was staunchly anti-Communist and anti-USSR, calling it the Evil Empire. • He supported anti-Communist forces in Afghanistan and Nicaragua. • He was helped by the fact that many of Europe’s leaders at this time supported his tough line against the USSR • His boldest plan was to escalate the arms race in order to end it. • He increased US defence spending by $32.6 billion. • In 1982, he gave the go ahead for the Strategic Defence Initiative (or Star Wars). This was multi-billion dollar system was designed to use satellites and lasers to destroy missiles before they could hit their targets.

  13. Mikhail Gorbachev • Born 1931 • One grandfather was a kulak – a landowning peasant – who had been sent to a prison camp by Stalin because he resisted the policy of collectivisation. • The other grandfather had been a loyal Communist Party member. • His elder brother was killed in the Second World War • Studied law at Moscow University in the 1950s. Became a persuasive speaker. • Worked as a local Communist Party official in his home area. By 1978 he was a member of the Central Committee of the party and in charge of Agriculture. • In 1980 he joined the Politburo • He was a close friend of Andropov (Soviet leader 1983-85). Strong supporter of Andropov and his ideas about reforming the USSR. When Andropov was leader, Gorbachev was effectively second in charge. • In 1985 became leader of the USSR • In 1990 we was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

  14. Reform in the USSR • When Gorbachev came to power in 1985 he inherited significant problems. • The USSR’s economy had continued to shrink and was approximately half the size of the American economy in 1985 • They were spending too much money on the arms race • They were locked into a costly war in Afghanistan. • There had been no economic reform since the days of Stalin. • Regardless of their nuclear weaponry, the USSR resembled a third world country and not a superpower. • Living standards were low, infant mortality was high, and life expectancy was declining.

  15. Reform in the USSR • Gorbachev was very concerned about the attitude of Soviet people to work. • They were protected under the Soviet system from economic problems – they were guaranteed a job and a home. • The issue was that the system gave them no incentive to work harder or better. • He knew that to solve the problems that Communist slogans would not be enough. So he developed new policies and released them slowly.

  16. Reform in the USSR • Gorbachev slowly implemented a four-part program to overcome the problems in Soviet society. The four parts were: • Glasnot (openness) • Cultural freedom and reduced censorship, leading to a greater openness in society and creating the potential for reforms. • Perestroika (restructuring) • Restructuring and reform of the economy. • In 1987 under perestroika the Soviet economy was exposed to market forces for the first time. • Democratization • The spreading of democratic processes through Soviet institutions • Novomyshlenie • New foreign relations with the West and an end to hostility.

  17. Soviet Control of Eastern Europe Collapses • Gorbachev was popular but his policies were not successful. • After two years of perestroika, it was clear that the economy could not be modernised as quickly as people wanted. There are three kinds of people in the Soviet Union: The optimists – they believe in what Gorbachev says; The pessimists – they are learning English and planning to emigrate; The realists – they are taking rifle lessons and getting ready for civil war There are two ways of resolving the crisis of the Soviet economy: The realistic way – aliens from outer space will land and straighten the mess; The fantastic way – the Soviet people will work it out for themselves.

  18. Soviet Collapse in Eastern Europe • In March 1989 Gorbachev made it clear to the leaders of the eastern European countries that they would no longer be propped up by the Red Army and that they would have to listen to their peoples.

  19. Re-unification of Germany • In November 1989, demonstrators in Berlin started to pound away at the Berlin Wall. The wall was dismantled within five days. • After the wall came down, West German Chancellor Helmut Khol proposed a speedy reunification of Germany. • This idea was enthusiastically embraced by Germans in both countries. • Initially Gorbachev was hesitant about the reunification of Germany because it would be more friendly to the West than the East. • After many months of negotiations Gorbachev accepted the German reunification and even accepted Germany becoming a member of NATO. • Germany became a united country on 3 October 1990.

  20. Collapse of the USSR • In 1990, Gorbachev visited Lithuania – part of the Soviet Union. Its leaders were very clear, they wanted to be independent and not apart of the USSR. • Gorbachev disallowed this, but they did it anyway in March. • Almost immediately Azerbaijan made a similar demand. Gorbachev sent troops to Azerbaijan and Lithuania to end the rioting. • Reformers within the USSR itself demanded an end to the Communist Party’s domination of government. • In 1990 in the Russian Republic, Boris Yeltsin was elected President. He made it clear that he saw no future in the USSR.

  21. Collapse of the USSR • In July the Ukraine declared its independence and was followed by other republics. • In January 1991 events in Lithuania turned bloodied as Soviet troops fired on protesters. • In April 1991 the Republic of Georgia declared its independence • The USSR was disintegrating and Gorbachev was struggling to hold it together. • In August 1991 hard line Communist Party members and leading military officers attempted a coup to take over the USSR.

  22. Collapse of the USSR • Huge crowds gathered in Moscow protesting the coup. The Russian President, Boris Yeltsin emerged as the leader of the opposition. Faced by this resistance, the conspirators lost faith and the coup collapsed. • In a televised speech on 25 December 1991, Gorbachev announced the end of the Soviet Union.

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