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Detente

Detente. C. Cullen May 2012. Definition of Detente. Détente is the French word for relaxation and refers to the easing of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union that occurred in the 1970’s in the middle of the Cold War. Early Easing of Tensions.

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Detente

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  1. Detente C. Cullen May 2012

  2. Definition of Detente Détente is the French word for relaxation and refers to the easing of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union that occurred in the 1970’s in the middle of the Cold War

  3. Early Easing of Tensions • After the Cuban Missile Crisis, American president John F. Kennedy and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev took some initial steps to reduce the chances of nuclear war. Khrushchev adopted a policy of peaceful co-existence with the west • the Washington-Moscow Hot Line ( a direct telephone link between the governments of • the United States and the USSR,) the Partial Test Ban Treaty (limited nuclear testing • underwater, in the atmosphere and outer space,) the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty • (limited nuclear weapons to countries that already possessed them), and the Outer • Space Treaty (prevented nuclear weapons from being installed on the moon or in the • Earth’s orbit) all can be considered building blocks of détente, but these were mostly • concerned with lessening the risk of catastrophic nuclear war than improving relations • between the two superpowers • The death of Kennedy and American involvement in the Vietnam War created added strain between the US and USSR and made large-scale measures of détente unlikely

  4. New Leadership in the US & the USSR • Richard Nixon replaced Lyndon Johnson as president of the United States, • while Leonid Brezhnev replaced Khrushchev in the USSR. Both men hoped to • see an improvement in relations between the two superpowers.

  5. Motivation for Nixon to ease Cold War tensions • The Vietnam War had cost the Americans a lot of money and their economy would • suffer if huge amounts of money continued to be poured into the defence budget • Many Americans, especially young people, were tired of war and Nixon was likely • to gain popularity by promoting better international relationships • Both countries had large arsenals of nuclear weapons, and since a state of MAD • (mutually assured destruction)had been reached, there was no reason to continue • the arms race. Both nations had enough weapons to completely wipe out the other, • so adding more nuclear weapons would serve no purpose.

  6. Reasons for Brezhnev to ease Cold War Tensions • Increased tensions with China caused by the Sino-Soviet Split coupled by the improved • relations between China and the USA worried Brezhnev and he hoped to avoid a • Sino-American alliance that targeted the Soviets. • The Soviets hoped to develop better trade relationships with the west, including the • shipment of grain to the USSR (which did occur) • Brezhnev hoped that his popularity at home would be enhanced if he helped to ease • tensions between the USA and Soviet Union.

  7. SALT 1 • The SALT 1 Treaty was signed in 1970 between Nixon and Brezhnev • It was an agreement between the Americans and Soviets to limit their stockpiles • of nuclear weapons

  8. Helsinki Accords • The USA, Soviet Union, Canada, and 32 other European countries met in 1975 • and signed the Helsinki Accords that contained three main sections • 1. The countries agreed to respect the borders of Eastern Europe and accepted that the • USSR had a sphere of influence in that region. West Germany officially recognized • East Germany • 2. The countries agreed to respect human rights and to allow citizens to travel freely • throughout Europe • 3. They also discussed trade, cultural, and technological connections.

  9. Conflicts in other countries that involved the US and USSR and strained Detente • The Soviets supported Egypt while the Americans supported Israel in the • 1973 War • The Americans fought in the Vietnam War to support the South, while the • Soviets supplied aid to the communist forces in North Vietnam • The Americans tried to prevent left wing governments from coming to power • in Latin America • The Soviet suppressed the Prague Spring of 1968

  10. Continued Threat of Nuclear War • Both superpowers continued to place intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM’s) in • aggressive positions aimed at each other’s large cities • Both countries also armed submarines with long-range missiles (submarine-launched • ballistic missiles or SLBM’s) that could attack cities from the sea

  11. Design of an American Trident submarine missile

  12. Afghanistan Invasion and the end of Detente • The 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is the event most often cited as ending détente • The Soviets invaded to keep a weak communist government in power, which led to • a 9 year war that saw the emergence of the mujahideen or Afghan resistance fighters • The Soviet gained control of the cities and used helicopters to bomb the Afghan • villages. The mujahideen had their headquarters in the countryside and used guerrilla • warfare effectively. A million Afghans died in the war, and 2-3 million others fled the • country as refugees. • After 10 years of intensive fighting, the Soviets pulled out. Many historians see parallels • between the Soviet experience in Afghanistan and the American experience in Vietnam. • In both cases, a much stronger and better equipped foreign force won almost all the • military battles, but were unable to completely conquer the guerrilla forces fighting for • their independence.

  13. American Response to the Afghanistan Invasion • American president Jimmy Carter condemned the invasion and the Americans, along with • other western nations such as Britain and Canada, boycotted the 1980 Olympics in • Moscow • Talks broke down on the SALT 2 Treaty, and Carter refused to sign the agreement • The Americans stopped selling grain to the Soviets • The Americans covertly (secretly) helped to arm the mujahideen and the CIA helped • to train some of the Afghan resistance fighters

  14. Map Showing Olympic Boycotts of 1976, 1980, and 1984 • Many African nations boycotted the Montreal Olympics in 1976 to protest New Zealand’s rugby • tour of South Africa, which was still an all white team due to the country’s apartheid policies. • 2. A number of western countries boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet invasion • of Afghanistan. • 3. Many communist countries boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as payback for the • US not coming to the Moscow games four years earlier (security was cited as the official reason).

  15. Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan was elected as American president in 1980 and adopted a much tougher stand against communism. He helped to fuel the second stage of the Cold War and introduced new defence initiatives, including the SDI or “Star Wars” that was designed to shoot down incoming missiles in mid-air with lasers.

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