Decline of Cold War certainties 1973-89
Detente
End
SALT
Star Wars/ Reagan
Causes
Prague Spring- Soviet control over Eastern Block secure
Missile Gap closed- cost 20% gov spending USSR
Economic problems in Eastern Bloc- trade with West increases
Schism in Communism- Sino-Soviet split, border clashes
US Economic problems
Vietnam: loss of US confidence
Internal pressures: Civil Rights, social conflicts
Alliance pressure: France/ NATO; German Ostpolitik
Nixon Doctrine: requirement on allies to defence themselves, while US maintains its treaty obligations- reduces exposure, expense, assures USSR- desire for peace was genuine
Nixon visit to China- symbolic- undermined USSR- brought them to negotiations
1972- DDR/BRD mutual recognition
Nixon visited Moscow; 1974 Brezhnev visits US
US wheat exports to USSR
SALT negotiations 1969+; signed 1972
limit to ICBMs
plan for wider agreement
Satellites used to verify pact
establishment of mood of consultation
1973 Yom Kippur War- USSR saw US aid to Israel as betrayal; attempted US/USSR negotiated plan fails
Helsinki Agreement
DDR recognised
Borders in Europe respected
wheat sales continue
Eastern states borrow from west- later economic problems
Cultural links to be increased
Human rights to be respected
End
Charter '77- crackdown on dissent
Jimmy Carter- focused on civil rights
SALT II talks start 1977- plan to limit to 2,400 ICBMs
Shorter distance missiles not controlled
USSR invaded Afghanistan- USA aids mujahideen
SALT II unratified
USA boycotts Olympics 1980; 1984- USSR boycotts
Wheat trade stopped
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Iran- Shah overthrown- 52 US hostages taken in Islamic Republic 444 days led to Reagan replacing Carter- failure of rescue
Soviet instability- Breshnev ill , d 1982; Andropov 1982-84, Chernenko 1984-85, d 1985
Gorbachev
Perestoika
Glastnost
economic decline 13% p.a.
debate and discusion leads to criticism
Foreign policy
desire to reduce defence spending- spend elsewhere
Refusal to intervene in Eastern Bloc
Afghanisatan withdrawal 1989
Reagan- rhetoric- 'evil empire'
policy
Confrontation- Thatcher/John Paul II; Solidarity/ Korean jet
Containment- Afghanistan; Grenada invasion; Contras- Nicaragua against Sandinista
Arms build up= $550 p.a. - new weapons systems
Mutual Assures Destruction altered with Stategic Defence Initiative
Star Wars/ SDI
missile shield- unsure money- $100,000 minimum
Kohl- loss of MAD- Soviets- compensate with numbers
Reagan- use amrs race to bankrupt USSR
Reykjavik meeting 1956,
1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
SDI retained despite deal to end limits on weapons
1988 UN speech- Soviets leave Eastern Block
social and economic problems continue in USSR
1989- revolutions
Fall of Eastern block