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Factors that undermined detente - Coggle Diagram
Factors that undermined detente
Proxy wars
Third World rivalry
Ethiopia (1977-78) - Soviet and Cuban involvement expanded USSR influence in Africa, alarming the USA
Afghanistan expansion (1979) - viewed as aggressive expansionism
Angola Civil War (1975) - USSR and Cuba supported MPLA while USA backed anti-communist groups, showing rivalry continued
Yom Kippur War (1973)
USA supported Israel while USSR supported Egypt and Syria, increasing superpower tensions
Soviet expansionism
Afghanistan invasion
Soviet influence in Africa
Arms race
Nuclear weapons buildup
Development of MIRVs during the 1970s; both sides still grew in nuclear capacity even during detente
NATO military buildup continued during détente. This reflected ongoing mistrust between both sides
SALT II opposition
signed in 1979 but never ratified by USA after Afghanistan invasion, showing the collapse of cooperation
SALT I (1972)- only limited some missiles, not the overall arms race → competition still continued
Ideological Distrust
Fear of communism/capitalism
Brezhnev Doctrine (1968): USSR claimed the right to intervene in socialist states, making the West fear Soviet expansion
Continued propaganda
anti-communist propaganda continued throughout détente. THis showed neither side truly trusted the other.
Human rights disputes
Brezhnev Doctrine (1968)
The doctrine, made official by USSR, contradicted ideas of peaceful coexistence and national independence.
Soviet repression in Eastern Europe; this weakened Western trust on detente.
Helsinki Accords (1975)
USSR promised to respect human rights but continued repression in Eastern Europe, causing Western criticism
Andrei Sakharov - the harsh treatment of this political dissident revealed the Soviet's trivialised treatment of human rights, which went against the Helsinki Accords.