KT3- The end of the Cold War, 1970-91

Question 1

What was Détente?

Answer 1

a process of managing relations with a potentially hostile country in order to preserve peace while maintaining our vital interests,

French word for relaxation

Question 2

What were reasons for détente?

Answer 2

An attempt to maintain relationship between the superpowers. This was shown via the Cuban Missile Crisis where an American U2 plane spotted and secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the soviets in Cuba.

Question 3

What was the Six Day War in 1967 and what did it have to do with détente?

Answer 3

It was a war between Israel and its Arab neighbors which lasted six days in June 1967. The USA had given so much military hardware to Israel and Arab states were drawn to the Soviet Union. Each superpowers gave supplies to different sides in the middle east even though relations were strained they did not match the cuban missile situation.

Question 4

Why was the Vietnam War important to the superpowers>

Answer 4

The north was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist states, while the south was supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies.

• The US had sent troops in in 1965
• War was not going well for the US (They feared spread of communism)
• There were many casualties and made this unpopular at home as the North were winning the fight
• By 1968 the USA was seeking to end the war and peace talks began in the spring
• Nixon became president in 1969 in the hopes of improving trade, technology links and offer arms reductions in which could persuade Brezhnev to persuade his north allies to end the war. This was called ‘Linkage’

Question 5

What happened during Nixons visit to Moscow?

Answer 5

Nixon visited Moscow in 1972 and made it clear he did not see the Vietnam war an obstacle towards détente. A meeting was held May 22–30, 1972. It featured the signing of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I), and the U.S.–Soviet Incidents at Sea agreement.

Question 6

What was SALT 1, 1972?

Answer 6

• Early in Nixons presidency he decided that he wanted to focus of nuclear weapons and so therefore there were talks through the idea of linkage and détente (and the economic issues lying among the Soviet Union) to make an attempt at limiting the arms race.
• Talks were held in Helsinki and Vienna over a period of 3 years and the first agreements were made known as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks I (SALT 1) in May 1972
• The problems were was that there were still no restrictions in nuclear invention or amounts but it opened up a positive pov that showed the need to protect the world and ensure nuclear balance both sides.

Question 7

What were the agreements of SALT 1?

Answer 7

• Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) systems allowed at only two sites which allowed for 100 missiles. ABM systems were designed to detect, track, intercept and destroy attacking intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICMB’S)
• Interim Agreement of Offensive Arms - A 5 year freeze on the total number of ICMB’S and submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) launchers

Question 8

What were the limitations of SALT 1?

Answer 8

• The agreement did not limit the number of strategic bombers and the amount of bombs they could have
• No restriction on MIRVS (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles)
• Each side was allowed to use satellites to check that the other was not breaking the arms limits

Question 9

The Middle East: Tom Kippur War, 1973?

Answer 9

A test from the strengths of the relationship in 1972 was put to the test yet again when Israel and Egypt (armed and supplied by the Soviets) made surprise attacks on Israel (armed and supplied by the US). After Israel had recovered from the attacks they regained initiative and were sent replacement military equipment on the orders of President Nixon.

Brezhnev put out the suggestion of a joint USA-Soviet Union force in which would save the Egyptian army from the Israelis. If the USA refused, then the soviet forces were to go in separately. Nixon did not accept the offer and was angry at Brezhnev’s suggestion of independent action. Nixon put all US forces, including nuclear strike groups, on alert.

In the end the USA suggested that a UN peacekeeping force of non-nuclear countries intervene in the conflict and Brezhnev accepted the proposal and the Yom Kippur War ended with a ceasefire (a temporary suspension of fighting) on the 24th of Oct 1973

Question 10

What happened during Nixons visit to Moscow, 1974?

Answer 10

The two leaders agreed during the meeting:

• Continuation of removing danger of war (specifically nuclear and other weapons resulting in mass destruction)
• To limit and eventually end the arms race (main aim was disarmament) which was to abolish military force
• They would contribute to eliminate sources of international tension and military conflict
• To relax tensions globally
• To develop broad, military beneficial co-operation in commercial, economic, scientific and confidence of their populations

Question 11

What was the space link up? & What did it mean for the superpowers?

Answer 11

A consequence of the Moscow meetings was that on the 17th of July 1975 the Apollo-Soyuz mission was launched in which 3 US astronauts and two Soviet cosmonauts were to meet up in space. There was a symbolic handshake between the two sides which showed support with sporting and cultural alliances, relations and were seen to be improving.

Question 12

What were the Helsinki Agreements?

Answer 12

Another result of the Moscow meeting in 1974 was the continuation of détente which allowed for the Helsinki agreements 1975. The USA and the Soviet Union alongside 33 other nations, made declarations about security, cooperation and human rights.

Question 13

What year was SALT II and what happened?

Answer 13

The treaty began in 1974 and was signed in June 1979
The terms that were signed

• A limit of 2400 strategic nuclear delivery vehicles for each side
• A limit of 1320 on MIRV systems
• A ban on construction of IMBC launchers
• Limitations of deployment of new types of offensive arms
• SALT II lasted until 1985

Question 14

What toll did SALT II have on the superpowers relationship?

Answer 14

• The US Congress did not believe that the limits put forward in SALT II would be verified
• A new concern which was 2,000 soviet troops were stationed in Cuba
• In late 1979 NATO decided to place long-range missiles in Europe meaning détente was under pressure
• Détente came to an end of the 25th of Dec 1979 when the soviets invaded Afghanistan
• This made people believe a Cold War was beginning

Question 15

Who was Jimmy Carter and what efforts did he put in the Cold War?

Answer 15

Jimmy Carter , 1924 - present
- Became president 1977 and served until 1981
- He helped bring together President Sadat of Egypt & the Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel to agree to the Capt David Accords in 1978-79 (which led to a peace treaty in 1979)
- 1979 he was able to establish diplomatic relations with communist China and signed SALT II

• In November 1979 the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran help US citizens hostage
• They were released on the last day of his presidency and he put forward the Carter Doctrine following the soviet invasion of Afghanistan and advocated the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games

Question 16

What was the significance of the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran?

Answer 16

• The seizure was due to Islamic students protesting for their former leader, the Shah, to be returned from exile in the USA who was there to stand trials for crimes against his people.
• The hostages were held hostage for 444 and President Carter could not solve the problem and by the end of the year he was being accused of being a weak leader.
• Therefore he tightened his grip on the Afghanistan situation and took a firmer approach with the Soviet Union in which was called the Carter Doctrine

Question 17

What was the Carter Doctrine and what did it do?

Answer 17

• Response to the Afghanistan invasion 1979
• It was a policy which stated the US would use military force if necessary to defend its national interests in the Persian Gulf region.
• It promised military aid to all countries bordering Afghanistan
• To carry out the policy Carter proposed the creation of a quick- stroke military force that would intervene anywhere in the world at a short notice.
• He also called for a draft registration for 18-20 year old men and for the Congress to allow the CIA to increase its intelligence gathering activities
• The US had cancelled all shipments of grain to the Soviet Union and the US companies were forbidden to sell high technology to there, such as computers and oil drilling equipment
• Finally, they decided to give assistance to the guerrillas - mujahideen - who fought against the Soviet invaders

Question 18

What was the Moscow Olympics?

Answer 18

1980. • Boycotted by the USA
      • Carter threatened to remove all tax benefits and withhold funding
      • The USOC agreed and 61 other countries followed after the US’s example
      • This worsened relations
      • They held an alternative event called the ‘Liberty Bell Classic’
      • The Misha bear was nicknamed the Gulag Bear by the press

THE CONSEQUENCE
- Détente ended by the end of 1980
- Relations were at their lowest point since the Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 19

Who was Mikhail Gorbachev and what did he do?

Answer 19

Facts:

• Brezhnev died in 1982 and was replaced by Yuri Andropov (who died 2 years later)
• Then the leader became his successor who was called Konstantin Chernenko who also died in 1985
• Gorbachev took over in March 1985
• He was young and had no foreign policy experience
• Gorbachev was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991
• Last leader of the Soviet Union

Reforms:
- He came with the idea of ‘New Thinking’ which came with the idea of the fact that the Soviet Union was nowhere near as developed as the USA and the economy was not as efficient where else the USA had an excellent standard of living and the Soviets were dominated by shortages.

‘New thinking’

Perestroika: Gorbachev sought to modernize the Soviet economy by introducing elements of market-oriented policies, allowing more autonomy for state-owned enterprises, and encouraging limited private enterprise

Glasnost: Gorbachev aimed to increase transparency and openness in Soviet society, allowing for greater freedom of expression and media. This led to increased political debate, exposure of historical atrocities, and a relaxation of censorship.

He abandoned the Brezhnev Doctrine and stopped Soviet Interference in satellite states such as Poland
He tried to get on board with what the people of Russia wanted such as him walking round streets

Question 20

What were the impacts of Gorbachev’s ‘New Thinking on eastern Europe?

Answer 20

Facts of what he did:

• He rejected the Brezhnev Doctrine in 1988 (affirming the right of the Soviet Union to intervene in the affairs of Communist countries to strengthen Communism)
• He accepted members of the Warsaw Pact could make changes in their own countries without expecting outside interference and this became known as the Sinatra Doctrine (allowing member states of the Warsaw Pact to determine their own internal affairs. This meant that the Soviet Union would no longer favour trade with the communist countries over the capitalist countries.
• He was keen for eastern European countries to enjoy his new thinking specifically Perestroika and glasnost.
• He withdrew Soviet troops from eastern European bases in order to save money

What changed this made:

• Gorbachev never intended to weaken communist control of eastern Europe but he wanted to strengthen it. However, new reforms (changes) rapidly came about and he was not able to contain it. eg. The breaking of the Soviet Empire in East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Bulgaria::

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Question 21

What happened to countries due to Gorbachev’s new thinking

Answer 21

Oct 1989 - He tells East Germany that Soviet Troops will not put down East German demonstrations
23rd Oct - 300,000 people protest in Leipzig
4th Nov - 1 million protest in East Berlin
9th Nov - Berlin Wall is open
3rd Oct 1990 - Germany is one country again

Poland -
1988 - Strikes throughout the whole country
1989 - Free trade union - Solidarity - wins and the country becomes non communist

Hungary -
1988 - Gorbachev accepts that Hungary can become a multi-party state
1989- Hungary opens its border with Austria
1990 - Demographic elections are won and an alliance of anti-communist groups and setup

Czechoslovakia -
Nov 1989 - Huge demonstrations against communist begins
24th Nov - Communist government resigns
Dec - Havel becomes first non-commuist government
1990- Demographic elections are own by the Civic Forum - an alliance of anti-communist groups

Romania - Most brutal government in eastern Europe
16th Dec 1989 - Secret Police fire on demonstrators in Timisoara
21st Dec - Huge crowd in bucharest boos the president who flees but is then capturned
22-24th Dec - Army joins rebellion and fights secret police
25th Dec - The president Ceausescu and his wife are shot by a firing squad after being found guilty
1990 - Demographic elections won containing many ex-communists

Bulgaria-
1990 - Demographic elections won by renamed communist party

Question 22

What years were the summit conferences between?

Answer 22

1985-86

Question 23

What were the 3 meetings for the summit conferences?

Answer 23

• Geneva Summit
• Reykjavik summit
• Reykjavik summit 2 (follow up)

Question 24

What happened at the Geneva Conference (1985)

Answer 24

Held in Geneva, Switzerland, this summit between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was the first meeting between the leaders of the two superpowers. The discussions primarily focused on arms control and ways to reduce Cold War tensions. While no major agreements were reached, the summit marked the beginning of a more constructive dialogue between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Question 25

What happened at the Reykjavik summit (1986)

Answer 25

This summit was a continuation of the discussions on arms control and nuclear disarmament between Reagan and Gorbachev. It took place in Reykjavik, Iceland. The two leaders engaged in intense negotiations, coming close to reaching an agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons. However, the talks ultimately stalled due to disagreements over the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as “Star Wars.” Despite the lack of a final agreement, the summit is considered a pivotal moment in the thawing of Cold War tensions and paved the way for further negotiations.

Question 26

What happened during Reykjavik summit 2 (follow up 1986

Answer 26

After the initial Reykjavik Summit in October 1986, Reagan and Gorbachev held a follow-up meeting in Washington, D.C., to continue their discussions on arms control and bilateral relations. While this follow-up did not result in significant agreements either, it reflected the ongoing efforts to find common ground between the two superpowers.

Question 27

Reagans defence policy ‘the second Cold War’:

Answer 27

• To fight communism he set up new policies
• He increased the USA’s spending budget
• He wanted to confront the Soviets

Policy: 1981-87 and would cost more than 1 trillion dollars
- 100 MX Missiles
- 100 B-1 long-range and supersonic bombers
- The construction of a new stealth bomber that would be invisible on radar
- The construction of 6 Trident nuclear submarines
- The strengthening of military communication systems
- Nuclear bombs (killed people but not property)

Question 28

What was the impact of Reagans Policy?

Answer 28

• Made Reagan feel confident in getting rid of the Soviets and that they could win a nuclear war
• They would do this via a strategie called NUTS (Nuclear Utilization Target Selection)
• This would mean directing weapons at the opponents warhead instead of at the cities to destroy their nuclear capabilities
• Tensions began to rise and they both excepted MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction)

Question 29

What was the ‘Zero option’?

Answer 29

The Zero option was an American proposal that Reagan came up with because he was prepared to discuss arms limitation but he knew he was approaching talks from a position of strength because of the economic problems facing the Soviet Union. The Zero option (Nov 1981) was to cancel deployment of new US intermediate-range missiles in Western Europe in return for Soviet dismantling of comparable forces. Brezhnev said No to this proposal and it was believed that Reagan knew he was was going to say no and this meant that he could place greater numbers of missiles in Europe

-There was a speech to the British House of Commons on the 8th of June 1982 and Reagan called the Soviet Union ‘an evil empire’

• A year later the new leader of the Soviet Union Yuri Andropov responded by calling him a liar and insane and let loose many verbal assaults on the USA and compared him to Hitler

Question 30

What was Polish Solidarity and what impact did it have?

Answer 30

The USA decided to give secret assistance to the Polish workers’ trade union movement (Solidarnosc/solidarity) which was banned and saw its leaders imprisoned in 1982.

The USA criticised Brezhnev and the Polish government for their heavy-handed approach and reacted by banning all Hi-Tech trade with the Soviet Union (Reaction to the imprisonment of the people)

Relations grew worse when the Soviet Delegation walked out of the START talks in 1983 and Reagan announced the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI)

Question 31

What was the Strategic Defence Initiative?

Answer 31

On the 23rd of March 1983, President Reagan (81-89) announced the SDI and quickly nicknamed it the ‘Star Wars’ programme.

• It was a plan for a ground and space-based, laser-armed shield against missiles launched at the US and destroying them in the process
• Four days into the announcement, a direct response to it, was made by Andropov. He declared that the USA was preparing for a first strike attack on the Soviet Union and accused Reagan of setting up plans for a nuclear win so that he could win it . He saw this as an advantage to the USA
• The US Congress voted in favour of the funds for the development of the SDI

Question 32

Why did the Soviet Union collapse?

Answer 32

The collapse of the Soviet Union was a complex event that took place over several years, ultimately leading to the dissolution of the union in 1991. The following explanation is in line with the Edexcel exam board’s approach to the topic: 1989-92

1. Economic Factors:
   One of the primary reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union was its struggling economy. The Soviet economy faced numerous challenges, including inefficiencies in production, a lack of technological innovation, and a centrally planned economic system that hindered growth and development. The country’s reliance on heavy industry and military production led to the neglect of consumer goods and agriculture, resulting in shortages of essential goods and services.
2. Political Factors:
   The political structure of the Soviet Union also contributed to its downfall. The centralized, authoritarian regime led by the Communist Party stifled political dissent and suppressed individual freedoms. The lack of political pluralism and the absence of democratic institutions prevented citizens from participating in the decision-making process, leading to widespread disillusionment and resentment.
3. Nationalism and Ethnic Tensions:
   The Soviet Union was a multi-ethnic state with a diverse range of cultures, languages, and histories. Nationalist movements within various Soviet republics sought greater autonomy and independence from Moscow’s control. Ethnic tensions were exacerbated by policies that favored Russian dominance and marginalized other ethnic groups. These tensions escalated as nationalist sentiments grew stronger, ultimately leading to demands for greater self-determination.
4. Gorbachev’s Reforms:
   Mikhail Gorbachev, the last General Secretary of the Communist Party, introduced a series of reforms in the mid-1980s in an attempt to revitalize the Soviet Union. His policies, known as perestroika (economic restructuring) and glasnost (political openness), aimed to address economic inefficiencies and increase political transparency. However, these reforms had unintended consequences, as they allowed public grievances and demands for greater autonomy to surface more openly.
5. Economic Crisis and Arms Race:
   The Soviet Union’s economy was strained by a costly arms race with the United States during the Cold War. The country’s extensive military spending drained resources that could have been used for domestic development. As economic difficulties deepened, the government struggled to meet the basic needs of its citizens, further eroding public support for the regime.
6. Popular Movements and Revolts:
   Across the Soviet bloc, popular movements and protests gained momentum, challenging the existing order. In Eastern European countries like Poland, Hungary, and East Germany, anti-Soviet sentiments led to mass demonstrations and demands for political change. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolized the crumbling of the Iron Curtain and the weakening grip of Soviet influence in the region.
7. Collapse of Eastern Bloc:
   The fall of communist governments in Eastern Europe significantly weakened the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence. As these countries gained greater independence and established democratic governments, the Soviet Union’s control over its satellite states eroded further.
8. Declaration of Independence:
   As nationalist and independence movements gained strength within the various Soviet republics, some republics began to declare their sovereignty. The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were among the first to assert their independence, followed by others such as Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia. These declarations of independence marked a significant challenge to the Soviet Union’s authority.
9. August Coup and Dissolution:
   In August 1991, hardline elements within the Communist Party attempted a coup against Gorbachev’s government. The coup failed due to widespread public resistance and lack of support from key institutions. This event further weakened the authority of the central government and accelerated the process of disintegration. In December 1991, leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus formally dissolved the Soviet Union and established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as a successor entity.
10. Legacy and Aftermath:
    The collapse of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a new geopolitical landscape. The former Soviet republics embarked on varying paths, with some embracing democracy and market reforms, while others faced political instability and economic challenges. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the emergence of Russia as the largest successor state, and its transition to a market economy and democratic governance was marked by both opportunities and difficulties.

In summary, the collapse of the Soviet Union was the result of a combination of economic, political, ethnic, and ideological factors. The struggles of the Soviet economy, combined with political repression and nationalist aspirations, culminated in a process that dismantled the once-powerful Soviet empire and reshaped the global geopolitical landscape.