dentente Flashcards
(23 cards)
Why did the USSR seek trade with capitalist countries during détente?
A: To ensure survival and economic buildup.
What event delayed détente by about 12 years?
The U-2 spy plane incident.
How did ideology affect the timing of détente?
Both sides believed the ideological struggle would lead to socialism’s victory, making compromise difficult.
How did U.S. domestic politics affect détente?
Politicians gained advantage by attacking communism, making deals with the USSR risky.
What major events happened in the U.S. in 1973-74?
U.S. troops left Vietnam; Nixon resigned due to Watergate; Gerald Ford became president.
What were the Helsinki Accords?
Agreements recognizing European borders and requiring the USSR to uphold human rights (with no enforcement).
What did the Helsinki Accords mean for Eastern Europe?
The West formally recognized Eastern European borders and regimes.
What was Jimmy Carter’s approach to foreign policy?
Emphasized human rights and less aggressive Cold War policies.
How did Carter use foreign aid to promote human rights?
Threatened to withhold funding from countries like Nicaragua and Iran.
What is trilateralism?
The idea that the Cold War was less important, focusing instead on economic cooperation among the US, Western Europe, and East Asia.
What happened in Afghanistan in 1979?
The USSR invaded to support its puppet regime.
How did the U.S. respond to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?
Funded Afghan resistance and Carter called for U.S. rearmament.
What effect did the Afghanistan invasion have on détente?
It ended détente and increased Cold War tensions.
Who argued that the USSR might achieve military supremacy after Afghanistan?
Reagan supporters and critics of Carter.
What 1963 treaty banned atmospheric nuclear tests?
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
What 1967 treaty prohibited nuclear weapons in space?
Outer Space Treaty
What 1968 treaty aimed to prevent nuclear proliferation?
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
What direct communication line was established after the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Washington-Moscow “hotline” (1963)
What event nearly caused nuclear war in 1962, prompting later détente efforts?
Cuban Missile Crisis
What 1968 Soviet action in Eastern Europe motivated U.S. diplomatic outreach?
Invasion of Czechoslovakia (Brezhnev Doctrine)
What financial pressures drove both superpowers toward détente?
Arms race costs and Vietnam War expenditures
What 1972 treaty limited anti-ballistic missile systems?
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
What 1972 agreement temporarily capped ICBM numbers?
SALT I Interim Agreement
