The End Of The Cold War

Question 1

Detente

Answer 1

A period of peace between 2 groups that were previously at war,or hostile to each other

Involved developing missiles which could carry nuclear warheads into enemy territory.

Each country’s scientists worked to develop weapons that would give their side an advantage.

Question 2

Detente

2

Answer 2

Both the SU and USA had enough long distance weapons to destroy their rivals.

With this firepower,the result of war would be ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’(MAD).

Neither country’s leaders wanted to risk a war which would lead to their own destruction.

During the 1970s,there was a genuine attempt to have a more cooperative and stable relationship and it’s referred as détente.

Question 3

Why did the USA and the SU follow a policy of détente at this time?

Answer 3

In 1968,Richard Nixon was elected president of the USA.

Determined to take his country out of the Vietnam War,which had cost the USA billions of dollars and resulted in deaths.

There had also been big scale demonstrations against the war in the USA and Americans thought the USA should take a less active role in international affairs.

The USA also had many social problems.

Question 4

Why did the USA and the SU follow a policy of détente at this time?
(2)

Answer 4

Inequality between rich and poor,white and black,led to urban rioting on a big scale.

triggered by the assassination of the civil rights leader,MLK.

Would allow the USA to spend less money of weapons and more on trying to solve the social problems.

The SU was facing economic problems and wanted to cut spending on weapons and devote more resources to improve its economy

Question 5

Why did the USA and the SU follow a policy of détente at this time?
(3)

Answer 5

The Soviets also felt this was a good time to look for relations with the USA.

Felt that they were the USA’s equal in nuclear weapons capability and Vietnam War had shown the USA military wasn’t unbeatable

Improving relations and spending less on weapons would be a ‘safe’ policy.

Question 6

SALT 1

Answer 6

This was known as the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and was signed in May 1972.

Was a result of several years of hard negotiations between the USA and the SU about which weapons should be limited.

The Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty stated that ABMs were allowed at 2 sites and each site should have 100 missiles.

The Interim Treaty placed restrictions on the no of ICBMs and SLBMs each country could have.

The SU was allowed more ICBMs because the USA already had more strategic bombers.

Question 7

SALT 1

2

Answer 7

The Basic Principles Agreement laid down rules for the conduct of nuclear warfare and set steps for avoiding a nuclear war.

For example,both countries agreed to exercise restraint in their relations and if war looked likely to avoid the risk.

Question 8

SALT 1

3

Answer 8

It had a number of weaknesses.

It was unrealistic to expect it could be avoided just because the countries still owned more than nuclear weapons the destroy the other.

Was also true that the treaty didn’t cover the latest technological development,(MIRVs),carried multiple nuclear warheads.

Question 9

SALT 1

4

Answer 9

It did have a significant impact on international relations and whatever its faults,it had major symbolic importance.

Both the USA and the SU wanted to reach agreement and wanted to demonstrate their better relations publicly.

Question 10

The Helsinki Accords,1975

Answer 10

In 1973,33 nations from NATO and the Warsaw Pact met to build on the spirit of cooperation.

In August 1975,an announcement was made to say agreement had been reached in 3 areas,and described as ‘baskets’.

Basket 1 was very significant as this was the 1st time that the boundaries between EG and WG and the existing boundaries of the SU controlled countries were formally accepted.

Question 11

The Helsinki Accords,1975

2

Answer 11

The spirit of cooperation described in Basket 2 was followed up that same year with a joint USA-SU Space mission.

It’s the high point of detente and seemed to mark the dawn of a new approach to international relations.

Even if drawing up the agreements,the USA and the SU were still,to some extent,playing Cold War politics.

What Brezhnev wanted from the agreement was recognition of existing borders and opportunity to boost the SU economy.

Question 12

The Helsinki Accords,1975

3

Answer 12

The USA wanted an extension of human rights into SU controlled territories which would undermine communist authority
and weaken the power of the SU.

While the Americans were pleased with Basket 3 the SU were concerned that organisation would be set up to monitor SU policies in SS.

Question 13

SALT 2

Answer 13

Included restrictions on missile launchers and strategic bombers,as well as a ban of testing.

In the USA there was a growing belief amongst both Democrats and Republicans that the SU government couldn’t be trusted.

There had been as increase in SU support for communist groups in countries such as El Salvador,Nicaragua and Angola.

Any agreement with the SU was seen by some Americans as a sign of weakness.

Question 14

SALT 2

1

Answer 14

In November 1979,Islamic millitants captured the American embassy in Tehran.

American diplomats and families were publicly humilitated and more than 60 of them held hostsge for 444 days.

Many Americans wanted to see an end to détente and for America to restore its position as a strong nation that took strong measures.

Question 15

SALT 2

2

Answer 15

Even within President Carter’s own administration,Brezinski called for a stronger stance to be taken against the SU.

Finally,in December 1979,the SU invaded Afghanisatan,bringing the period of detente to end.

When the SU entered Afghanistan,SALT 2 was going through the process of ratification by the USA government and President Carter felt he could no longer support the treaty.

Question 16

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979

Why was the SU interested in Afghanistan?

Answer 16

This was viewed by the SU as an important neighbour.

In 1979,a revolution in Iran deposed the Shah and was replaced by a Muslim fundementalist government.

Formed an important buffer between Iran and the SU and Moscow was determined not to let Muslin fundementalism spread across its borders.

To protect SU interests,it was important to ensure there was a pro-SU government.

Question 17

What was the Build up to the invasion?

Answer 17

In April 1978,a pro SU government took control in Afghanistan and received economic assistance.

It was toppled in September 1979 and at first,Moscow supported Amin,but his government became unpopular and other pro Muslim factions tried to overthrow him.

When Brezhnev heard rumours that Amin was talking to the USA about possible USA support,he decided to act.

Question 18

What was the Build up to the invasion?

2

Answer 18

On 24th December 1979,SU forces invaded Afghanistan.

Claimed that they had been invited in by Amin to support his government against terrorists.

However,Amin was assassinated on 27th December and replaced by the pro-SU Babrak Kamal and the soviets remained there for 10 years,fighting opponents of Babrak Kamal.

Question 19

Ther American reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Answer 19

The SU invaded Afghanistan to protect its interest in a neighbouring state and saw the situation as the same to Czechoslovakia.

The Americans believed this was an example of the SU attempting to spread communism abroad,which they’d worked to resist.

Carter went as far as to claim the invasion posed the biggest threat to world peace since the end of WW2.

He withdrew the SALT 2 proposal from the Senate and increased spending on arms.

Question 20

Ther American reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
(2)

Answer 20

In his state of the union speech to the American people in January 1980 he said that the USA would repel by force.

This became known as the Carter Truman Doctrine and was deliberately modelled on the Truman Doctrine to show its importance.

Carter imposed economic sanctions on the SU and began sending weapons and funds to the mujahideen.

Question 21

The impact of the invasion on USA and Soviet relations

Answer 21

Detente was already close to breaking up before the SU invasion of Afghanistan

Some historians argue that the Americans overreaccted to the SU invasion because they were looking of a way to get out of detente.

In the 1980 presidental election in the USA,Ronald Reagan ridiculed Carter as weak and and argued it was time to step up to communism.

This made confrontation more a certainity and helped bring about the election of a US president who believed communism was evil.

Question 22

The Olympic boycotts

Answer 22

The SU used this to promote communism to big audience who watched it around the world.

It reflected the infleuce that the USA had in international affairs.

This was so effective that with many of the best athletes staying away,some events were made to look 2nd rate.

The SU was angrh that its chance to spread communism to the world had been ruined and relations with the USA worsened.

It was a huge moment in WW2 and relations were so poor even 4 years later when it was the USA’s turn,the SU led a boycott of the games.

Question 23

What were Ronald Reagan’s policies?

Answer 23

His tougher approach towards the SU led to a period of tense relations and often referred to as the Second Cold War.

He described the SU as an evil empire and said the USA represented forces of ‘good’ in a speech to a Chrisrian group in 1983.

He persuaded the US congress to boost USA’s armed forces by upping spending on arms.In 1982,13% more was spent with a further 8% in 1983-84.New weapons were developed

For eg.Trident submarines and Stealth bombers

Question 24

What were Ronald Reagan’s policies?

The Reegan Doctrine

Answer 24

USA wouldn’t only support anti communist governments,but also anti communist groups trying to overthrow communist governments.

Support was given to groups in Central American countries including El Salvador and Nicaragua.

US forces invaded the Carribean island of Grenada and toppled the communist government there.

He described this as the 1st rollback of communist influence since the Second World War.

Question 25

Problems SU were facing

Answer 25

Big sums were spent on developing arms to keep pace with the USA and investment in the SU was low.There was barely any industrial growth in the SU.

Low standards of living and the lack of human rights were leading to unrest in some satellite states and in poland the tu ‘solidarity’ posed such a threat to communist government that it was banned.

SU troops carried out manoeuvres along the Polish border,ready to invade,if necessary.In other SU satellite states,opposition to communist rule was only kept in check by the tight control of secret police forces.

The SU had suffered from poor leadership for many years.

In recent years,there’ve been a run of leaders in poor health,who ruled briefly and didn’t have time to make useful plans for the future and Brezhnev died in 1982 after a long illness.

Question 26

The American response

Answer 26

Ronald Reagan promised he would stand tough against communism.

Increase in spending on arms and a more confrontational approach in the SU and when Gorbachev became SU leader in 1985,relations changed.

He was determined to reform the SU from inside,and moreover to work with the USA to reduce Cold War tensions.

Question 27

What was Gorbachev’s new thinking in action?

Answer 27

During the first 4 years of his leadership of the SU,important steps were made to bring about further limitations on nuclear weapons.

Question 28

The end of the SU hold on EU

Answer 28

The SU satellite countries were free to choose how they would be governed.

They would no longer have to fear that the SU would intervene as they had in Hungary 1956 and Cezechoslovakia in 1968.

His reforms within the SU,restructing the economy and introducing more openness to government,encouraged people of the satellite states to introduce changes that would improve their standard of living and increase their individual freedoms.

His reforms weren’t intended to bring an end to communism and they were designed to introduce reforms that would strengthen communist government.

As it turned out,within 12 months of his speech at the UN,the communist system would be dismantled throughout EE.

Question 29

The significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall(emotional terms)

Answer 29

Meant that citizens of EG and WG could be reunited with relatives and friend who they hadn’t seen for almost 30 years.

People realised that the restrictions that had prevented them from crossing the border were gone and people wanted to honour the day the Wall fell.

They took hammers and chipped away to break off their own souvenir piece to take home.

Question 30

The significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall(Political terms)

Answer 30

The fall of the Wall was mainly a symbolic event and by November 1989,EGs could already travel to the West through Austria and Honecker had been sacked.

Throughout EE,communist governments were falling and the SU showed it had no intention of stepping into stop the demand for reform.

It was a symbol of the Cold War and of SU control and on 9th November 1989,its destruction became the symbol of the end of the SU control and the end of the Cold War.

Question 31

The end of the Warsaw Pact

Answer 31

It had been formed after the Western Allies set up NATO.

Its creation formally established that Europe was divided into 2 armed camps and throughout the period of the Cold War,it was seen as a potential threat to the West

As far as the SU was concerned,it was also a means to coordinate forces to derend the communist East from any threat from the West and was also a symbol of SU dominance in EE.

Question 32

The end of the Warsaw Pact(2)

Answer 32

It was a useful way for the SU to keep an eye on what its communist allies were doing and forcing decisions on them.

When Hungary and Czechoslovakia stepped out of line,it was Warsaw Pact forces that brought them back into the fold.

The events of 1989 saw communist governments coming under pressure across EE and made it impossible for it to survive.

Military cooperation between the member states ended in early 1990 and the Pact was formally dissolved in July 1991.

Question 33

Europe was reunited

Answer 33

Its break up showed that the division between democratic W and communist E was gone.

The Cold War was over and there were no longer 2 armed alliances confronting each other across the Iron Curtain and indeed with the end of the Warsaw Pact and BB,the Iron Curtain itself ceased to exist.

The confrontational politics that had brought the world close to nuclear war on at least one occasion during the Cold War became a thing of the Past.

Question 34

The satellite states regained their interpendence

Answer 34

The end of the pact led to many countries becoming truly independant of the SU and governing themselves for the 1st time in decades.

They no longer had to follow policies created in Moscow,or run their economics to benenfit the SU.

After it was finished,every single one of its members abandoned communism.

Question 35

Gorbachev fell from power

Answer 35

Losing control over the SU satellites played a major part in the downfall of Gorbachev in the SU.

Hardline communists blamed him for losing control over EE and threatening SU security.

His position became worse when the Baltic states all declared themselves independent of the SU during 1990 and in August 1991,the communist hardliners staged a coup against Gorbachev.

Boris Yelsrin rallied the people of Moscow to oppose the coup and Gorbachev continued in government,but the coup severely damaged his authority.

The leaders of the SU republics took advantage of his weakness and 12 of them joined together in a Commonwealth of ISs.

Gorbachev couldn’t continue under these circumstances and on 25 th December 1991,he announced his resignation as SU leader and was followed by the breakup of the SU.