U.S. & Soviet Relations in the 1970's and 1980's T McGean and Tim Beard Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind. -John F. Kennedy, September 25, 1961
COLD WAR Causes The Cold War described the hostile relationship and indirect conflict between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union from the late 1950's to the early 1990's. Causes of Cold War: 1. US fear of Communism and USSR disapproval of capitalism 2. Debates over Germany (four zones) and Poland's (new gov.) future 3. Arguments re: Foundation of the UN (Soviets outnumbered) 4. Contradicting views of the post war world 5. Stalin's anger of not being told by Pres. Truman about Atomic Bomb.
U.S. DIPLOMATIC LEADERS Richard Nixon The only President to be impeached! Diplomacy Led the talks between U.S. and U.S.S. R. (Detente) and between U.S. and China. In 1973 he set an accord with North Vietnam officially ending all U.S. involvement in IndoChina. Nixon Doctrine The Nixon Doctrine (also known as the Guam Doctrine) was put forth by Nixon as part of his appeal to the "Silent Majority" This doctrine stated each nation was in charge of its own security, but the United States would act as a nuclear umbrella when necessary.
SOVIET DIPLOMATIC LEADERS Leonid Brezhnev General Secretary of the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) During his 18 years as Leader of the USSR, Brezhnev's only major foreign policy innovation was Détente. His Détente policy was comprehensive and included signing agreements on arms control, crisis prevention, East West trade, European security and human rights. Brezhnev's policy was also based on the importance of equalizing the military strength of the United States and the Soviet Union.
U.S. DIPLOMATIC LEADERS Henry Kissinger National Security Advisor and Secretary of State during Nixon and Ford years (1969-77). Won the Nobel Peace Prize 1973 for his work in Vietnam peace talks. Opened Doors to China re: better relations between China and US. Pioneered the Détente with Soviet Union which led to the SALT I and SALT II agreements as well as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Doors to China Tactically and economically one of the most brilliant foreign policy moves ever. Kissinger made two secret trips to China in 1971 to pave the way for Nixon's famous visit in 1972. Intimidated Russia by developing close ties to a neighboring superpower. Economically one of the best foreign policy moves ever, both countries benefited tremendously from this relationship to this day.
Détente NIXON, KISSINGER, BREZHNEV Détente Nixon Kissinger and Brezhnev instituted policy of detente to reduce hostility between U.S. and U.S.S.R Detente focused on peaceful negotiations and weapon limitations. As the result of detente, the United States and Soviet Union managed to sign several important agreements, such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.
Arms Race The Arms Race saw the development of newer and more lethal weapons to match/outdo the enemies weapons. Atomic Bombs United States: 1945 U.S.S.R.: 1949 Hydrogen Bombs United States: 1952 U.S.S.R.: 1955 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles United States: 1958 U.S.S.R.: 1957 MIRV United States: 1970 U.S.S.R.: 1974 U.S. engineers working on MIRV Nuclear warhead on ballistic missile
Arms Race Footage U.S. Military footage:
COLD WAR Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I) The SALT I Treaty outlined agreement in three areas: The ABM Treaty (Anti-Ballistic Missile defences). Each side was allowed to have only 100 ABMs on each of two sites, one for their capital city and one to protect their nuclear missiles. The Interim Treaty Limits were placed on the number of ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) (1618 for USSR and 1054 US; SLBMs (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles) 740 for both countries. The Soviet Union was allowed more as America had greater capacity in other areas e.g. strategic bombers. The Basic Principles Agreement Important rules of conduct re: nuclear warfare. The USA and the USSR pledged 'to do their utmost to avoid military confrontation ' and ' to exercise restraint' in international relations.
COLD WAR SALT II An outline agreement was proposed in 1974 between Leonid Brezhnev (Soviet Union) and US President Gerald Ford. This agreement set equal limits for missile launchers and strategic bombs however, cruise missiles were left out. Right wing Senators, saw arms control as a mechanism for allowing the USSR 'to catch up with America' and so the agreement stalled.
COLD WAR SALT II Renegotiated In 1977, Jimmy Carter, the newly elected American President, attempted to renegotiate the SALT II Treaty in order to reduce the # of Soviet missiles. It took until 1979 for the SALT II Treaty to be signed by Brezhnev and Carter in June of that year. Despite reassurance from President Carter, the US Senate was growing very uneasy about the Soviet violation of previous agreements and in response refused to approve the Treaty in 1980.
U.S. DIPLOMATIC LEADERS Ronald Reagan US President 1981-1989 Began his presidency at height of Cold War in early 80s. Made huge impact on normalizing US/Russia relations. Reagan was highly critical of Russia often referring to them as an "evil" empire. During one speech, he jokingly stated he was going to "bomb" that country!
WORLD LEADERS Reagan and Gorbachev Cold War Relations While often clashing with their new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, they soon found some common ground. Gorbachev helped convince Reagan to slow down his incredibly costly proposed missile defense system, aka "Star Wars". Reagan's famous statement "Tear down this wall!" was aimed at Gorbachev to dismantle the Berlin Wall separating communist E. Berlin with democratic W. Berlin. 2 years later in 1989 the Berlin Wall came down.
Summary of Historical Moments 1970s Detente Series of discussions, including SALT talks, that lessened tension between the two superpowers. This effort was known as Detente. 1970s Space Cooperation US and Soviet astronauts link Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts in Earth orbit in July of 1975. 1980s Breaking Barriers During a 1986 Summit in Iceland, Reagan and Gorbachev came close to agreeing to eliminate all nuclear weapons and share the Star Wars technologies.
Sports Sports played a role in US & Russian relations in 1970s and 80s. Both superpowers used victories in sports to demonstrate their superiority as a country. 1980--famous Miracle on Ice. US surprising victory over Soviet team. US went on to win the gold medal in the Olympics. Later on that year, the US and 60 other countries boycotted Summer Olympics held in Moscow to protest Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. 1984--Soviet Union "gets even" by boycotting Summer Olympic games in LA.