Chapter 27, Section 5: The Cold War Ends Main Idea: The Cold War dominated relations between the superpowers until the breakup of the USSR in 1991 ended the Cold War.
A. Changes in American Foreign Policy The United States & China Since 1949, the US had refused to recognize Mao Zedong s communist government in China, supporting one in Taiwan instead. President Nixon, previously one of the most outspoken critics of communist China, visited China in 1972 (1 st President ever) to improve relations, develop trade, & promote peace. In 1979, President Carter established formal diplomatic relations with communist China.
A Policy of Detente Nixon then traveled to Moscow (1 st President to visit USSR since Cold War began) for the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) Agreement, a treaty to limit missiles & nuclear warheads between the US & USSR. This period of the Cold War is called détente, or a relaxing of tensions (thaw in the Cold War). Nixon s effort to reduce tensions between the superpowers (trade, joint space missions, etc.) Ford & Carter continued this policy as well. Carter & Brezhnev signed the SALT II Treaty in 79.
Pres. Nixon attempted to improve U.S. ties with China by visiting China in 1972 February 21, 1972; During his visit, President Richard Nixon meets with Chairman Mao Zedong. Concerning Taiwan, the U.S. side affirms the "One China Principle". The U.S. reaffirms their interest in a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question.
Examples of improved U.S. Soviet relations: - Trade between the U.S. and the Soviet Union increased. - In 1975, U.S. and Soviet astronauts conducted a joint space mission. Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford and Donald K. Slayton hold containers of Soviet space food in the Soviet Soyuz Module
Pres. Carter established official diplomatic ties with China in 1979.
B. New Tensions A Soviet Defeat Détente ended suddenly in December 1979, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. The US withdrew from the SALT II Treaty We cut off the sale of grain to the USSR We boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow (the USSR will boycott the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles). The Soviets remained in Afghanistan for 10 years & suffered heavy losses. The US supplied the Afghan rebels (bin Laden) with weapons to fight the Soviets. Afghanistan was to the Soviets, what Vietnam was to the US (a disaster!).
Reagan s Strong Stand Ronald Reagan intensified the Cold War in the 1980s, calling the USSR evil. He increased military spending by over $100 billion in his 1 st 5 years in office. *** His Star Wars missile defense system is proposed (destroy Soviet missiles from space). He condemned the USSR s use of martial law in Poland for the Solidarity labor party. During Reagan s first term in office, the two superpowers viewed each other with deep mistrust once again. This will change during his second term, however.
In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
Pres. Carter withdrew U.S. support for the SALT II Treaty, ended all grain sales to the Soviet Union, and led an international boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
The Middle East Jihad 1: a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty 2: a crusade for a principle or belief
Détente ends: In December of 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The mujahideen (Islamic guerillas),who fought against the Soviet military occupation of Afghanistan during the Afghan-Soviet War (1979-1989), stand on top of a Soviet helicopter. They used guerrilla-war tactics to ambush Soviet troops. Osama Bin Laden, in Afghanistan during the 1980 s (top), and in October of 2001 (right).
1979 - Afghanistan December 25, 100,000 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan as communist Babrak Karmal seized control of the government. U.S.-backed Muslim guerrilla fighters waged a costly war against the Soviets for nearly a decade before Soviet troops withdraw in 1988. Afghanistan the Soviet Vietnam 1983 - Star Wars March 23, Reagan outlined his Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars," a space-based defensive shield that would use lasers and other advanced technology to destroy attacking missiles far above the Earth's surface. Soviets accuse the U.S of violating the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty. Soviets forced to spend heavily to match the program causing near economic collapse.
C. Decline of the Soviet Union The Soviets spent a lot of their $ on the military in the 1980s (trying to keep up with US), leaving their economy in bad shape, which lead to reforms. Gorbachev s Reforms Mikhail Gorbachev took over the USSR in 1985 & supported perestroika (economic restructuring) & glastnost (speaking openly) to solve problems. This was different from the past, when any criticism of the government was quickly silenced.
Summit Meetings Realizing that he could not improve the economy without cutting military spending, Gorbachev looked to improve Soviet-US relations. This led to summit meetings with Reagan. The INF Treaty (1987) reduced stockpiles of short- & medium-range missiles, & allowed for missile site inspections by both sides. The Soviets withdrew their troops from Afghanistan in 1989, which further improved relations between the two.
An End to the Cold War Pres. Reagan increased military spending & pursued a weapons program, Star Wars, that could shoot down missiles from space. Star Wars helped to destroy the economy of the Soviet Union, as they were unable to match the U.S. spending on the military and provide for their citizens at the same time.
Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev began a policy called glasnost, in which he allowed more freedom of speech and the press.
1985 - Gorbachev comes to power On March 11, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union. Gorbachev ushered in an era of reform. perestroika Economic reformrestructuring glasnost openness, allowed greater free expression and criticism of Soviet policies 1987 - INF On December 8, 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty It mandated the removal of more than 2,600 mediumrange nuclear missiles from Europe, & eliminated the entire class of Soviet SS-20 and U.S. Cruise and Pershing II missiles.
D. Communism Falls in Eastern Europe Eastern European countries (satellite nations) had banned free speech & open elections for 50 years. The only party allowed to exist in these countries was the Communist party. At different times during the Cold War, Soviet troops were sent into these countries to maintain control of them. Hungary ( 56) & Czechoslovakia ( 68) to crush reform attempts. By the 1980s, widespread opposition in those countries became too much for the Communists &/or Soviets to control. Starting with Poland in 1989 & the election of Lech Walesa (Solidarity), Communist governments in all of the former satellite nations were replaced, ending with East Germany tearing down the Berlin Wall & reuniting with West Germany in 1990, after 45 years of separation.
1980 - Solidarity On August 14, Lech Walesa led massive strikes at the Lenin shipyards in Gdansk, Poland. The strikes soon spread to other cities and formed the nucleus of the Solidarity movement. The communist government conceded to worker demands on August 31, and recognized their right to form unions and strike.
1989 - Berlin Wall falls Gorbachev renounced the Brezhnev Doctrine, which pledged to use Soviet force to protect its interests in Eastern Europe. On September 10, Hungary opened its border with Austria, allowing East Germans to flee to the West. After massive public demonstrations in East Germany and Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall fell on November 9. 1990 German unification At a September 12 meeting in Moscow, the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France and the two Germanys agreed to end Allied occupation rights in Germany. On October 3, East and West Germany united as the Federal Republic of Germany.
United States President Ronald Reagan delivers his famed "Tear Down This Wall" speech at the Berlin Wall in June of 1987, in which he called for Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganbrandenburggate.htm
The Fall of the Berlin Wall News Report from ABC News (2:55)
In 1989 the Berlin Wall came DOWN!! People walking under the Brandenburg Gate for the first time since 1961. They have the line marked where the Wall stood.
E. The Soviet Union Collapses The Soviet Union was made up of 15 different republics, with Moscow, Russia as the capital. Starting in 1990, after resentment of Moscow s rule grew, Gorbachev allowed political parties to form (only Communist Party for 70 years). Some of these parties openly opposed the Communists, including Boris Yeltsin s. As republic after republic declared its independence from the USSR, Gorbachev resigned in late 1991 & the Communist Party collapsed in the Soviet Union. 15 new nations emerged from the old Soviet Union, with Russia being the largest & most powerful, led by Boris Yeltsin.
Russia had many difficulties transitioning from communism (controlled by the government) to a free market system (controlled by people) & ran into many problems along the way, such as high unemployment, crime, & corruption. The US & other Western European nations tried to help Russia & the other republics with economic aid & assistance (advice). A successfully democratic Russia would benefit the US economically & militarily as well.
Communism: Development and Duration
Fifteen Soviet republics gained their independence. Post-Soviet states in alphabetical order: 1. Armenia; 2. Azerbaijan; 3. Belarus; 4. Estonia; 5. Georgia; 6. Kazakhstan; 7. Kyrgyzstan; 8. Latvia; 9. Lithuania; 10. Moldova; 11. Russia; 12. Tajikistan; 13. Turkmenistan; 14. Ukraine; 15. Uzbekistan
F. The Cold War: A Look Back The Cold War dominated US foreign policy almost a ½ century. Life in America was affected too: Students practiced hiding under their desks in case of an attack ( Duck & Cover ) Families built bomb shelters in their backyards, stocked with supplies. McCarthyism / the Red Scare
The US went to war twice to contain communism (Korea & Vietnam), losing 112k soldiers. The US spent $6 trillion during the Cold War on national defense This is basically why we won it we outspent the USSR into bankruptcy. Nuclear weapons & the arms race created new dangers for the world 9 nations now have these weapons The Cold War divided the nation at times (McCarthy Era, Vietnam).