Easing of Tension & Détente Flashcards

All 11 cards in this deck

What is meant by 'détente'?

An easing or relaxing of tension between the superpowers, especially in the 1970s.

What was SALT 1 (1972)?

An arms-limitation treaty signed by Nixon and Brezhnev — the first time the superpowers agreed limits on the number of nuclear weapons they held.

Give two reasons why the superpowers pursued détente in the early 1970s.

Any two of: the crises of the 1960s, above all Cuba, showed how close they had come to nuclear war; the arms race was hugely expensive; arms spending was hurting living standards, especially in the USSR and Eastern Europe.

Which weapons did SALT 1 (1972) limit?

Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems, which each side could have only a small number of, and, for five years, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

What was 'ping-pong diplomacy' (1971)?

A US table tennis team's visit to China, which helped improve US–Chinese relations and put pressure on the USSR to negotiate.

Give one source of tension between the superpowers that remained during détente.

The Soviet record on human rights — the treatment of dissidents and limits on free speech, religion and emigration.

What happened at the Moscow Summit of May 1972?

Nixon became the first US president to visit Moscow, meeting Brezhnev to sign SALT 1 and agree basic principles for peaceful relations.

True or false? Détente meant the end of the Cold War.

False. Tension eased and arms were limited, but superpower rivalry and mistrust continued.

Why was Nixon's visit to China in February 1972 important for détente?

With China and the USSR now rivals, it made Brezhnev fear a US–Chinese partnership, so the USSR became keener to reach agreements with the USA.

Give one reason Nixon wanted better relations with the USSR in the early 1970s.

He hoped a breakthrough with Moscow would win him credit at home, where he faced heavy criticism over the Vietnam War.

Who was Leonid Brezhnev?

Soviet leader from 1964, after Khrushchev was forced out. He ordered the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia and later led the USSR into détente with Nixon.