Zusammenfassung der Ressource
The key features of Détente, 1970-1975
- The Moscow Summit
- May 1972 - Nixon and Brezhnev set out the basis of
the new relationship between their countries
- SALT I, The culmination of Strategic Arms
Limitations Talks, was at the heart of the meeting
- SALT I 1972
- Negotiations between US and USSR on topic of
arms limitations - started November 1969
- Talks held in private - to allow
superpowers to share sensitive info
- May 1972 - Nixon and Brezhnev signed 2
agreements collectively known as SALT I
- The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
- Restricted USA and USSR to 2 anti-ballistic missile shields each
- Each anti-ballistic missile shield was restricted to 100 missiles
- The further development of anti-ballistic missile
technology was restricted - An Oversight Commission was
established to enforce this aspect
- The Interim Agreement on Offensive Missiles
- The interim agreement limited the number of
missile launchers as follows
- Missile launchers
- USSR 1618
- USA 1054
- Submarine based launchers
- USSR 740
- USA 656
- was due to last 5 years in anticipation of a full
agreement to be drawn up in 1977
- Significance
- SALT I was significant because it changed the
relationship between the powers
- Treaty signalled that they were willing to work
together to limit the production and stockpiling of
nuclear arms - rather than engage in an arms race
- The Basic Principles Agreement
- Moscow summit also agreed on the Basic Principles Agreement
- made up of 12 fundamental principles - designed
to underpin superpower relations
- Included an acceptance that the superpowers would
co-exist peacefully, recognise eachother as equals,
exercise restrain in crisis time, and avoid confrontations
- Meeting also agreed on Joint Commercial Commission which
negotiated trade deals between the powers
- Basic Principles Agreement was significant because, for the
first time, it introduced a series of rules governing aspects of
the superpower relationship
- In this sense - it made the relationship more stable
- European Ostpolitik
- European nations on both sides of
iron curtain were involved in their
own form of Détente
- Known as Ostpolitik
- In practice involved European govts working
together to address the problems created by a
divided Europe
- West Germany particularly committed to Ostpolitik
- 1970-1971 East and West German govts negotiated the Berlin
Agreement - guaranteed the borders of West Germany
- Was significant because - before agreement - Eastern Bloc had
refused to formally recognise the existence of West Germany
- Ostpolitik was important for Détente - it further stabilised superpower relations
- The Helsinki Accords 1975
- Set out a comprehensive framework governing relations between Eastern and Western Europe
- The agreement tackled 3 aspects of European politics - became known as 'baskets'
- Helsinki Accords were significant because they established a framework for managing a divided Europe
- Basket 1: Security Measures
- European states pledged to respect one another's sovereignty
- In practice, this meant that European states would not
interfere in one another's affairs
- European states promised to respect borders, and they accepted the
possibility that borders might change through peaceful negotiation
- Basket 2: Economic, cultural, scientific
and environmental issues
- European states pledged to cooperate on matters of mutual interest and
to foster good trading relations across Europe
- To this end, they agreed to share Western technology with the East
- Basket 3: Human Rights and Travel
- European states pledged to respect the human rights of their citizens
- Also pledged to relax travel restrictions across Europe
- The Unlooked-for significance of the
Helsinki Accords
- Helsinki Accords led to unforeseen
problems for East Europe and the USSR
- Economic cooperation agreed to in basket 2 highlighted
the inferiority of communist economies
- Goods produced by Western Europe were more
sophisticated and higher quality
- In this sense, the baskets led to 'ideological subversion'
- They led citizens in the Eastern Bloc, and the USSR, to question
the efficiency of the communist economy - undermining the
legitimacy of communist rule
- Basket 3 also led to unforeseen problems
- Travel restrictions from West to East were relaxed
- Led to establishment of business relationships across Iron Curtain
- Through these contacts, citizens of Eastern Bloc and USSR
learned of Western European culture
- Specifically - learnt of freedom of press - freedom of
speech and religion and democracy
- In this way - Eastern Europeans discovered a more
attractive alternative to communist rule
- The Helsinki Accords, and the trade and travel that were
initiated, clearly played a significant role in undermining
the legitimacy of the Communist regimes in Eastern
Europe and the USSR