Detente

This refers to a reduction in tension in the Cold War.

This was because:

1) Both the USA and Russia were keen on arms limitation talks because they wanted to reduce their defence spending.

2) Nixon had visited China. A Chinese-US alliance was not wanted. USSR wanted access to US technology and further grain sales.

3) Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia led to the Brezhnev doctrine which said that members had to uphold the Warsaw Pact Russia could put down any atempt to suppress communist control. This alarmed America.

4) Nixon became President. It was hoped that he would improve trade and technology links. Breznev would then persuade North Vietnam to end the war.

5) Threat of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. A hotline between the White House and the Kremlin improved relations as did the Test ban Treaty.

Regan: He was staunchly anti-Communist.

'The Soviet Union is the focus of evil in the modern world'.

He had no interest in detente and wanted to confront the Soviet Union.

He had massive plans for defence involving space. He called this 'Star Wars'

He wanted to disarm the USSR called Strategic Defence initiative.

Gorbachev became the new leader of the USSR and realised that there were problems. He visited America and saw that his own economy was not as efficient and many Soviet people had lost their faith in Communism. He was more lenient towards change

He had 3 strategies

1) Perestroika (restructuring) This was to be economic reforms

Glasnost (openess) Censorship was relaxed.

2) Ended the arms race and signed arms reduction treaties.

December 1987-Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty. By Jue 1941, 2692 of weapons had been destroyed.

Both nations were able to inspect each other countries military installations.

3) Stopped Soviet interference in Eastern Europe such as Poland and Czechoslovakia. Withdrew from Eastern European bases in December 1988 to save money

1989-Bush announces that the Cold War is over.

November, the Berlin Wall came down.

1990-START-Reduction of arms

1991-Soviet Union splits