Detente

ORIGINS - US PERSPECTIVE;

• Richard Nixon became president in January 1969 and was a renowned opponent against communism
• but he was also a realist and felt that the cold war was draining the US resources
• he believed that the USA should seek a more stable relationship with the Soviet Union
• he sought detente for the following reasons;
  - US leaders wanted to end the Vietnam war. They hoped improved relations would result in a decreased Soviet support for communism in north vietnam
• the US economy was beginning to stagnate. US leaders wanted to reduce defence spending in order to promote economic growth through trade with the USSR

MOSCOW SUMMIT;

• the summit of 1972 was ine of the first successes of detente with;
  SALT 1 - ABM Treaty, Interim and Basic Principles
• Basic Principles set out 12 basic principles designed to govern superpower relations. For example, both sides agreed to respect each other as equals
• the Moscow Summit was significant as it showed the leaders were committed to working together

HELSINKI ACCORDS;

• Ostpolitik - was developed by Willy Brandt to improve relationships between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries
• the origins of this was to reunite Germany
• the eas European countries welcomed Ostpolitik for two reasons;
  - would improve trade realtions with the west
  - would give them…