After Czechoslovakia

• Turning point for the Cold War• Czech people never really trusted those

who replaced Dubcek.• USSR came in for criticism• Romania• Yugoslavia• China• Reputation was damaged

Brezhnev Doctrine

• Stated that it was the duty of any communist country to intervene with force in any other communist country which was threatened by capitalists.

• This even applied to independent countries

• This doctrine was almost an admission that countries would only stay communist if the USSR forced them to do so.

Sino-Soviet Split

• gradual difference of opinion of diplomatic ties.

• Started in 50s and reached its peak in 1969

• Competing for leadership in the communist world.

Confrontation

Yellow - China & Allies

Red – USSR & Allies

Black – Independent Communist Countries

• Chinese attacked Khrushchev's policies• Mao rejected Khrushchev's argument that war

was not inevitable and was opposed to ‘peaceful co-existence´

• Czech invasion – China tried to use this to alienate the Soviet Union

from its satellites– Fearful that the Brezhnev Doctrine would be used

against China.– Denounced Soviet leaders as “the new Tsars” and

replaced America as number one enemy

Kazakhstan-Xinjiang

• Border between Soviet Union and China.

• Focus for Sino-Soviet disputes

• In 1961, the soviets had only employed twelve ½ strength divisions to guard it.

• By the late 1960s this had risen to twenty-full strength divisions; a million Soviet troops and 1,200 warplanes were facing a million Chinese soldiers.

• Pravda (leading newspaper of the soviet union) hinted in the summer of 69 that the soviets might consider using nuclear weapons in the dispute.

• 120 SS-11-medium-range ballistic missiles were deployed along the border

• Mock attacks were staged against Chinese nuclear targets.

• Mao Zedong accelerated the building of underground tunnels .

What is Détente?

• Détente was a permanent relaxation in international affairs during the Cold War rather than just a temporary relaxation (the so-called "thaw")

Why?

• America was shocked by the Vietnam War and wanted to stay out of world affairs. There was also a vociferous CND (campaign for nuclear disarmament) movement in the West.

• The arms race was very expensive for both superpowers.

• The price of oil rocketed in the 1970s, and both superpowers experienced economic problems.

• There was a growing fear of a nuclear holocaust especially with the growth in those countries that had nuclear weapons. Also both USA and USSR had huge stockpiles of weapons.

• Czechoslovakia could have ended the détente process.

• The Cuban Missile crisis had shown just how dangerous a confrontation between the two powers could be

• Both sides had enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other.

Why did better relations suit?

• Meant fewer weapons needed to built.

• Save vast sums of money

• Each side could claim to be peacemakers!

Why did all 3 major powers want to pursue detente ?

• China - she was fearful of her isolation in the world. She was also fearful of what USA had done in Vietnam.  China’s stockpile of nuclear weapons was a lot smaller than that of USA. China was also worried by her worsening relations with USSR.

• USA - she realised that there were better ways of containing communism than the ways that she done in previous years. She was also aware of the massive cost of weapons production and maintaining a huge armed force. A peaceful relationship with the USSR would be very beneficial to USA especially after the cost of the Vietnam War.

• USSR - USSR was spending a huge amount on weapons at the expense of basic household goods. Living standards were poor and USSR was also aware that her relationship with China was far from good while USA was trying to improve hers with China.

• Was spending 20% of its budget on defence and could not keep up with the US any longer

• 1963 - both agreed to only use underground tests for nuclear explosions

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

• 1968, This tried to stop smaller nations making nuclear weapons

Salt I

• Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)• 1st real attempt to limit weapons.• SALT I froze the number of strategic ballistic missile

launchers at existing levels • provided for the addition of new submarine-launched

ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers only after the same number of older intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and SLBM launchers had been dismantled.

• May 26 1972 in Moscow, Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

• Improved relations between USA and USSR.

1972 Nixon Visits Moscow