The Cold War 1970 - 1991

Détente

Second Cold War

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Break-up of the USSR

Détente

After the tensions of the Korean War and the near disaster of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1950s and 1960s, the 1970s provided a thawing of the Cold War.

Took place during the 1970s

Détente means a relaxing of tensions.

During the 1970s human rights and arms control were discussed openly.

Both superpowers were in contact with each other during this period.

Détente – The High Points

Worries about the arms race (1) Nuclear testing damaged the environment, cost a fortune

and was seen by many as immoral. There were anti-nuclear movements in the West that

supported détente.

Worries about the arms race (2) The space programs of the USA and USSR had helped to

develop extremely complex missiles that could carry many nuclear warheads.

The introduction of submarine launched missiles provided a new danger because they were almost impossible to detect. Yet they had enough firepower to wipe out several cities

Arms races very costly. Both superpowers saw this as money that could be spent on foreign aid or improving the living conditions of their own people

Détente – The High Points

Worries about the arms race (3)The leaders held summit meetingsBrezhnev visited Washington and Nixon went to Moscow

twice (first American President to do so)Nuclear arms limitation treaty, SALT 1, was signed in

1972Continuing progress towards a possible SALT 2

Helsinki conference, August 1975The borders which were set out after WW2, including the

division of Germany were recognised by all countriesThey agreed to respect human rights – eg. Freedom of

speech, freedom of movement between countries.

Détente – The High Points

High Hand Shake!American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts met up

and shook hands in space.

The end of the Vietnam WarThis improved relations between USA, USSR and

China

Second Cold War

From the late 1970s there was increasing distrust and hostility between the superpowers. This led to renewed tensions between the USA and USSR.

This renewed tension was due to numerous factors

Renewed Tensions - Causes

Revolution in IranThe Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979The Shah was supported by the US because it

wanted Iran’s oilThe new government was anti-American but also

strongly anti-Communist. It wanted a society based on Islamic values.The revolution changed the balance of power in the

Middle East.Also increased tensions between the superpowers,

who were worried about how each other would react.

Renewed Tensions - Causes

Civil Wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador and AngolaCommunist rebels (supported by Cuban and Soviet

money and expertise) tried to overthrow the governments of these countries.

The USA funded the governments In Angola, the USA and USSR helped to fund a long-

running civil war.

Human Rights Jimmy Carter (US President, 1977-81) openly

criticised the USSR’s suppression of dissidents (people who spoke out against the government in USSR and eastern Europe).

Renewed Tensions - Causes

New Nuclear Weapons In 1977 the USSR began replacing out-of-date missiles in

Europe with new SS-20 nuclear missiles. The West saw these as a new battlefield weapon that could

be used in a nuclear war confined to Europe. In response, President Carter allowed the US military to

develop the Cruise missile. By 1979 the USA had stationed Pershing missiles in western

Europe as an answer to the SS-20s.

Collapse of SALT 2 The main terms of SALT 2 had been set out as early as 1974 It was not signed until 1979. However because relations between the USA and USSR

were so bad by 1979, the US Congress refused to ratify SALT 2.

Renewed Tensions - Causes

Afghanistan In 1979 the pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan was under serious

threat from its Muslim opponents, the Mujahideen. To protect the regime, Soviet forces entered Afghanistan on 25

December 1979. Western powers were alarmed that the USSR could get so close

to the West’s oil supplies in the Middle East. President Carter described the Soviet action as ‘the most

serious threat to peace since the Second World War’ The USA secretly began to send very large shipments of

money, arms and equipment to Pakistan and from there to the Mujahideen.

The campaign became the Soviet Union’s equivalent of the Vietnam War. It was a virtually unwinnable campaign for the Soviet forces, although they remained there until the early 1990s

Renewed Tensions - Causes

The Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics In protest at Soviet involvement in the Afghan War,

the USA boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. In retaliation, the USSR and eastern European teams

boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics four years later.

Ronald Reagan In 1981, former Hollywood film actor Ronald Reagan

was elected President.He was staunchly anti-Communist and anti-USSR,

calling it the Evil Empire.

Ronald Reagan

In 1981, former Hollywood film actor Ronald Reagan was elected President.

He was staunchly anti-Communist and anti-USSR, calling it the Evil Empire.

He supported anti-Communist forces in Afghanistan and Nicaragua.

He was helped by the fact that many of Europe’s leaders at this time supported his tough line against the USSR

His boldest plan was to escalate the arms race in order to end it.

He increased US defence spending by $32.6 billion.

In 1982, he gave the go ahead for the Strategic Defence Initiative (or Star Wars). This was multi-billion dollar system was designed to use satellites and lasers to destroy missiles before they could hit their targets.

Mikhail Gorbachev Born 1931

One grandfather was a kulak – a landowning peasant – who had been sent to a prison camp by Stalin because he resisted the policy of collectivisation.

The other grandfather had been a loyal Communist Party member.

His elder brother was killed in the Second World War

Studied law at Moscow University in the 1950s. Became a persuasive speaker.

Worked as a local Communist Party official in his home area. By 1978 he was a member of the Central Committee of the party and in charge of Agriculture.

In 1980 he joined the Politburo

He was a close friend of Andropov (Soviet leader 1983-85). Strong supporter of Andropov and his ideas about reforming the USSR. When Andropov was leader, Gorbachev was effectively second in charge.

In 1985 became leader of the USSR

In 1990 we was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

Reform in the USSR

When Gorbachev came to power in 1985 he inherited significant problems.

The USSR’s economy had continued to shrink and was approximately half the size of the American economy in 1985 They were spending too much money on the arms race They were locked into a costly war in Afghanistan. There had been no economic reform since the days of Stalin.

Regardless of their nuclear weaponry, the USSR resembled a third world country and not a superpower. Living standards were low, infant mortality was high, and life

expectancy was declining.

Reform in the USSR

Gorbachev was very concerned about the attitude of Soviet people to work.They were protected under the Soviet system from

economic problems – they were guaranteed a job and a home.

The issue was that the system gave them no incentive to work harder or better.

He knew that to solve the problems that Communist slogans would not be enough. So he developed new policies and released them slowly.

Reform in the USSR

Gorbachev slowly implemented a four-part program to overcome the problems in Soviet society. The four parts were:Glasnot (openness)

Cultural freedom and reduced censorship, leading to a greater openness in society and creating the potential for reforms.

Perestroika (restructuring) Restructuring and reform of the economy. In 1987 under perestroika the Soviet economy was exposed to

market forces for the first time.

Democratization The spreading of democratic processes through Soviet institutions

Novomyshlenie New foreign relations with the West and an end to hostility.

Soviet Control of Eastern Europe Collapses

Gorbachev was popular but his policies were not successful.

After two years of perestroika, it was clear that the economy could not be modernised as quickly as people wanted.

There are three kinds of people in the Soviet Union:

The optimists – they believe in what Gorbachev says;The pessimists – they are learning English and planning to emigrate;The realists – they are taking rifle lessons and getting ready for civil war

There are two ways of resolving the crisis of the Soviet economy:

The realistic way – aliens from outer space will land and straighten the mess;The fantastic way – the Soviet people will work it out for themselves.

Soviet Collapse in Eastern Europe

In March 1989 Gorbachev made it clear to the leaders of the eastern European countries that they would no longer be propped up by the Red Army and that they would have to listen to their peoples.

Re-unification of Germany

In November 1989, demonstrators in Berlin started to pound away at the Berlin Wall. The wall was dismantled within five days.

After the wall came down, West German Chancellor Helmut Khol proposed a speedy reunification of Germany.

This idea was enthusiastically embraced by Germans in both countries.

Initially Gorbachev was hesitant about the reunification of Germany because it would be more friendly to the West than the East.

After many months of negotiations Gorbachev accepted the German reunification and even accepted Germany becoming a member of NATO.

Germany became a united country on 3 October 1990.

Collapse of the USSR

In 1990, Gorbachev visited Lithuania – part of the Soviet Union. Its leaders were very clear, they wanted to be independent and not apart of the USSR. Gorbachev disallowed this, but they did it anyway in

March.

Almost immediately Azerbaijan made a similar demand. Gorbachev sent troops to Azerbaijan and Lithuania to end the rioting.

Reformers within the USSR itself demanded an end to the Communist Party’s domination of government.

In 1990 in the Russian Republic, Boris Yeltsin was elected President. He made it clear that he saw no future in the USSR.

Collapse of the USSR

In July the Ukraine declared its independence and was followed by other republics.

In January 1991 events in Lithuania turned bloodied as Soviet troops fired on protesters.

In April 1991 the Republic of Georgia declared its independence

The USSR was disintegrating and Gorbachev was struggling to hold it together.

In August 1991 hard line Communist Party members and leading military officers attempted a coup to take over the USSR.

Collapse of the USSR

Huge crowds gathered in Moscow protesting the coup. The Russian President, Boris Yeltsin emerged as the leader of the opposition. Faced by this resistance, the conspirators lost faith and the coup collapsed.

In a televised speech on 25 December 1991, Gorbachev announced the end of the Soviet Union.