Détente
Détente
The Détente refers to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold war. Prior to Détente the world was becoming more hostile. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the possibility of a nuclear war was highly probable. Therefore, both the Soviets and the Americans decided that they needed to begin reducing tensions and severe anti- nuclear movements supported the détente. For example, in 1963, the Soviets and Americans signed the Partial Test Ban treaty which prohibited all test detonations except ones underground. The Sino- Soviet split also contributed to the détente. During the 1960s the Sino-Soviet ideological dispute deepened and spread to include territorial issues, culminating in 1969 in bloody armed clashes on their border. The Sino-Soviet dispute was also intensified by increasing competition between Beijing and Moscow for influence in the Third World and the international communist movement. China broke of ties with the Soviet Union in 1966. The Soviet Union therefore had reason to fear a Sino- American alliance and so had incentive to improve relations with the U.S. Also, Brezhnev, the leader of the Soviet Union at the time felt that the nuclear arms race was unsustainable for the economy. The Vietnam War was also a drain for the U.S economy as it was helping South Vietnam fight North South Vietnam. In 1969, when Nixon came to power, and implemented his policy of ‘Vietnamization’ which was a plan to steadily decrease the number of American troops in Vietnam, while training south Vietnamese troops at the same time. U.S policy had changed from one of containment to one of détente or cooperation. The manifestations of the détente were a number of summits held between the leaders and treaties signed between them in the 1970s. Nuclear NPT was signed in 1970. The treaty aims to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons and encourage disarmament and the right to peacefully use nuclear technology. The SALT I treaty that limited each power's nuclear arsenals was signed in 1972. In the same year the Biological Weapons Convention and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty were also concluded. Talks on SALT II also began in 1972. These treaties aimed to limit the development of costly anti-ballistic missiles and nuclear missiles. Between 1972 and 1974, the two sides also agreed to strengthen their economic ties especially through increase in trade. It was hoped that the new relationship would herald a permanent improvement in relations between the U.S. and Soviet Union. However, an increasing number of conflicts weakened the détente and it officially ended with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
