Detente and Europe 1963-1984

8/7/2019 Detente and Europe 1963-1984

1/15

Dtente and

Europe, 1963-1984


2/15

Dtente

A lessening of tensions in the Cold War

After the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1963, many

countries pulled back from confrontation to reducethe chances of nuclear war

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963) Prohibited testing in outer space, in the

atmosphere, and underwater

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1964) Nations agreed not to develop nuclear weapons

Nations such as France, China, India,Pakistan, and other nations refused to sign


3/15

U.S. and U.S.S.R. Influence

Western European nations became less

dependent on the U.S. (especially France)

The Sino-Soviet split allowed manyEastern European states more autonomy

The Peoples Republic of China exploded a

nuclear bomb in 1964, changing thebalance

The bipolarU.S.-Soviet global rivalry

moved into a multipolar balance of power.


4/15

BetterU.S./Soviet Relations

1963 -- Hot line

A hot line was installed so

that the U.S. president andSoviet premier could defuse

a potential crisis

Kennedy and Khrushchev

were often forced to

communicate through public

broadcasts during the Cuban

Missile Crisis.


5/15

BetterU.S./Soviet Relations

In 1963, the U.S. agreed to sell large

quantities of wheat to the Soviet Union.

This new trade relation would expandto include other goods.

Tourism was encouraged.

Culture exchanges.

(Ex. Bolshoi Ballet & Louis Armstrong)


6/15

The Common Market in

Europe European Community (1967)

Worked to end tariffs between member

nation and create a free flow of trade Members: France, West Germany, Italy,

Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg

Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark joined

in 1973; Greece in 1981 The EC helped continue the postwar

recovery and break Western Europeseconomic dependence on the U.S.


7/15

Charles de Gaulle

(President of France)1958-69 Wanted to end Western Europes political

dependence on the U.S.

Encouraged France to develop nuclear capability Tested bomb in 1960

Began withdrawing French troops from U.S.-dominated NATO in 1959; All French removed by 1967

Demanded that all NATO troops leave France Envisioned France had head of the Third Force

that would stand between the U.S. and the SovietUnion De Gaulle never realized his goal and resigned in

1969.


8/15

Soviet Union

Khrushchev was ousted from powerin 1964 and replaced byLeonid Brezhnev

The Brezhnev Era, 1964-82 Military spending remained top priority

Put an end to Khrushchevs de-Stalinizationcampaign

Had a stroke in 1976

Economic and political decline; corruption,favoritism, and alcoholism increase

Between 1982-85, Yuri Andropov and

Konstantin Chernenko both die in office


9/15

Eastern Europe

Many Eastern European countries attempted to gain

some level of autonomy during the 1960s

Czechoslovakia tried to adopt liberal reforms

The Prague Spring of 1968 hoped to produce a more

humane socialism

The Soviet Union invaded and Alexander Dubek resigned.

The Soviet invasion involved about 500,000 Warsaw Pact

troops and was remarkably well-planned and executed.Only a handful of soldiers died.

More than 80 Czechoslovak citizens were killed and

several hundred wounded during a month of clashes

following the invasion.


10/15

Germany and Dtente

Willy Brandt

Chancellor of West Germany

(1969-74) Proposed Ostpolitik (A hand

offered to the East)

In 1972, East and West Germany

recognized each other and wereboth admitted to the U.N.


11/15

U.S. and China

Richard Nixon became president in1969 and wanted to ease cold wartensions; relied on diplomatic skills ofHenry Kissinger

Chinese/U.S. relations improved In 1971, Henry Kissinger secretly visited

China.

In 1971, the U.N. expelled Taiwan and

seated the PeoplesR

epublic; theU.S.

didnot veto

In 1972, Nixon traveled to Beijing to meetMao and made recognition an official andpublic act.

Before leaving he was given two giantpandas, Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling


12/15

Ping Pong Diplomacy

The two countries established

cultural, economic, and diplomatic

relations U.S. Ping Pong team visits China.

U.S. ends restrictions on travel to

China, ends trade embargo

Agreed to the one-China policy

(Tawain was part of China)


13/15

Dtente Agreements

Nixon and Brezhnev signed a series ofagreements

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (

SALT)

Suspended the building of ICBMs, capped thenumber of a variety of weapons.

ABM Treaty Limited the deployment of antiballistic missiles,

designed to destroy incoming missiles

Helsinki Agreements (1975) 33 European nations plus the U.S. & Canada

ratified the results of WWII (boundaries)


14/15

Economic Problems and

Politics In 1974-75, an increase in food and petroleum

prices combined with an economic recession tocreate severe inflation in Western Europe.

Conservative governments

Helmut Kohl becomes chancellor of West Germanyin 1982.

Margaret Thatcher becomes prime minister of G.B.

in 1979. Socialist governments

Francois Mitterrand elected president of France in1981


15/15

Collapse of Dtente

By the late 1970s, the optimism that the Cold

War had virtually ended had faded.

The continued Soviet military buildup and theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 soured

relations with the U.S.

As a result the U.S.

Failed to ratify the 1979 SALT II Treaty.

Boycotted the Olympics in Moscow in 1980.

Placed and embargo on U.S. grain

shipments to the Soviet Union.

Detente and Europe 1963-1984

Documents