Détente “The permanent state of relaxation between Cold War relations.”

Causes  International Tensions & The Fear of War: The Cuban Missile Crisis exacerbated a global fear of nuclear destruction (MAD). Although a point of relaxed tensions was reached it was in a delicate state and there was a desperate need to reduce the threat of nuclear war.

 National Interests / Self-preservation:  USSR: The USSR had political motivations: Brezhnev desired to continue ‘peaceful co-existence as it seemed to further the national interests of the Soviet Union when relations were greatest with the US. Improved relations with the US would be ideal as the USSR was in dire need of superior western utilities. There were economic incentives as well: The USSR had gained greater parity in the arms race with the US, so negotiating limitations with America would help to rebalance their economy as too much was being spent on keeping up with them. More over, there were also military advantages to the policy of Détente: As they feared they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the US and its further development negotiating Détente was ideal. The USSR had great incentives to pursue Détente. As its economy was failing because it couldn’t afford to fuel its military-industrial complex while its other economies were suffering it did not have the resources to counter the ever developing nuclear stockpile of the US. Brezhnev realised this and so pursued Détente in order to secure the Soviet’s national interests.

 National Interests / Self-preservation  US: The US was politically motivated to pursue Détente: The later years of the Vietnam War had highlighted that the US was not invincible, regardless of what people originally thought. More over, many US citizens were greatly opposed to the war. The US needed to control its citizens at the same time as reaffirming its position in the world. Détente would relax tensions, allowing for the US to do so and regain its strength. Furthermore, the US was also suffering economically: Not only did the Vietnam War hit the US politically, but the economic realities of it threatened the US with a recession, therefore serving as encouragement to persevere with Détente. As well as this there were also military incentives: The US had fuelled masses of its economy into the military-industrial complex. So much so that thousands of jobs were not dependent on it. This meant that when the time came for the war to end these thousands would become unemployed. However the need for more weapons meant for inevitable growth of the complex. Détente would result in a relaxation of nuclear weapon growth and would stabilise the situation. The US also had a need for Détente; the Vietnam War had served as the vocal point of a perceived weakness of the US and therefore it was seen best to abandon the war and persevere with Détente if the nation wanted to protect its national interests.

 Ostpolitik and the European Dimension As they didn’t want to be part of this war there were large scale demonstrations in France that threatened the stability of the entire country. West German Foreign Minister, Willy Brandt, took lead in promoting links across the Iron curtain divide. He felt universal cooperation and peace was the way forwards in uniting the continent. Events such as the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia served as a vocal point for the equally high tension in Eastern Europe that needed to be reduced. Brandt’s response to this was his ‘Eastern Policy’, better known as ‘Ostpolik’, in which he opened up channels between East and West Europe to ease relations. Pressures from Europe had encouraged better relations between the US and the USSR as Détente seemed to be the only way of ensuring the stability and unity of European nations.

 Other Factors  Henry Kissinger and Realpolitik: Despite their deep hatred for Communism, both President Nixon and Henry Kissinger played a key role in the establishment of Détente and ‘Realpolitik’ – politics based on materialised concepts rather than theories and ideologies. This would hopefully pave the way for negotiations and treaties between the US and USSR and improve relations.  Sino-Soviet Split and Rapprochement: Strained relations between the USSR and China and growing relations between the US and China meant that the Soviet Union was vastly becoming outnumbered. Therefore the policy of Détente was looked upon much more favourably if it ensured safety.

Détente in practise  Helsinki Agreements: The Helsinki Agreements (1975) were a proposed conference to discuss European security with the countries of NATO and with the USSR. Although this initially appeared to be a sign of cooperation between the US and the USSR their main intentions were to gain concessions from the other side, not for the well being of relations.  SALT I & II: The SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) treaties were designed to limit nuclear weaponary of both sides after the threat they posed during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They are considered one of the high points of Détente however their success was very limited. SALT I (1971) saw few agreements made and those that were agreed on were vastly ineffective as the limitations posed only considered old technology, ignoring new advancements. SALT II (1979) was equally unsuccessful as the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the US senate refused to ratify the treaty, marking the failure of the SALT treaties and the end of Détente.

 Soyuz and Apollo Link Up: The mission, July 1975, was the first joint Soviet space mission. The Space Race was originally a symbol of competition between the two super powers, however this mission served as an example of the potential of Détente. The cooperation between the two rival nations had illustrtaed that there was potential benefits from Détente.

Was Détente a success? Although there were periods in the process of Détente in which the two sides illustrated their potential for cooperation the old trends of the Cold War continued. Nations continued to stockpile nuclear weapons and their main incentives were to gain concessions from each other. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan highlighted the inevitable end of Détente.

Historiography  Orthodox view: Détente was a positive step in the direction of reducing Cold War tensions and stabilising international relations.  Post-revisionist view: Détente was a positive step despite its only intentions were to preserve the national interests of each country.  However some argue that the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a result of their inability to keep up with the US economically and if the US continued to pour large sums into nuclear weapons, rather than embrace the policy of Détente, the USSR and Cold War would’ve seen a sooner end.

Possible Essay Questions  To what extent did economic realities pay the crucial role in the establishment of the policy of Détente?  How far do you agree with the view that Détente was a result of the actions of key individuals?