Detente In The 1970's

The word detente derived in france is defined as ease often relaxation or the release of tension. Detente recount the period in the late 1960’s and more specifically the early 1970’s when the rigidity of the cold war gave us the impression that it was coming to a close and both sides were working toward a common goal of cooperation. The detente era witnessed many attempts at arms reduction treaties and other signs of cooperation in space and sports.

There are several reasons why the superpowers ALTERED the way they dealt with one another one of those reasons firstly being the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 both sides became dangerously close to a nuclear war over the island of Cuba. This nuclear war had only been averted due to careful diplomacy

The United States began to rely on the soviets to help them leave the country. Third cause money, both sides were producing an enormous amount of expensive weaponry in order to stay ahead in the arms race in which was severely damaging the economy both sides began to look for ways to save money. The United States was suffering from the inflation from the huge cost of the vietnam war. The USSR suffered from poor harvest and was in need of cheaper grain imports. Fourth cause of detente ear was the world wide anti-nuclear movement which occured when a massive public protest by organizations such as campaign for nuclear rearmament who campaigned for peace and also an end to nuclear weapons. The last cause of the detente era was the falling out between China and the USSR because china ultimately felt that they were the real communist country and that the ussr only wanted to gain more land and power. China was not only upset that the ussr would share their nuclear secrets with them but also they felt that the soviet

Gorbachev was handed a broken and severely damaged country in 1985. His perestroika and glasnost policies fortified the economy. Gorbachev soviet leadeer from 1985-1991 was russias most contriversial leader. His greatest achievement was he never stopped the process in which he unleashed. Mikhail Gorbachev is a man who changed the world. Born March 2nd 1931, in Privolnoye a village named after its open or vastness. Gorbachev was the first born and remained the only child until the age of sixteen. Russia had been in turmoil since the communist revolution in 1917 led by Lenin. Lenin's successor Stalin had millions of his people murdered in the name of communism. A third of villagers from Privolnoye were