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Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941–91

Attempts to reduce superpower tensions in the 1970s

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2 booklet P

Overview

What détente meant and why both sides wanted it, Nixon in Moscow, Apollo–Soyuz, the 1972 arms limitation deal and its gaps, the Helsinki Accords and their human rights clause, and the failed 1979 agreement.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What were the three areas covered by the Helsinki Accords of 1975?

Key term

What is meant by détente?

Key term

Why did both superpowers want to reduce hostility during the 1970s?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is meant by détente?

    Model answer

    A deliberate easing of hostility between the superpowers, pursued through negotiation and agreements rather than confrontation.

  2. 2

    Why did both superpowers want to reduce hostility during the 1970s?

    Model answer

    Nuclear weapons had become ruinously expensive for both, the USA was exhausted by Vietnam, and the Soviet economy badly needed western trade and technology.

  3. 3

    What was significant about Nixon's visit to Moscow in 1972?

    Model answer

    It was the first time a serving American president had gone to the Soviet capital, and it produced agreements on trade, science and limiting weapons.

  4. 4

    How did the Apollo–Soyuz mission of 1975 illustrate the new mood?

    Model answer

    An American and a Soviet spacecraft docked in orbit and their crews shook hands, turning the space race into a public display of co-operation.

  5. 5

    What did the first strategic arms limitation agreement of 1972 actually restrict?

    Model answer

    It capped the number of long-range missile launchers each side could keep and sharply limited defensive anti-ballistic missile systems.

  6. 6

    What were the three areas covered by the Helsinki Accords of 1975?

    Model answer

    Security, through recognition of Europe's existing borders; co-operation in trade and technology; and respect for human rights.

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