Why Did the U.S and Russia want a detente?
The period from the Second World War to the mid 1970's was one of great hostility and tension between the U.S and Russia. Both had emerged from World War II as superpowers. It was during this timeframe, that the frightening prospect of nuclear war became closer and closer. Nuclear war would mean the end to mankind, so the need for a detente became necessary. Detente is a French word that was used during the Cold War meaning 'the easing or relaxing of tensions between nations.' The reasons for a detente were not only nuclear related. Russia was in severe economic crisis and was facing isolation from the non-communist world and public opinion in America believed that the Cold War was 'unjustifiable both economically and morally.' This essay will endeavour to show many of the reasons why a detente had to be achieved. After the Second World War, the world had entered into a dangerous period where complete destruction could occur at any time. Nuclear weapons had been developed as a threat to enemies. The tension that was created between the U.S and Russia led to the massive 'arms race.' The possibility of full scale nuclear was one of the main reasons that forced the U.S and Russia to agree to a detente.
The Cuban Missile crisis of 1962, revealed to the U.S and to the world that Russia were very capable of starting a nuclear war. People all around the world lived in terror during this period, fearing when they came home that they could be in a nuclear war. "I was 13, and when I went to school I thought, would I still be alive at the end of the day?" This is how many people felt about the situation. The need for a 'second strike' capability led both Russia and the U.S to spend considerable money and effort in the 1960's. They increased their supply of warheads and placed nuclear weapons in underground silo's and in submarines, where they would be very effective and hard to detect. The need for a 'second strike' also led to the development of anti-ballistic missile systems, (ABM's) which could intercept missiles and decrease the potential damage. The Sino-Soviet split was also a huge political factor that led Russia to agree to a detente. Russia and China were allies until they split after the Korean War. China joined the United Nations, leaving the Communist Russia in almost economic isolation. Russia had limited trade with the U.S. Most of their trade was done with communist countries. After the detente, the Soviet-American trade increased from $200 million to $1.5 Billion annually. Detente was the only viable option that could stop all out nuclear war and decrease the huge expenditure associated with the 'arms race.' It would decrease hostility and tension in the world. For the U.S, a detente would mean they could move troops out of Vietnam, whilst for Russia it would mean they were no longer economically isolated. In November 1969 Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) took place between the superpowers
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Approximate Word count = 1165
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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