After Czechoslovakia
• Turning point for the Cold War
• Czech people never really trusted those
who replaced Dubcek.
• USSR came in for criticism
• Romania
• Yugoslavia
• China
• Reputation was damaged
Brezhnev Doctrine
• Stated that it was the duty of any
communist country to intervene with force
in any other communist country which was
threatened by capitalists.
• This even applied to independent
countries
• This doctrine was almost an admission
that countries would only stay communist
if the USSR forced them to do so.
Sino-Soviet Split
Confrontation
• gradual difference of opinion of diplomatic
ties.
• Started in 50s and reached its peak in
1969
• Competing for leadership in the
communist world.
Yellow - China & Allies
Red – USSR & Allies
Black – Independent
Communist Countries
• Chinese attacked Khrushchev's policies
• Mao rejected Khrushchev's argument that war
was not inevitable and was opposed to ‘peaceful
co-existence´
• Czech invasion
– China tried to use this to alienate the Soviet Union
from its satellites
– Fearful that the Brezhnev Doctrine would be used
against China.
– Denounced Soviet leaders as “the new Tsars” and
replaced America as number one enemy
Kazakhstan-Xinjiang
• Border between Soviet Union and China.
• Focus for Sino-Soviet disputes
• In 1961, the soviets had only employed
twelve ½ strength divisions to guard it.
• By the late 1960s this had risen to twentyfull strength divisions; a million Soviet
troops and 1,200 warplanes were facing a
million Chinese soldiers.
• Pravda (leading newspaper of the soviet union)
hinted in the summer of 69 that the soviets might
consider using nuclear weapons in the dispute.
• 120 SS-11-medium-range ballistic missiles were
deployed along the border
• Mock attacks were staged against Chinese
nuclear targets.
• Mao Zedong accelerated the building of
underground tunnels .
What is Détente?
• Détente was a permanent relaxation in
international affairs during the Cold War
rather than just a temporary relaxation (the
so-called "thaw")
Why?
• America was shocked by the Vietnam War and
wanted to stay out of world affairs. There was also a
vociferous CND (campaign for nuclear disarmament)
movement in the West.
• The arms race was very expensive for both
superpowers.
• The price of oil rocketed in the 1970s, and both
superpowers experienced economic problems.
• There was a growing fear of a nuclear holocaust
especially with the growth in those countries that
had nuclear weapons. Also both USA and USSR had
huge stockpiles of weapons.
• Czechoslovakia could have ended the
détente process.
• The Cuban Missile crisis had shown just
how dangerous a confrontation between
the two powers could be
• Both sides had enough nuclear weapons
to destroy each other.
Why did better relations suit?
• Meant fewer weapons needed to built.
• Save vast sums of money
• Each side could claim to be peacemakers!
Why did all 3 major powers want
to pursue detente ?
• China - she was fearful of her isolation in
the world. She was also fearful of what
USA had done in Vietnam. China’s
stockpile of nuclear weapons was a lot
smaller than that of USA. China was also
worried by her worsening relations with
USSR.
• USA - she realised that there were better
ways of containing communism than the
ways that she done in previous years. She
was also aware of the massive cost of
weapons production and maintaining a
huge armed force. A peaceful relationship
with the USSR would be very beneficial to
USA especially after the cost of the
Vietnam War.
• USSR - USSR was spending a huge
amount on weapons at the expense of
basic household goods. Living standards
were poor and USSR was also aware that
her relationship with China was far from
good while USA was trying to improve
hers with China.
• Was spending 20% of its budget on
defence and could not keep up with the
US any longer
• 1963 - both agreed to only use
underground tests for nuclear explosions
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
• 1968, This tried to stop smaller nations making nuclear
weapons
Salt I
• Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)
• 1st real attempt to limit weapons.
• SALT I froze the number of strategic ballistic missile
launchers at existing levels
• provided for the addition of new submarine-launched
ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers only after the same
number of older intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
and SLBM launchers had been dismantled.
• May 26 1972 in Moscow, Richard Nixon and Leonid
Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
• Improved relations between USA and USSR.
1972 Nixon Visits Moscow