Détente And The Cold War

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Détente is the name recognised for a period of improved relations and relaxed tensions between nations, specifically the United States and the Soviet Union, which began somewhat unwillingly in 1971. The détente, which President Richard Nixon and his advisor Henry Kissinger had launched, was believed to be a kickback to the perceived decline in U.S. power, the rise of Soviet power, and the growing dangers of uncontrolled competition between the two superpowers. It was made clear that the policy was significant to the two nations when President Richard Nixon of the United States visited the cold war enemies’ secretary-general of the Soviet Communist Party, Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow, May 1972.
It was hoped that this freshly established relationship between the two superpowers would progress into a permanent improvement in relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. However, détente did not survive beyond 1979 as differences in perspective between the two superpowers led to an increasing number in conflicts. As historian Raymond Gathoff, stated, “The agreements [of détente] cannot be said to have played any substantial role in affecting the course of the Cold War and its final settlement. It did not have …show more content…

Richard Nixon and his national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, were fully aware of the reality and “waged” détente vigorously to gain advantage in the global competition with the Soviet Union. They did not acknowledge the fact, however, and could not control conflicting public reaction when the Soviet leaders desired to do the same, both by intervening in the third world and by keeping up the arms race. Blame was associated not only to the Soviet leaders but also to the policy of détente, especially in the Ford and Carter

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