New Global History: The Cold War

The Cold War and challenges emanating from the Allies and their enemies led the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States to confront the reality that the world was a world that was difficult to manipulate — a reality they could no longer ignore.

By the late 1960s, Soviet and American leaders had agreed on policies of détente or reduction of hostilities, doing their best to cool the costly arms race and slow their race in the developing world. Although détique did not resolve the deep-seated hostility between the superpowers, it marked a easing of Cold War tensions and spurred new cooperation.

Between 1972 and 1974, U.S. and Soviet leaders exchanged visits, signed agreements advocating cooperation in areas such as the quest for health, environmental protection, science and technology, and space exploration, and expanded cultural exchange programs. The spirit of moderation was most evident in consultations aimed at reducing the threat posed by strategic nuclear weapons.

In 1972, U.S. and Soviet negotiators reached two agreements to complete talks on the limitation of strategic weapons, and in 1979 another agreement was reached. Two Cold War rivals cooperated, although U.S. invasions into Vietnam, Soviet involvement in Angola and other African countries, and Soviet repression of dissidents in Eastern Europe also fueled relations.

By early 1980, however, relations between the two superpowers had deteriorated significantly. In January 1979, the United States established formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China: in 1981, the United States announced arms sales to China. These two events undermined U.S.-Soviet cooperation.

In December 1979, the Soviet Union intervened militarily in Afghanistan to save the Khanish Marxist regime, and the situation deteriorated. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan doomed the U.S. State to pass the latest Strategic Arms Limitation Agreement and led to economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. government.

However, the era of détente reflects significant changes in relations between the superpowers. It is associated with the decline of superpower influence, as a result of the fall of superpower influence, relations between superpowers have changed and jeopardized their place in the world. First the United States in Vietnam, and then the Soviet Union in Afghanistan suffered major military and political setbacks, which affected their position in the world.

(Ziegler's New Global History Reading Notes)