8.8 - End of the Cold War

The Final Decades of the Cold War Era

• Diplomatic Relations: Despite ongoing mistrust, the United States and the Soviet Union maintained diplomatic relations, although inconsistently. Both nations engaged in proxy wars and supported opposing sides in various international conflicts, reflecting their fundamental ideological differences—capitalism versus communism.

• Nuclear Agreements: The superpowers agreed to limit nuclear weapons, a key step towards ending the Cold War, though the process was uneven.

Détente and a Colder War

• Détente Era (1970s): Following the crises of the 1960s, such as the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis, relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union improved, entering a period called détente—a relaxation of tensions between the two nations.

• Key Events:

  • Nixon’s Visit (1972): U.S. President Richard Nixon visited the Soviet Union, where he and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT), aiming to freeze the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

  • China Relations: Nixon also visited China, marking the first visit by an American president to communist China, strategically playing one superpower against the other.

• Challenges for Both Nations:

  • Soviet Union:

    • Economic crisis due to central government controls.

    • Eastern European countries seeking reforms and freedom from Soviet control, leading to military crackdowns like the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia.

    • Tensions with China along their shared border.

  • United States:

    • Mired in the unpopular Vietnam War.

    • Economic struggles and the opportunity to open new markets in China.

  • Détente Benefits: The U.S. sold excess grain to the Soviet Union, benefiting American farmers and aiding the Soviet people during a drought. However, détente ended when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979.

Soviet-Afghan War

• Invasion and Impact: The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to support its communist government against Muslim fighters, resulting in a prolonged and costly conflict. Civilian casualties ranged from 562,000 to two million, and millions of Afghans fled to neighboring countries or became homeless.

• Outcome: The Soviet army struggled against guerrilla groups in Afghanistan’s challenging terrain. The war stressed the Soviet economy and undermined Soviet legitimacy, contributing to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union.

Reagan and Gorbachev

• Rising Tensions: During Ronald Reagan’s presidency (1981–1989), tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union escalated. Reagan labeled the Soviet Union as the "evil empire" and provided military aid to Afghan fighters.

• Nuclear Arms Race: By the early 1980s, both superpowers had amassed over 12,000 nuclear missiles, capable of destroying the world multiple times over.

• Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI): Reagan announced the SDI, a missile defense program aimed at neutralizing Soviet nuclear threats, which the Soviets saw as a potential arms race in space.

The Thaw

• Gorbachev’s Reforms: Mikhail Gorbachev, a progressive Soviet leader, introduced policies like perestroika (economic restructuring) and glasnost (political openness). These reforms allowed elements of free enterprise and greater political freedom.

• U.S.-Soviet Relations: Reagan and Gorbachev met multiple times, establishing a working relationship. In 1987, they signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), reducing nuclear weapons and easing global tensions.

The End of the Soviet Union

• Gorbachev’s Reforms: Gorbachev ended economic support for Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe and suggested that the Soviet Army would no longer intervene in those countries. This led to a wave of democratic reform movements across Eastern Europe.

• Collapse of the Berlin Wall (1989): The Berlin Wall was torn down, and in October 1990, East and West Germany were reunified.

• Spread of Reforms: Democratic reforms spread to the Soviet Union, with republics like Lithuania and Georgia declaring independence. The Warsaw Pact dissolved, and by December 1991, the Soviet Union officially ended, with Russia emerging as the strongest of the newly independent countries.

New Challenges

• Post-Cold War World: The decline of the Soviet Union brought new political alliances, expanded economic interactions, and increased global interconnectedness. However, this new era also brought challenges such as economic inequality, ethnic conflicts, genocide, terrorism, environmental degradation, and global epidemics.