4.2.7 The Period of Détente

The Cuban Missile Crisis showed both superpowers how dangerously close they had come to nuclear war. They had to rethink their positions for the security of all.

The cartoon on this page depicts U.S. President Kennedy arguing with Soviet Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev at the United Nations while missiles are launched overhead. 

The mid-1960s to 1979 signified a time of "cooling off" of tensions in the Cold War. This time period, known as détente, showed that countries with differing ideological perspectives can use diplomacy to achieve some cooperation.

The Cold War was an expensive war although it did not involve actual combat. The arms race and the space race were costing a lot of money. Efforts to maintain spheres of influence around the world meant that each government was using economic aid, intelligence operations, and military expertise in many nations to maintain its power and influence. The Soviets hoped that a "cooling off" period would allow them to trade with western Europe, which would lead to economic growth.

As well, the Soviet Union was experiencing conflicts with China, which caused concern. USSR hoped improved relations with the US would lead to a a more peaceful existence. Soviet President Khrushchev promoted the idea of peaceful coexistence, a theory that communist and capitalist nations could live together peacefully, without one side trying to destroy the other. The idea of peaceful coexistence was meant to reduce hostilities between the two superpowers by convincing the United States that the Soviet Union did not have a goal of world domination.

During this period of reduced tension, many conferences and summits were held and treaties and agreements were signed, including agreements about disarmament. Détente ended with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the coming to power of US President Ronald Reagan who was elected on a platform of opposition to détente.