Detente
Richard Nixon was the
37th American President who served in office
from
January 20, 1969 to August 9, 1974.
One of the important events during his presidency was his actions
regarding Detente.
Detente
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Detente
Detente
Facts for kids
Detente
Facts - 1: The French word
'Detente' originated during the Middle Ages when the
term was used to describe the "loosening, slackening" of
the catch on a crossbow, during a temporary cessation of
hostilities. The word was later used to describe a
release from tension and the relaxation of a political
situation.
Detente
Facts -
2: During the 1960s
and the 1970s, there were signs of a thawing of
relationships between the United States and the Soviet
Union in the ongoing Cold War (1945 - 1991).
Detente
Facts - 3:
The Cold War was a period of "non-hostile belligerency"
but in 1962 the two Superpowers brought the world to the brink of
Nuclear War during the
Cuban
Missile Crisis (October 14, 1962 to October 28, 1962) when
Soviet missiles were placed in Cuba, and US missiles in Turkey.
Detente
Facts - 4: The Cuban Missile Crisis was
averted but the deep concerns about the use of nuclear arms led to
the first signs of detente when President John F. Kennedy and Soviet
Premier Nikita Khrushchev signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty on
August 5, 1963. The treaty was hailed as an important first step
toward the control of nuclear weapons and the start of detente.
Detente
Facts - 5: The two superpowers agreed to
install a direct hotline, the so-called red telephone, between
Washington D.C. and Moscow, enabling leaders of both countries to
easily communicate with each other in any future emergency. The
possibility of another crisis was not out of the question due the
continuance of the Cold War Arms
Race.
Detente
Facts - 6: Tensions between the two
superpowers increased again in 1965 with the U.S. escalation of the
Vietnam
War to halt the spread of Communism in
Indochina. In 1970, President Nixon escalated the war in Indochina
even further by ordering the U.S. invasion of Cambodia.
Detente
Facts - 7: The Outer Space Treaty was
signed in January 1967 forming the basis of international space law
and the peaceful exploration of space. The treaty banned placing
weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth, installing them on
the Moon or any other celestial body, or otherwise stationing WoMD's
in outer space.
Detente
Facts - 8: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty was signed on July 1, 1968 when powers with nuclear weapons
agreed not to give any other countries nuclear technology.
Detente
Facts - 9: The events in Indochina slowed
the US policy of detente continuing during the early 1970's, until
the US involvement in the Vietnam War came to end. The United States
was then able to turn its attention towards detente and resume talks
about the control of nuclear arms. Both the USA and the USSR had
several reasons for resuming the nuclear arms talks.
Detente
Facts - 10: In 1971 the US dropped its
veto and allowed China to join the United Nations and a propaganda
stunt the US table tennis team even played in China.
Detente
Facts - 11: The emergence of
the Sino-Soviet split had witnessed the deterioration of
relations between the USSR and China. The Russians had
no wish to see its most powerful rivals, America and
China, close ranks against the USSR.
Detente
Facts - 12: The changing
relations between China and the United States was
emphasized when President Richard Nixon visited Chairman
Mao in China during February 1972. The US policy
of Detente had taken a decisive turn which enabled the
United States to gain more leverage over relations with
the USSR. The changes in the power struggle forced the
Russians to adopted a greater interest in Detente.
Continued...
Detente
Facts for kids
Facts
about Detente for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Detente for kids.
Detente
Facts for kids
Detente
Facts - 13: The economic and
trade relations between the East and West improved
during the era of detente. The Soviet Union began
importing large amounts of American grain to offset the
slump in its own agricultural production and Soviet
imports of Western consumer goods also increased
sharply, doubling by 1979.
Detente
Facts -
14: In May 1972
President Nixon took the unexpected step of visiting
Leonid Brezhnev for a summit meeting in Moscow. Their
negotiations were referred to as the
Strategic Arms Limitation
Talks (SALT) and were were aimed at curtailing the manufacture of
strategic missiles that were capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Detente
Facts - 15: During SALT I Leonid Brezhnev
and President Richard Nixon agreed to produce a
treaty that would contain the arms race. Two treaties were
signed on May 26, 1972, the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty (ABM), and the Interim
Agreement on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms set limits
on the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles
each side could develop.
Detente
Facts -
16: Negotiations began
for SALT II in 1972 and continued for seven years until
on June 18, 1979 when Brezhnev and President Jimmy
Carter, also adhering to Detente, signed the SALT II
treaty.
Detente
Facts -
17: The SALT II treaty
placed limits on the various types of missiles and the
number of strategic launchers but the US also pressed
for a human rights campaign, which cooled relations
between the countries
Detente
Facts -
18: Relationships
between the US and the Soviets again deteriorated in
1973 with the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli War when the
USA supported Israel, and the USSR supported Egypt and
Syria.
Detente
Facts - 19: In 1975, the Conference on
Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) met and produced the
Helsinki Accords which, in keeping with Detente, attempted to improve
relations between the Communist bloc and the West. The Helsinki
Accords did not have treaty status, and Soviet promises regarding
human rights were broken.
Detente
Facts - 20: The 1975 Apollo–Soyuz Test
Project (ASTP) was the first joint U.S.–Soviet space flight in which
the two sides cooperated in scientific research of space. The 1975
Apollo–Soyuz Test Project was seen as a potent symbol of the policy
of detente and marked the end of the Space Race that had began in
1957.
Detente
Facts - 21: The Soviet–Afghan War broke
out in December 1979 and the US placed a trade embargo against the
Soviet Union on shipments of grain and weapons. Arab members of the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed an Oil
embargo against the United States who became increasingly concerned
with the high level of influence in the Arab world.
Detente
Facts - 22: The embargos
resulted in increased tensions between the two nations
and this, together with the build up of Soviet troops in
the close proximity to oil-rich regions in the Persian
Gulf, effectively brought about the end of detente.
Detente
Facts - 23: In 1980 Ronald Reagan won the
American presidential election on a platform opposed to
the concessions of detente.
Detente
Facts - 24: The world
witnessed the end of detente as the US boycotted the
1980 Summer Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet
invasion in Afghanistan and, in turn, the Soviet Union
mounted a boycott in 1984 Summer Olympics in Los
Angeles.
Detente
Facts for kids
Detente - President Richard Nixon Video
The article on
Detente provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Richard Nixon video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the
37th American President
whose presidency spanned from
January 20, 1969 to August 9, 1974.
Detente
●
Interesting Facts about Detente for kids and schools
●
Summary of Detente in US history
●
Facts about Detente
●
Richard Nixon Presidency from August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977
●
Fast, fun, Detente
about major events in his presidency
●
Foreign & Domestic policies of President Richard Nixon
● Richard Nixon Presidency and
Detente for schools,
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