1.5.1
SALT & Helsinki
SALT 1 - Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
SALT 1 - Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
After the Cuban Missile Crisis, there was a move towards detente (a more relaxed relationship between West and East). SALT 1 happened in 1972.
SALT 1 - missiles
SALT 1 - missiles
- SALT 1 was a nuclear weapons limitations treaty. It placed a cap on what different kinds of missiles that the USA and USSR could have.
- No new ICBMs could be made (although replacements for old and outdated Intercontinental ballistic missiles were allowed).
- No new nuclear launch sites were allowed.
SALT 1 - submarines
SALT 1 - submarines
- No new nuclear submarines were allowed unless they were replacing outdated and defunct submarines.
The situation after SALT 1
The situation after SALT 1
- SALT I agreed that the USA and USSR could each have a maximum of 2 Anti-Ballistic Missile 'deployment areas'.
- Having lots of ABM deployment areas could effectively stop ballistic missiles from reaching your country.
- The agreement that each side could only have 2 ABM deployment areas meant that both nations would remain vulnerable to each other's nuclear missiles. This meant that MAD would remain mutual.
The importance of SALT 1
The importance of SALT 1
- SALT 1 was a positive sign of collaboration between the two superpowers.
- It capped the number of ICBMs, which was positive as it marked a pause in the nuclear missile arms race.
- Neither side was allowed to build up a lead in the number of nuclear missiles or in their ability to shoot down rival missiles using Anti-Ballistic Missile deployments.
- Richard Nixon, the US President and Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet leader, would go on to visit each other's countries.
- SALT I was successful enough that it led to SALT 2 in 1979.
The Helsinki Accords (1975)
The Helsinki Accords (1975)
The agreements signed at the Helsinki Conference were signed by 35 countries, including France, Britain, the USA, Canada, and the United Nations. The Helsinki Conference focused on common principles about international borders, security, and human rights.
The 'baskets' of the treaty
The 'baskets' of the treaty
- The agreements of the Helsinki Conference were split into several different “baskets” (parts of the treaty):
- Basket 1: the current borders of European countries were inviolable (couldn’t be broken or violated).
- Basket 2: to promote trade and technological links across the Iron Curtain. The USA and USSR agreed to trade with each other. The theory was that economic dependence between countries made war less likely.
- Basket 3: to respect human rights such as the freedom of speech in Europe, as well as the free movement of people.
International agreements at Helsinki
International agreements at Helsinki
- The United Nations would be used as a peace resolution mediator instead of using military action.
- Student exchange trips were arranged as a sign of co-operation, but also to share knowledge across the world. British students would travel to China under this agreement.
- Countries should do their best to respect all of the UN's recommended human rights.
The implications of the Helsinki Accords
The implications of the Helsinki Accords
- Basket 1, agreeing that borders were inviolable, meant that West Germany and East Germany would be permanently split forever.
- The USA had just ended its involvement in the proxy war against Communists in Vietnam in April 1975 after 20 years.
- The USSR and the USA would buy each other's goods. The USA would sell wheat to the USSR.
The problem with the Helsinki Conference
The problem with the Helsinki Conference
- Although everything at the Helsinki Conference sounds nice, it was not an official treaty. There were questions about how seriously countries would take it.
- The USSR would apply the Brezhnev Doctrine for another 15 years in Eastern Europe.
- The USA still interfered in Latin American politics. In the 1970s, it supported Pinochet as the replacement to Allende as Chilean President. A 1991 Chilean National Commission found that Chile was 'caught up in superpower struggle, the so-called Cold War'. 27,255 people were tortured during Pinochet's military regime.
SALT 2 - Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
SALT 2 - Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
SALT 1 was signed in 1972. SALT 2 took 7 years to agree and was finally signed in June 1979.
SALT 2
SALT 2
- Brezhnev and President Carter signed SALT 2 in 1979. SALT 2 agreed that the USA and USSR would both stop developing new missile programs.
- Each country was only allowed to own 1,320 long-range and ballistic missiles.
- The Afghanistan war destroyed SALT 2.
SALT 2 was never ratified
SALT 2 was never ratified
- For something to be incorporated (enshrined) into American Law, it has to be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
- The USSR invaded Afghanistan just after the Vienna Conference. Although SALT 2 was signed by Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter, it was never ratified by the Senate and never became American law because of the invasion.
Views of SALT 2
Views of SALT 2
- SALT 2 did not achieve much and didn't become American Law.
- The Afghanistan War overshadowed anything agreed in SALT 2.
- The Vladivostock Summit of 1974, where the ground was laid for SALT 2, was probably more important in US-USSR relations.
1The Cold War
1.1Early Tension
1.2The Development of the Cold War
1.3The Cold War Intensifies
1.4Cold War Crises, 1958–70
1.5Attempts to Reduce Tension Between East & West
Jump to other topics
1The Cold War
1.1Early Tension
1.2The Development of the Cold War
1.3The Cold War Intensifies
1.4Cold War Crises, 1958–70
1.5Attempts to Reduce Tension Between East & West
Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring
Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home
Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs
30+ school subjects covered