The superpowers reduced some risks while continuing to compete; detente was a limited easing of tension.
This overview helps explain the 1980s but is not separately examined in any of the three courses. The USA and Soviet Union (USSR) competed during the Cold War, yet also tried to reduce the danger of nuclear war. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis brought that danger close; the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 then restricted some nuclear testing. Cooperation remained uneven: American escalation in Vietnam and the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 showed that armed conflict and control over allies continued.
The expense of the arms race encouraged negotiation. The USSR also faced worsening relations with China, while the USA sought a way out of Vietnam. Detente meant easing tension without ending rivalry. SALT, the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, produced agreements in 1972 limiting some nuclear missile systems and defences. The 1975 Helsinki Final Act covered European security, cooperation and human rights. These agreements managed particular problems; they did not remove the two competing systems.
Continued regional competition and mistrust weakened cooperation. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 sharply worsened relations. SALT II was signed that year but did not enter into force: signing the agreement did not complete the steps needed to make it binding. The early 1980s therefore brought renewed confrontation after a period of negotiation, not an uninterrupted move towards peace.
Worked example: Put two developments side by side
In 1972, the USA and USSR reached arms agreements while fighting in Vietnam continued.
- Identify the area of cooperation: agreed limits reduced some nuclear risks and costs.
- Identify the continuing conflict: the powers still supported opposing sides in Vietnam.
- Conclude that limited cooperation and wider rivalry could exist at the same time.
Watch out for this
Detente meant the Cold War ended in the early 1970s.
Detente eased some tensions, but ideological rivalry, military competition and regional conflicts continued.
Check your understanding
What shows that detente reduced some risks without ending the rivalry?
- Signing SALT II meant its limits had already entered into force despite worsening relations.
- Agreements on nuclear weapons meant each side had accepted the other's aims in regional conflicts.
- The powers negotiated arms limits while continuing to compete and support opposing sides elsewhere.