HIS344Y1 Lecture : Feb 1st
Document Summary
Nuclear parity, achieved at the end of 1960s/early 1970s. Telling both super powers no sense of going into a nuclear war because both sides would be destroyed. Test ban treaties, salt, etc. led to d tente. The main purpose was to reduce military tension/possibility for military confrontation/nuclear confrontation. D tente included many things besides political and military understanding. For the first time, it included economic, social, commercial, etc. aspects. Given these, there was a hope they would bind each other to this agreement that either side would see no benefit to going back to previous situation/confrontation. Both sides had expectations: americans hoped to initiate some economic and commercial exchanges (they were in debt due to vietnam war), so economic interests. They wanted that by giving equality to soviet union, they would bind soviet union to accept status quo j still more favorable to the us (technologically and economically), and maintain superiority.