Hello, my name is Mr. Williams and I'm going to be your history teacher today.

This lesson is part of a unit about the end of the Cold War and focuses on events from 1970 to 1991.

I'm really looking forward to teaching you today, so let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain the significance of the SALT I treaty.

There are five keywords that are essential to understanding today's lesson.

They are Detente: the relaxation of tensions between states which were previously hostile to one another.

Arms race: when countries compete with each other to build up their military strength.

Domestic: issues that exist within a country rather than those related to its relationship with foreign countries.

Interim: something that is only temporary.

And rapprochement: the development of friendly relations between countries who have been enemies.

Today's lesson is split into three parts, and in this first part we're going to be learning about the concept of Detente.

In French, the word Detente means relaxation.

Historically, Detente has been used to refer to the relaxation of tensions between states which were previously hostile towards one another.

Let's check your understanding.

What is the translation of Detente from French to English? Is it A, aggravation; B, escalation; or C, relaxation? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said C.

The correct answer is relaxation.

Beginning in the early 1970s, there was a period of Detente during the Cold War.

Detente lasted for most of the 1970s.

However, Detente is not considered to have been an end to the Cold War, and tensions between the superpowers had risen again by the end of the decade.

Let's check your understanding.

Is this true or false? Detente led to the end of the Cold War.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that that was false, but let's try and justify that answer.

So on the screen are two justifications.

A says, the Cold War had already ended before Detente began in the late 1970s; and justification B says, Detente ended as tensions rose again by the end of the 1970s.

Which of these justifications is correct? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done if you said it was justification B.

Detente ended as tensions rose again by the end of the 1970s.

During Detente, there were improvements in the relations between East and West, especially between the USA and the USSR.

Leonid Brezhnev became Soviet leader in 1964 and Richard Nixon became US president in 1969.

These new leaders played an important role in bringing about Detente.

A quick question now to check your understanding.

Who were the leaders of the USSR and the USA at the time when Detente began? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you got the correct answer was Leonid Brezhnev, leader of the USSR, and Richard Nixon, leader of the USA.

There were a series of agreements between East and West during the process of Detente.

These included international agreements on weapons controls, borders, and other issues.

There were also symbolic demonstrations of cooperation between East and West, such as visits between the superpowers and even joint space missions.

Let's check your understanding.

Which statement is most accurate? A, the process of Detente only involved symbolic cooperation; B, the process of Detente only involved practical agreements; C, the process of Detente involved both practical agreements and symbolic cooperation.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said the correct answer was C.

The process of Detente involved both practical agreements and symbolic cooperation.

We're now ready for the first practise task of today's lesson, and I want you to write a summary of what Detente was.

Your summary should consider what happened, when it occurred, and who was involved.

Pause the video now, have a go at the question, and then press play when you're ready to see a model answer.

Okay, very well done for your hard work on that first practise task.

You were asked to write a summary of what Detente was, and your answer may have included: Detente refers to a period which began in the early 1970s when tensions between the East and West began to relax.

New leaders, Richard Nixon in the USA and Leonid Brezhnev in the USSR, helped encourage the process of Detente as they saw more advantages in superpower cooperation.

Nevertheless, Detente did not represent an end to the Cold War, and tensions between East and West had risen again significantly by the end of the 1970s.

Very well done if your answer looks similar to the answer that we've just gone through.

We're now ready for the second part of today's lesson, and in the second part of the lesson, we're going to be exploring the reasons for Detente.

One reason for Detente was fear of nuclear conflict.

The USA and USSR had been involved in an arms race since 1945.

By the end of the 1960s, the two superpowers had amassed huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

The outcome, therefore, of any nuclear conflict would be Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD, the complete destruction of both sides.

Even if the leaders of the USA and USSR wanted to avoid a nuclear war, the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 demonstrated the potential for the leaders to lose control of events.

By the 1970s, concerns about the possibility of nuclear conflict meant that leaders in the USA and USSR were open to developing a more cooperative, stable relationship.

As national leaders, Brezhnev and Nixon constantly had to balance domestic and international priorities.

By the start of the 1970s, there were important domestic factors which encouraged both leaders to support Detente.

The high state of tensions between the USSR and USA had been very costly.

For instance, as the arms race and space race continued between the superpowers, military and space programme spending in the USA reached $80.

1 billion in 1968 and the equivalent of 58.

7 billion in the USSR during the same year.

For many people living in both countries, social and economic issues which affected their day-to-day lives were more important than international relations.

In the USA, there were 329 major riots in 257 cities between 1964 and 1968.

These riots were the result of serious inequalities, including widespread poverty and racial discrimination.

Meanwhile, in the USSR, the high levels of economic growth which had been enjoyed in the 1950s began to fall during the 1960s, and there were some concerns that the USSR was failing to keep up economically with its American rival.

At the same time, poor living standards made the lives of many ordinary Soviet citizens a struggle and contributed to problems like poor discipline and low productivity amongst workers.

For both superpowers, it was considered possible that relaxing tensions in the Cold War would allow more government attention and funding to be diverted to resolving domestic issues.

Let's take a moment now to check your understanding.

In 1968, how much did the USA and USSR spend on their militaries and space programmes? Was it A, under $5 billion each; B, just under $5 billion altogether; C, over $50 billion each; or D, just over $50 billion altogether? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you said that the correct answer was C.

In 1968, the USA spent $80.

1 billion, and in the same year, the USSR spent $58.

7 billion.

Let's do another check of your understanding.

I want you to write in the missing word.

Widespread blank in the USA led to hundreds of riots in American cities during the 1960s.

What's the missing word? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done.

if you said that the correct answer was inequality.

The sentence should read: widespread inequality in the USA led to hundreds of riots in American cities during the 1960s.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's do another quick check.

How did the Soviet economy change in the 1960s compared to the 1950s? A, growth began to decline compared to the 1950s; B, growth began to increase compared to the 1950s; or C, all growth from the 1950s was completely reversed.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said that the correct answer was A.

Compared to the 1950s, growth began to decline in the USSR during the 1960s.

Let's turn now to look at international pressures.

The desire to end American involvement in Vietnam was another reason why Nixon supported Detente.

Since the early 1950s, the USA had been supporting South Vietnam against the communist forces of North Vietnam.

Nixon had become president in 1969 after promising voters he would deliver peace with honour.

As the US military had struggled to defeat its North Vietnamese opponents, this meant that Nixon had to agree an acceptable peace deal with the North Vietnamese to ensure that the withdrawal of American forces did not look like a defeat.

This objective encouraged Nixon to be more cooperative with China and the Soviet Union, the major communist powers, who had been supporting North Vietnam.

Nixon's hope was that if he could improve relations with these major communist states he would put pressure on the North Vietnamese to agree to some of the terms the US wanted during peace negotiations.

Let's take a moment to check your understanding.

Nixon believed that Detente would help him to end American involvement in Vietnam.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said that that was true, but as always, we need to justify our response, so on the screen are two justifications.

A says, Nixon believed Detente could lead to the USSR declaring war on communist North Vietnam.

And justification B says, Nixon believed Detente could lead to the USSR persuading North Vietnam to make peace with the USA.

Which of these justifications is correct? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, the correct answer is justification B.

Nixon believed Detente would lead to the USSR persuading North Vietnam to make peace with the USA so that Nixon could achieve peace with honour.

Well done if you got that correct.

We're now ready for the second practise task of today's lesson.

I want you to read what Izzy has said about the main reason why leaders in the USA and the USSR supported a policy of Detente during the 1970s.

Izzy has said: "The main reason why leaders in the USA and the USSR supported a policy of Detente is because they were concerned about the potential for nuclear conflict." What could somebody who disagreed with her argue? I want you to discuss this one with a partner.

So, pause the video now, talk to your partner, and when you're ready to go through a model response, press play.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope that was a useful conversation.

Izzy had argued that the main reason that leaders in the USA and USSR had supported a policy of Detente was to avoid nuclear conflict.

And I asked you, what could somebody who disagreed with Izzy argue? So your answer may have included: although the desire to avoid nuclear conflict was a key reason why leaders in the USA and the USSR supported a policy of Detente, the desire to reduce spending on arms and divert more government attention and funding to resolving domestic issues was arguably a more important reason.

During the 1960s, the USA experienced widespread rioting due to serious inequalities, including poverty and racial discrimination, while the USSR was experiencing a lack of economic growth.

Leaders in the USA and the USSR wanted to be able to use money previously spent on the arms race to solve economic and social problems in their countries.

Very well done if you covered those points in your conversation with your partner.

We're now ready for the third and final part of today's lesson, and in this last part of our lesson, we're going to be learning about the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty I, or SALT I, which was one of the most important agreements signed during the period of Detente.

In 1972, Nixon visited Moscow and met Brezhnev.

Nixon became the first US president to visit the Soviet capital.

This was also the first time since the end of the Second World War that a US president had visited the USSR.

Let's take a moment to check your understanding.

Which of the following views about Nixon's visit to the USSR is most valid? Is it A? Alex has said, "Symbolically, Nixon's visit to the USSR suggested that the superpowers were willing to work with one another again." Is it B? Sam has said, "Symbolically, Nixon's visit to the USSR suggested that the superpowers were still highly suspicious of one another." Or is it C? Jacob has said, "Symbolically, Nixon's visit to the USSR suggested that the USA had lost the Cold War to the Soviet Union." Which of the views is the most valid? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you selected A.

Alex said, "Symbolically, Nixon's visit to the USSR suggested that the superpowers were willing to work with one another again." Well done if you got that correct.

During his first evening in Moscow, Nixon gave a speech sharing some of the aims of his visit.

The president shared his hope that the USA and USSR "could begin to turn our countries away from a wasteful and dangerous arms race towards more production for peace." Let's check your understanding.

Which of the following was a key aim of Nixon's visit to Moscow in 1972? Was it A, to create a US-Soviet security alliance; was it B, to moderate the US-Soviet arms race; or was it C, to end Soviet control over Eastern Europe? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you selected B, that's the correct answer.

The key aim of Nixon's visit to Moscow in 1972 was to moderate the US-Soviet arms race.

During Nixon's visit to Moscow, the USA and the USSR reached new agreements on arms limitations, and the two countries signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, or SALT I, after multiple years of talks and negotiations.

What was the name of the treaty signed by the USA and the USSR in 1972? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you got this correct.

The correct answer was the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, which was known as SALT I.

SALT I was made up of agreements in three key areas.

The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, or ABM Treaty, restricted the development of anti-ballistic missiles.

The Interim Treaty capped the number of long-range nuclear missiles each country could have.

The Basic Principles Agreement set out the aims of US-Soviet cooperation, set out rules for the conduct of nuclear war, and steps to avoid conflict.

As part of SALT I, ABMS were limited to just two sites and a maximum of 100 missiles for each country, and caps were agreed on the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles possessed by each superpower.

Let's check your understanding now.

Which of the following was not agreed as part of the SALT I Treaty? A, the destruction of all nuclear weapons; B, restrictions on ABMs; C, restrictions on long-range missiles; D, rules for the conduct of nuclear war.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said that the correct answer was A.

It was not agreed as part of SALT I that all nuclear weapons would be destroyed.

The ability to agree to SALT I was a clear symbol of rapprochement between the superpowers.

As part of the Basic Principles, the two sides declared that "differences in ideology and in the social systems of the USA and the USSR are not obstacles to the development of normal relations between them." Similarly, the Basic Principles also saw both the USA and USSR agree to do their utmost to avoid military confrontations and to prevent the outbreak of nuclear war, and to negotiate and settle differences by peaceful means.

Let's check your understanding.

Nixon and Brezhnev continued to doubt that communist and capitalist states could cooperate.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said the correct answer was false, but let's try and justify that response.

So on the screen are two justifications.

A says, the Basic Principles stated that "differences in ideology are not obstacles to the development of normal relations." And justification B says, the Basic Principles stated that "differences in language are not obstacles to the development of normal relations." Which of these justifications is correct? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done if you selected justification A.

The Basic Principles, which form part of SALT I, stated that "differences in ideology are not obstacles to the development of normal relations." Well done if you got that correct.

SALT I was celebrated by many people at the time it was signed and welcomed as a sign of US-Soviet Detente.

However, the treaty also had some limitations which led others to criticise it.

Firstly, the restrictions on the numbers of ICBMs and SLBMs were only agreed for an interim five-year period rather than indefinitely.

These restrictions also still left both the USA and USSR with substantial nuclear arsenals.

Both the USA and USSR possessed over 1,000 ICBMs, even after they agreed to the limits of SALT I.

Furthermore, not all arms were covered by the treaty.

Strategic bombers, which were planes designed to bomb distant enemy targets like factories, were not restricted.

Another criticism of SALT I was that some of the latest nuclear weapon technology was not covered by the agreement.

For example, the multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles, or MIRVs, had first been developed by the USA at the beginning of the 1970s and were then quickly produced in the USSR as well.

MIRVs allowed multiple nuclear warheads to be fired from a single missile, creating the potential for far greater devastation than had been possible with early nuclear weapons.

MIRVs were not restricted by any agreements as part of SALT I.

Like the rest of SALT I, the Basic Principles were also criticised.

It was noted that the principles did not state that the superpowers should refuse to use their nuclear weapons in the event of any war between them.

In the event of a nuclear war, many people were sceptical that both sides would stick to the steps and rules agreed to as part of the Basic Principles.

Subsequently, there were some critics who suggested that the superpowers were only really seeking to gain good publicity from the Basic Principles and the rest of SALT I rather than making any meaningful changes.

Let's take a moment to check your understanding.

Which two of the following weapons were not restricted by SALT I? A, ABMs; B, MIRVs; C, SLBMs; or D, strategic bombers? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you selected B and D.

Strategic bombers and multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles, or MIRVs, were not restricted by SALT I.

Let's do another quick check.

Why was the Interim Treaty criticised? A, restrictions on ICBMs and SLBMs only lasted for five years; B, restrictions on ICBMs and SLBMs were removed completely; C, restrictions on ICBMs and SLBMs were designed to favour the USA.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you selected A.

The Interim Treaty was criticised because restrictions on ICBMs and SLBMs only lasted for five years.

Let's do another quick check.

I want you to change one word to correct the following sentence.

So the sentence reads, some critics worried that the Basic Principles would be respected if war actually did break out between the USA and the Soviet Union.

Change one word to correct that sentence.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done for your hard work on that.

The corrected sentence should read, some critics worried that the Basic Principles would be ignored if war actually did break out between the USA and the Soviet Union.

Well done if you got that correct.

We're now ready for the third and final practise task of today's lesson, which is split into two parts.

In this first part, I want you to complete the table by identifying at least two strengths and two weaknesses of SALT I.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see a model answer.

Okay, well done for your hard work on that first part of our final practise task.

You were asked to complete the table by identifying strengths and weaknesses of SALT I.

For strengths you could have written, SALT I was a symbol of superpower rapprochement, it included a promise to try to overcome differences peacefully, and it introduced limits on ABMs, ICBMs, and SLBMs, which moderated the arms race.

In terms of weaknesses you could have written, MIRVs and strategic bombers were not covered by SALT I.

Limits on ICBMs and SLBMs were only temporary.

They were for five years.

And both the US and USSR still possessed large nuclear arsenals.

Very well done for your hard work on that first part of the practise task, and well done if you wrote some of those points into your table.

For this second part of our final practise task there's three statements, and I want you to tell me which statement about the significance of SALT I is most accurate.

Is it SALT I intensified the Cold War, SALT I moderated the Cold War, or SALT I ended the Cold War? I want you to write an answer to this question in which you consider both the strengths and weaknesses of SALT I as part of your answer.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to go through a model response.

Okay, very well done for all of your hard work on that final part of our final practise task.

You were asked which of the statements about SALT I was most accurate.

And your answer may have included: it is most accurate to say that SALT I moderated the Cold War as it introduced restrictions on the arms race and committed the superpowers to cooperate.

For example, the Basic Principles Agreement promised that the USA and the USSR would "do their utmost to settle differences by peaceful means." Meanwhile, the ABM Treaty and the Interim Treaty led to new arms limitations.

SLBMs and ICBMs were capped and each side agreed to develop no more than 100 ABMs. This represented a significant moderation of the expenses and competition previously seen as part of the arms race.

You could go further and say: although there were many strengths to SALT I, it also had weaknesses which meant that it did not end the Cold War.

For instance, only parts of the arms race were moderated because strategic bombers and the latest nuclear technologies, such as MIRVs, were not covered.

Similarly, both superpowers retained substantial nuclear arsenals after SALT I was signed and there was scepticism that the new rules agreed to as part of the Basic Principles would be honoured in wartime.

Therefore, SALT I moderated but did not end the Cold War.

Very well done if the answer you wrote looks similar to the model response that we've just gone through.

We're at the end of our lesson now, so it's a good opportunity for us to stop and recap our key learning points.

The USA and USSR followed a policy of Detente during the 1970s.

Both superpowers wanted to divert spending on the arms race to address domestic problems. The USA also pursued Detente as they thought it would help them to end their involvement in Vietnam.

The SALT I agreement included important limitations on arms and agreements between the USA and the USSR to cooperate.

Although it was an important step forward, SALT I had significant limitations.

For example, not all nuclear weapons were covered by the agreement.

Well done for all of your hard work in today's lesson and for all of your contributions.

It's been a real pleasure to teach you and I hope to teach you again in the near future.