The Helsinki Accords and SALT II
I can explain why there was not a sustained improvement in US-Soviet relations after the Helsinki Accords.
The Helsinki Accords and SALT II
I can explain why there was not a sustained improvement in US-Soviet relations after the Helsinki Accords.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The Helsinki Accords were an attempt to reach agreement on security, international cooperation and human rights.
- The Helsinki Accords are sometimes considered to be the high-point of Détente.
- Disagreements about human rights were one source of tension between the USA and the USSR after Helsinki.
- By the end of the 1970s, hopes for improved relations between the USA and the USSR had faded.
- The USA and USSR signed SALT II but after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan it was not ratified in the USA.
Common misconception
Détente ended suddenly following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is normally considered to mark the end of Détente but US-Soviet tensions had been increasing since 1975 due to conflict over human rights issues and increased Soviet support for communist groups around the world.
Keywords
Détente - the relaxation of tensions between states which were previously hostile towards one another
Accords - formal agreements between two or more parties
Human rights - the basic freedoms and protections that all people are entitled to, simply because they are human
Ratified - when a decision, treaty, or agreement is formally approved and confirmed making it official
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
European borders
international cooperation
human rights