Hotline established between the White House (Washington) and the Kremlin (Moscow) to allow discussion in times of crisis.
The Cuban crisis had shown that although Mutually Assured Destruction had been a key component of peace for some time after the second world war, it was easy for the USA and Soviet Union leaders to lose control, putting the whole world at risk of war as a devastating war could seemingly break out by accident.
Ostpolitik
1969: Willy Brandt was elected chancellor of West Germany and he aimed to improve the relations between the East and the West in a policy of 'Ostpolitik'
European nations began to follow his lead, improving their relations with Eastern European nations, which helped to boost détente and led to a thawing of relations.
