Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI)

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Created by
skye ꨄ

Cards (7)

  • Reagan knew that if the USA increased military spending and supporting anti-communists, they would not be able to compete financially with the USSR
  • In 1983, Reagan announced the SDI program or Star Wars where the US would place satellites into orbit with the capability of shooting down nuclear missiles with powerful lasers
  • Consequently, the SDI would protect the USA from being hit with nuclear weapons, ending M.A.D
  • The SDI system was not operational and stood no realistic chance of becoming so
  • Consequently, the USSR felt that their technology was now becoming redundant. They felt pressurised into spending a huge amount of money in order to try to catch up with the USA
  • Consequently, USA had become far more advanced in computer technologies meaning USSR would have to catch up with this before even contemplating a Soviet version of the SDI. Soviet economy could simply not cope with this
  • Consequently, Gorbachev was heavily influenced by this reality leading to his ’new thinking’ in 1985