Detente in the 1970s

• SALT 1 slowed down the arms race by reducing number of ICBMs and SLBMs each country could have and led to further negotiations in SALT 2 in 1979
• SALT 1 ensured that neither side had an advantage of nuclear weapons, slowing down the arms race
• However, SALT 1 did not restrict intermediate nuclear weapons, which both sides continued to deploy in Europe
• Détente had limits. Superpowers still targeted nuclear weapons at each other and competed for influence. Also, the Soviet Union didn't honour the human rights agreements from the Helsinki Agreements.
• SALT 2 was supposed to add further restrictions on missile launches and more bans on testing. It was not signed after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, which broke principles of detente and make USA no longer trust the USSR
• Restrictions on SALT 1:

  • Anti ballistic missile treaty - ABMs only allowed at two sites
  • Interim treaty - Restricted ICBMS and SLBMS a country could have
• SALT 1 made sure there was no uncertainty of superpowers attacking eachother and demonstrated better relations publicly, however it was unlikely that a signed paper would prevent a nuclear war
• Baskets of the helsinki agreements:

  • Basket 1: European borders cannot be altered by force
  • Basket 2: Joint USA and USSR space mission
  • Basket 3: Human rights in communist satellite states
• The helsinki accords led to less stuff to argue about between superpowers e.g. space missions, human rights.

  However this lead to more democratic or capitalist ideologies, which could lead to disobedience from the USSR