Changing US relations with the Soviet Union
The 1980s saw the The political tension and competition for power that existed between the communist East and the democratic West after World War Two. The two sides did not ever go to war. intensify after the The group of 15 communist republics formed from the Russian Empire after the revolution of 1917. invasion of Afghanistan. Additionally, a new nuclear A competition between America and the USSR to build more destructive and a higher number of nuclear weapons. began once Ronald Reagan had taken over as US president from Jimmy Carter.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan bordered the Soviet Union in Asia. In April 1978, Supporters of the communist movement or party. in Afghanistan had taken over the government by force, using violence and killing its Muslim leaders. By 1979, the A militant Islamic group who fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. had been formed by Muslims who follow a very strict interpretation of Islamic teachings. to wage Personal individual struggle against evil while following the way of Allah. It can also be collective defence of the Muslim community. against the communist government. In December 1979, Leonid Brezhnev, the leader of the Soviet Union, sent 50,000 Soviet troops to protect the communists. After years of improving relations between the USA and the Soviet Union, this was a shocking development. The Soviet Union鈥檚 actions were immediately condemned by the USA, China and the The successor to the League of Nations, the United Nations was established in 1945 as an international organisation designed to keep peace, uphold international law and set standards in human rights.
President Carter鈥檚 response
President Carter was very firm in his response to the invasion as it threatened India and Pakistan, which were America鈥檚 allies in the region. The invasion was also a potential threat to oil supplies from the Area of sea to between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In 1979, America was concerned this would be under threat from the Soviet Union if its invasion of Afghanistan succeeded.
In response to the invasion, Carter:
- said the USA would use military force to protect its allies and the resources in the Persian Gulf
- gave financial support to the USA鈥檚 allies in the region
- asked the A chamber of the United States Congress, which together with the House of Representatives, makes up the legislature of the United States. to delay agreeing to SALT II
- ordered US companies to stop selling technology, eg computers, in the Soviet Union
- To refuse to take part in, buy or use something in order to show disapproval or bring about a change. the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, and encouraged other countries to do the same - in response, the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles
In the longer term, the USA began Operation Cyclone to provide weapons and money to the Mujahideen so that they could fight a A type of warfare that involves frequent attacks on larger enemy forces. war against the Soviet troops. In 1989, with costs and casualties rising, the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan.
Reagan and the continuation of the Cold War
Ronald Reagan鈥檚 presidency saw several significant changes in relations between the USA and the Soviet Union. When he became president in 1981, Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union increased. However, after a few years, relations between the USA and the Soviet Union improved.
The 鈥榚vil empire鈥
President Reagan was determined that the USA would win the Cold War.
- He believed in taking a tougher stance and was not interested in d茅tente.
- He was much less diplomatic in how he talked about the Soviet Union.
- He used phrase 鈥榚vil empire鈥 to describe the Soviet Union in his speeches.
The new arms race and the Strategic Defense Initiative
Reagan immediately increased military spending to a level that even the USA, the richest country in the world at the time, would struggle to pay. A new arms race began as weapons such as the Pershing A missile guided towards its target by a computer system. were developed. These weapons were not covered by the SALT agreements of the 1970s, so the USA was free to develop them.
At the same time, further arms limitation talks continued in Geneva, Switzerland. However, Reagan argued that the USA would not be giving up any of its weapons even though the Soviet Union should be giving up more of its weapons.
The The American plan in the 1980s to use lasers fired from satellites to shoot down nuclear missiles; also known as Reagan鈥檚 Star Wars programme. (SDI) was Reagan鈥檚 plan to protect the USA from a Soviet nuclear attack. This would involve sending satellites into space armed with lasers to shoot down nuclear missiles before they could get to America. Some people in the media labelled the SDI Star Wars after the science fiction film.
The US government was spending trillions of dollars on weapons development. In contrast, the Soviet Union had limited funds to put towards either replacing its ageing, outdated weapons or researching and developing new weapons. Its space and computer technology also was not as developed as that of the USA.