Détente, French for “relaxation,” is “a process of managing relations with a potentially hostile country in order to preserve peace while maintaining our vital interests,” Henry Kissinger, then U.S. secretary of state, told a Congressional committee in 1974, while warning that such a relationship faces “sharp limits.” 

Why was the détente important?

What was Détente? While Détente did not end the Cold War, it produced some significant achievements. The willingness of both superpowers to communicate led to arms reduction summits, the signing of anti-nuclear proliferation agreements and a reduction in nuclear arms stockpiles.
 

What was the purpose of the policy of détente?

The goal of détente (the easing of tensions between nations) was to continue to resist and deter Soviet adventurism while striving for “more constructive relations” with the Communist world.

Was détente a success or failure?

Answer and Explanation: Ultimately, detente was a success for the West since the Soviet Union dissolved after the end of the Cold War in 1991. In other words, it was a wise foreign policy decision in the long run.

What was the economic motive for détente?

The study concluded that unrestricted trade would be advantageous for the American economy. With the Cold War limiting the trade markets open to American businesses, and strict trade rules only deepening the divide between the East and West, improved economic links provided a strategic step towards détente.
 

How did détente improve relations?

Major achievements included normalisation of the political division of Europe through the establishment of diplomatic relations between the states of East and West Germany in 1972 and the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, which, among other things, recognised a Soviet sphere of influence in East Europe.
 

Why was détente a failure?

As détente broke down, progress on nuclear arms control stalled completely. As their relationship continued to erode, it became clear that both the U.S. and the Soviet Union had overestimated the extent to which détente would contribute to an agreeable and peaceful end of the Cold War.
 

What was the purpose of détente quizlet?

What was the policy of Detente? The policy of détente refers to the time in the 1960s-1970s when the two superpowers eased tension and tried to cooperate to avoid conflict in the Cold War.

Why did détente end the Cold War?

Détente ended after the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, which led to the United States’ boycott of the 1980 Olympics, held in Moscow. Ronald Reagan’s election as president in 1980, based in large part on an anti-détente campaign, marked the end of détente and a return to Cold War tensions.

Why did the US and Soviet Union reach a détente?

After the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, the United States knew that international relations needed to change. With both the US and the USSR stockpiling nuclear weapons, neither country—nor the world—could continue their pattern of ever-heightening political and military tension. The result was détente.
 

How did détente ease tensions?

Détente, French for “lessening of tensions,” marked a relaxing of tensions between the rival nations, exemplified by increased diplomatic, commercial, and cultural contact. Western and Eastern European countries also experienced a détente and better cooperation during this period.