Q. Détente marked a temporary thaw in the Cold War, but the fundamental rivalry between the superpowers remained unresolved. Discuss the causes and consequences of Détente. (15 marks)
How to Approach
Explain what détente was, cover its causes clearly, assess consequences, and explain why it remained temporary.
Answer
Détente refers to the deliberate relaxation of tensions between the US and USSR during the 1970s, a period of negotiated coexistence replacing direct confrontation without resolving the fundamental ideological and strategic rivalry underlying the Cold War.
Causes of Détente
Three factors drove both superpowers toward accommodation.
First, nuclear parity by the late 1960s meant both sides had achieved Mutually Assured Destruction, making direct conflict irrational. Bernard Brodie's logic applied directly: nuclear weapons made war unwinnable, pushing rivals toward diplomacy. Thomas Schelling's “threat that leaves something to chance” further explains why both sides preferred negotiation over risking uncontrollable escalation.
Second, economic exhaustion in Vietnam drained American resources while Soviet economic stagnation demanded reduced military spending.
Third, China's emergence as an independent power created strategic incentives. Nixon's 1972 opening to China pressured the USSR toward accommodation, fearing Sino-American alignment against Soviet interests.
Consequences of Détente
Détente produced significant institutional outcomes. SALT I (1972) and SALT II (1979) placed limits on nuclear arsenals, establishing the first arms control framework between superpowers.
The Helsinki Accords (1975) recognised European borders while introducing human rights commitments that paradoxically strengthened dissident movements within the Soviet bloc.
Waltz argued that bipolarity remained structurally stable throughout and détente simply managed rather than transformed the underlying power competition.
Why It Remained Temporary
Soviet intervention in Angola (1975) and Afghanistan (1979) demonstrated that strategic rivalry continued beneath diplomatic accommodation. Reagan's military buildup confirmed détente was a tactical adjustment rather than genuine reconciliation.
Détente demonstrated that rival powers can manage conflict through institutional frameworks without resolving root causes, a lesson equally relevant to contemporary US-China rivalry.
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