Though he largely pursued a policy of peaceful coexistence with the West, the Cuban Missile Crisis began after he positioned nuclear weapons 90 miles from An arms race occurs when two or more countries increase the size and quality of military resources to gain military and political superiority over one another. In June , the simmering tensions between the Soviet Union Berlin, the German capital city, was located deep in the Soviet zone, but it was also divided into four Live TV.
This Day In History. History Vault. Recommended for you. Ping-Pong Diplomacy in China. Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, serving as premier from to With both sides willing to explore accommodation, the early s saw a general warming of relations that was conducive to progress in arms control talks. Then, in , the first round of Strategic Arms Limitations Talks yielded the Antiballistic Missile Treaty along with an interim agreement setting caps on the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles each side could develop.
At mid-decade, in , the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe emerged from two years of intense negotiations to sign the Helsinki Final Act , which recognized political borders, established military confidence building measures, created opportunities for trade and cultural exchange, and promoted human rights.
By the end of the decade, however, cracks had begun to form in the precarious U. The leadership of the two countries signed a second SALT agreement but did not ratify it, although both nations voluntarily adhered to the provisions for reduced limits on strategic weapons for years thereafter. By the time the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in , the spirit of cooperation had been replaced with renewed competition and formal implementation of the SALT II agreement stalled.
In the context of the Cold War, U. While U. In reaction to the Cuban Missile Crisis, a direct telephone line — the so-called red telephone — was installed between the U. White House and the Soviet Kremlin in Moscow allowing leaders of both nations to communicate instantly in order to reduce the risks nuclear war. By the late s, however, both the Soviet and U.
The costs of diverting ever-larger portions of their budgets to military research left both nations facing domestic economic hardships. In the United States, the soaring costs and political fallout of the Vietnam War caused policymakers to see improved relations with the Soviet Union as a helpful step in avoiding similar wars in the future. Signed by 35 nations, the Act addressed a range of global issues with Cold War implications, including new opportunities for trade and cultural exchange, and policies promoting the universal protection of human rights.
Unfortunately, not all, but most good things must end. By the end of the s, the warm glow of U. Instead, both nations agreed to continue to adhere to the arms reduction provisions of the old SALT I pact pending future negotiations. As their relationship continued to erode, it became clear that both the U. President Jimmy Carter angered the Soviets by increasing U.
Reagan revived the B-1 Lancer long-range nuclear bomber program that had been cut by the Carter administration and ordered increased production of the highly mobile MX missile system.
Arms control talks would not resume until Mikhail Gorbachev , being the only candidate on the ballot, was elected president of the Soviet Union in In the face of the mounting costs, Gorbachev agreed to new arms control talks with President Reagan.
Their negotiation resulted in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties of and Since enactment of the START treaties, the number of nuclear weapons controlled by the two Cold War superpowers has been significantly reduced.
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