Notesale: Turn your study into money

Document Preview

Extracts from the notes are below, to see the PDF you'll receive please use the links above

---

Reagan, Bush 41, and the end of the Cold War 1981-1992
...

Reagan and Gorbachev - the role of great men, or great women in history
...

Improvement in relations - but also the role of Bush Senior
...

How and why did the Cold War end?
When did the Cold War end - the fall of the Berlin Wall 9th November 1989
...

Why was the end of the Cold War so rapidly followed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union - December
1991
...

•
•
•
•
•

Historiography:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Continued debate on reasons for end of Cold War and contribution of Ronald Reagan
...

Both parties assume superiority of US beliefs “democracy and freedom” over Soviet communism
...

NB - Russian perspective - Vladislav Zubok - argues that the soviet union collapsed from within
...


Reagan’s foreign policy:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Growth of federal government led to socialism and took away freedom of the people
...

Us should not attempt ‘enslavement’ of peoples behind Iron curtain as a result of the CW
...

Advocated going beyond the policy of containment - this was too much of an acceptance of Soviet
dominance of Eastern Europe
...

Criticism of detente
...

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Carter weakened by domestic problems and Iran hostage crisis of 1979-80
Reagan highly critical of Carter’s foreign policy 1977-81 - especially its alleged weakness towards Soviet
Union - too many concessions
...

• In the 1980 election Reagan used the term ‘peace through strength’ to describe his foreign policy
...

• Need to build up US defences in order to negotiate with Soviet Union from a position of strength
...

• Use in 1980 - argued that the US had lost ground to the Soviet Union in 1970s and military buildup
required
...


First term: 1981 - 85
...

• Events and rhetoric - the world was moving closer to some form of conflict
...

• US defence budget increased military spending (Feb 1982)
• Reagan policy criticised by Soviet Union as war mongering
...

• Strategic Defence Initiative - Star Wars - announced in March 1983
...

• Soviet Union - wanted the US to give up the idea of the SDI
...

• SDI condemned by Soviet leader, Yuri Andropov (who had succeeded Brezhnev in Nov 1982)
• Reagan denounced shooting down of Korean airliner Flight 007 in Sept 1983
...

• Able Archer Crisis Nov 1983 - Soviet view that Reagan might be using large scale NATO exercise as cover
for surprise nuclear attack (Oleg Gordievsky
...

• Visit to China (put more pressure on the Soviets in April 1984)
• Los Angeles Olympics boycotted by the Soviets (July 1984)
• Reagan re-elected by landslide in Nov 1984 (49 states)
• Feb 1985 - State of Union addressed included:
• Reagan doctrine - in favour of the US supporting ‘freedom fighters’ to combat the Soviet backed
communist regime and groups
...

• Gorbachev & Soviet Situation - Became Soviet leader in March 1985
...
Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko, old regime
from original era dying out
...
Gerontocracy
• Soviet economy ailing from inefficiency and strain of military budget - Afghanistan and amor space with
USA
...

• May 1985 speech - need for reform to save socialism
...

• Transition to a new approach was not instantaneous - took a period of 2 -3 years
...

Reagan - Gorbachev Relationship:
Thatcher - I like Mr Gorbachev, we can do business together
...

Meeting at Geneva - Nov 1985 established good relations
...

Brandenburg Gate - 12 June 1987 - Reagan speech at the Brandenburg gate
...

• encouragement of Gorbachev to continue attempts to improve relations
...

Visit to Washington produced INF treaty (intermediate range nuclear forces) December 1987
...

7 Dec 1988 - Landmark speech at the UN - heralded the end of the Cold War before Reagan left office
...

• Said he would reduce significantly troops in Asia and threat to China
...

•
•
•
•
•

Reagan’s farewell address:
• My view is that President Gorbachev is different from previous Soviet Leaders
...

• Gorbachev knows some of the things wrong with his society and is trying to fix them
...

Good foreign policy background - had been Reagan’s main rival in 1980
...

New breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn
...

We will continue our new closeness with the Soviet union, consistent with our own security and progress
...

Gorbachev - end of the Brezhnev doctrine in July 1989
...

9 Nov 1989 - fall of the Berlin wall
...

December 1989 - formal meeting announcing the end of the CW
...

“New world order 1990”
Aug 1990 - Iraqi invasion of Kuwait ordered by Saddam Hussein - UN condemned action
...

New world order - through closeness and cooperation - to emerge from the Persian Gulf crisis
...

August Coup - 1991 - importance - Old Guard - attempt to overthrow Gorbachev- reforms and concessions
- hard liners and those seeking more radical reform - attempt in Moscow to undermine Gorbachev’s
position
...

25 December 1991 - Gorbachev resigned as the Soviet President,
26 December 1991 - Formal dissolution of the Soviet Union
...

Yeltsin was unpredictable figure - became replacement
...

• Yeltsin became President of Russia - empaled from rapid transition from Socialism to capitalism in Russia,
Russian GDP declined by 50% from 1989 to 1993
...

• Yeltsin years - led to economic and social turmoil in Russia, and reaction against the US in 1990s - led in
turn to the rise of Vladimir Putin
...

Reagan open to negotiation with Gorbachev
...

Peaceful end of Cold War owed to both sides
...




---