What is the answer to ending a war that has dragged on for decades? Détente, or the easing of hostility between two powers aimed at putting an end to the tensions that existed between Soviet Russia and the United States by using treaties and peaceful negotiations. Ultimately, though many could argue the it was ineffective, the role that détente played in finalizing the war that had dragged on for years. In my paper, I will illustrate the key reasons as to why détente assisted in hastening the end of the Cold War. Détente, and the desire of both sides, Soviet and American, to ease the strain between the two fueled The SALT I treaty, or Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. The pact was agreed upon and ratified in 1972 by the Nixon administration …show more content…
I feel this fact is vastly overlooked because the ideological oppositions in the war was a major player in its existence in general. owing to that fact, the Gorbachev administration, who came into power in 1985 began to implement programs to rejuvenate the soviet economy, as it was severely lacking. The Glasnost and Perestroika initiatives opened up incentives for Soviet citizens as well as provided the once shackled eastern bloc and Soviet citizens new freedoms they never previously possessed (The End). Lowered barriers allowed for access to printed materials and the greater opportunity for travel, which in turn brought new understanding to Soviet officials, and helped to establish the “new methods of thinking” that characterized the Gorbachev administration (Détente). Very accurately put, Freedom is very addictive (The End), and not many that experience such a thing are quick to go back to previously restrictive regulations. Détente had come to an end as Nixon envisioned it with the beginning of Reagan’s presidency. Americans felt strongly about its failure due to the fact that détente of the 1970s did not bring a full end to the tensions that existed throughout the war (Détente). Yet the effects of détente influenced the actions of nations to change in a manner so potent, it tipped the scale and catalyzed the end of the