GCSE · History · AQA · Spec 8145
Détente and SALT 1
A US president flies to Moscow and signs an arms treaty. Sounds like the Cold War just ended. It didn't. Let's open the treaty up and see why.
History · SALT 1 under the microscope
Which part of SALT 1 is it? Or is it not in SALT 1 at all?
Pick a provision, then pick where it belongs. One category is for things people assume were in SALT 1 but weren't.
Still to sort
ABM Treaty (0)
Limits on ABMs
Interim Treaty (0)
Caps on certain missiles, for a set period
Basic Principles Agreement (0)
Aims and rules for how the superpowers would behave
Not in SALT 1 (0)
Assumed to be there. It wasn't.
Where the line is: If a provision isn't one of the three agreements' contents, it belongs here, however natural it sounds.
English Lit · Paragraph craft
Turn your judgement into a paragraph
Tap each slot to see the job it does, then tap again to see a model sentence. The evidence is the same evidence you just weighed.
SALT 1 · How far did it change the Cold War?
Tap a slot to fill or empty it.
Selected slot
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WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED
A quick recap of today's lesson.
A US president signs an arms treaty in Moscow. Did the Cold War just change, or only look like it?
What you need to know
- Détente means a relaxation of tensions between the superpowers.
- Rapprochement means friendlier relations between former enemies, shown through state visits and arms agreements.
Have a goYour friend Sam says: 'Détente means the USA and USSR became best mates.' Using only what you've just read, what's the fix?
Détente is a relaxation of tensions. Friendlier relations is rapprochement.
Easing tension is a smaller claim than friendship, and neither word says the rivalry has gone.
- In 1972 Nixon spent a week in Moscow with Brezhnev, the first US president to visit the Soviet capital.
- His stated aim was to moderate a wasteful and dangerous arms race, and SALT 1 was signed during the visit, after years of talks.
- SALT 1 was three agreements: the ABM Treaty, the Interim Treaty and the Basic Principles Agreement.
- The ABM Treaty allowed two ABM sites and a maximum of 100 ABM missiles; the Interim Treaty capped ICBMs and SLBMs for five years.
Have a goThe Interim Treaty has 'interim' in its name. What does that word suggest about how long its limits were meant to last?
Not for ever: its limits were set for five years.
'Interim' means temporary. The caps on ICBMs and SLBMs were a time-limited step, not a permanent settlement.
- The Basic Principles Agreement set aims of cooperation, rules for the conduct of nuclear war and steps to avoid conflict.
- It also said ideology need be no obstacle to normal relations, and it promised to settle differences peacefully.
- Bombers and MIRVs (a single missile carrying several warheads) were not restricted, and there was no agreement to remove all nuclear weapons.
Have a goJo says: 'The treaty capped missiles, so MIRVs must have been capped too.' Is Jo right?
No. MIRVs were not restricted.
A MIRV is a single missile carrying several warheads, and SALT 1 left it outside the limits, whatever it capped elsewhere.
- Both sides kept over 1,000 ICBMs, and US–Soviet rivalry continued after 1972.
The big picture
In 1972 the superpowers eased tensions and made friendlier gestures, and SALT 1 was the headline result. It capped some weapons for five years and committed both sides to cooperate. But it left bombers and MIRVs alone, and the rivalry carried on.
Key points
Worked example
Problem
Describe two features of Nixon's visit to the Soviet Union in 1972.
⚠ Watch out
Treating détente, SALT 1 and peace as one thing. Détente eased tension and SALT 1 limited some weapons, but there was no agreement to remove all nuclear weapons and the rivalry continued after 1972.
Memory hook
Handshake in Moscow, loopholes in the small print.
Check yourself
Without scrolling up, say what SALT 1 limited and what it left out, then finish this sentence in your own words: 'SALT 1 moderated ... but it did not ...'
Flashcards
(12)Détente
Rapprochement
What was the stated aim of Nixon's 1972 Moscow visit?
What were the three agreements that made up SALT 1?
What did the ABM Treaty limit?
What did the Interim Treaty cap, and for how long?
Name three things set out in the Basic Principles Agreement.
MIRV
Which weapons did SALT 1 leave unrestricted?
How many ICBMs did each side still have after SALT 1?
Did SALT 1 include an agreement to remove all nuclear weapons?
In one sentence: how far did SALT 1 change the Cold War?
Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.
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