The Effect of Detente on the Cold War free essay sample

The end of WWII brought profound happiness to the hearts of the people whose lives were affected by the war. Hitler had committed suicide, and the cruel horrors of the Holocaust were finally over. Though Europe was tired of fighting, a new conflict soon spread farther from Europe, to affect the whole world. The Soviet Union and the United States went head to head, in a silent struggle over political difference, mainly the spread of communism. From 1945 till the collapse of the U. S. S. R. , the United States and Europe sought various methods to stop the spread of Soviet Communism. From containment to brinkmanship, to the Truman Doctrine and NATO, Detente had the overall best effect to stop the Cold War. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of Detente on the Cold War or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Starting after the Vietnam War, Detente changed relationships in Europe, calmed down the Cold War, and helped bring back real peace to the world. Although Detente crumbled, it helped bring an end to the Cold War. Soon after the United States interfered with the spread of communism in Vietnam, the country faced many internal conflicts that eventually led them to seek out Detente. Detente first appeared as an idea by President Richard Nixon, which would help calm the Cold War. Dealing with other nations in a flexible manner was a concept of Detente, and was used in Europe, by the West German Chancellor, Willy Brandt. Brandt visited Poland’s Warsaw Ghetto and asked for forgiveness of what Germany had done under Hitler’s control during WWII. This act of peace ultimately changed the hearts of the European countries and the United States. After this act, West Germany signed treaties with the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia that affirmed state boundaries in return for the use of no force. Both of these acts turned the tides of the Cold War. The countries of Europe finally realized that there was no use participating in a war that never even started. Another major key concept of Detente was to calm things down, not only with the Soviet Union, but with other nations as well. President Nixon put this into practice by becoming the first U. S. president to visit Communist China. Nixon also paid many visits to the Soviet Union and came up with the SALT 1 treaty, which limited the number of missiles and arms a country could have. These visits calmed down tensions and made people believe that the Cold War would soon come to an end. Although Cold War tensions were finally calmed down, problems aroused that threatened peace. In June 1972, spies broke into the Democratic Party headquarters under President Nixon’s command, trying to retrieve government documents. Nixon was caught, and forced to resign. After this incident, Congress did not authorize U. S. help in Vietnam, after North Vietnam launched an attack on South Vietnam. North Vietnam successfully took over the south and united them under a communist dictatorship. These events turned the tides of Detente, and ultimately led to its crumble. The United States was dealing with their own crisis, and the last thing they wanted to deal with was foreign affairs. Although Detente was over, it went on to greatly effect how countries would deal with the Cold War. Although Detente ended before seeing any real progress, it ultimately succeeded in the long run. Detente was different from other methods because it did not ignore problems or simply let them happen. Under Detente, countries made treaties and conferences that ultimately put a face to the Cold War. By using Detente, tensions between communist and noncommunist countries calmed down and in the future disappeared along with the Soviet Union. The Cold War, although silent, had a great affect on countries after the Second World War. The United States and many other countries tired various methods to try to stop the spread of Communism. Out of all those methods, Detente ultimately had the greatest effect on stopping Cold War conflicts. Although detente crumbled, it influenced how communist countries treated other noncommunist countries. By changing relationships between countries, calming Cold War tensions, detente helped bring the Cold War to an end. This policy not only wanted to calm down tensions, and end the Cold War, but it sought out something that Europe and the whole world needed the most, real lasting peace.