1. Cold War Thaws Chapter 17 Section 5
U.S. and the U.S.S.R. begin to cooperate

2. Nikita Khrushchev
Becomes the Soviet leader after Stalin’s death in 1953.
Criticized Stalin for jailing and killing Soviet citizens.
Destalinization-purging Stalin’s memory from Soviet society

3. Destalinization The Hungarian Uprising
10/1956: the Hungarian army joined the people in an overthrow of the Soviet controlled government
The people declared that no one wanted Communism
Imre Nagy formed a new liberal government, promised free elections, and demanded the Soviet troops leave
The Soviet sent tanks, and troops into Budapest to stop the uprising
A new pro-Soviet government was installed and Nagy was executed

4. Leonid Brezhnev
Khrushchev lost prestige because of the Cuban missile crisis.
Replaced by Leonid Brezhnev
Basic human rights strictly limited

5. Revolt in Czechoslovakia
1968: Alexander Dubcek loosened the controls on censorship
The period of new thought became known as the Prague Spring
To stop the reforms in Czechoslovakia, troops from the Soviet block nations invaded
Brezhnev said the Soviets had the right to stop its satellites from rejecting Communism
This became known as the Brezhnev doctrine

6. The Soviet – Chinese Split
Mao & Stalin signed a 30 year treaty of friendship in 1950
The Chinese began to split from the Soviets in world affairs
They began to spread their own brand of Communism
1959, Khrushchev punished the Chinese by ending the sharing of technical aid, including nuclear weapons

7. Brinkmanship 1960 U-2 incident 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
1960’s-1970’s Vietnam War

8. Brinkmanship
Brinkmanship had led the world to one terrifying close call after another
After the problems in Vietnam the US backed away from brinkmanship and moved toward Détente
Détente: a policy of lessoning Cold War tensions
President Nixon also uses a policy of Realpolitik
Realistic politics
Dealing with the powerful nations of the world because they were powerful, not based on their ideologies

9. Détente
President Richard Nixon becomes the first U.S. President to visit Communist China (1972).
Nixon also becomes the first President to visit the U.S.S.R. since the beginning of the Cold War.

10. SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
President Carter and Brezhnev sign SALT II in 1979
U.S. Congress refused to ratify SALT II after the U.S.S.R. invaded Afghanistan

11. Ronald Reagan Takes office in 1981 and moves away from détente
1983 announces SDI-strategic defense initiative
Becomes known as Star Wars
Tensions also increased with confrontations in Nicaragua
1985: new Soviet leadership will bring policies that will lead to a true thaw in the Cold War