Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils undergo a period study which tells a story about a period that shaped the world we live in today: the Cold War. They look at the key events, developments, people and stories that defined the relationship between the USA and the USSR in this period.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain why there was not a sustained improvement in US-Soviet relations after the Helsinki Accords.

Key Notes

• The Helsinki Accords were an attempt to reach agreement on security, international cooperation and human rights.
• The Helsinki Accords are sometimes considered to be the high-point of Détente.
• Disagreements about human rights were one source of tension between the USA and the USSR after Helsinki.
• By the end of the 1970s, hopes for improved relations between the USA and the USSR had faded.
• The USA and USSR signed SALT II but after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan it was not ratified in the USA.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Détente: the relaxation of tensions between states which were previously hostile towards one another
• accords: formal agreements between two or more parties
• human rights: the basic freedoms and protections that all people are entitled to, simply because they are human
• ratified: when a decision, treaty, or agreement is formally approved and confirmed making it official

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Détente ended suddenly following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Berlin, 1958-61: increased tensions Study Guide
• Berlin, 1961-63: the Berlin Wall Study Guide
• Causes of tension between the USA and USSR by 1945 Study Guide
• Cold War crises, 1958-70 Study Guide
• Détente and SALT I Study Guide
• Gorbachev's 'new thinking' Study Guide
• Reagan and the 'Second Cold War' Study Guide
• Soviet influence over Eastern Europe by 1948 Study Guide
• The Berlin Crisis (1948) Study Guide
• The Cold War arms race Study Guide
• The collapse of the Soviet Union Study Guide
• The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) Study Guide
• The Cuban Revolution and the Bay of Pigs Invasion Study Guide
• The end of the Cold War, 1970-91 Study Guide
• The fall of the Berlin Wall Study Guide
• The Hungarian Uprising (1956) Study Guide
• The impact of the atomic bomb on US-Soviet relations Study Guide
• The origins of the Cold War (1941-58) Study Guide
• The Prague Spring (1968) Study Guide
• The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Study Guide
• The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) Study Guide
• The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan Study Guide