Download 1970 at a glance

Name: _____________________________________
Date: ___________
The 1970’s at a Glance
Warm-up: If you just got off of a punishment, or maybe just made up with a friend after a
bad fight, what would you try to do initially to improve your relationship with parents or
friends?
Nixon and Détente
Read the attached article, “Détente with Soviet Union and President Nixon” to complete
the following:
Détente - _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
How do US relations with China improve? Why weren’t they better friends with the
Soviet Union?
Explain why US citizens would welcome a détente.
SALT I - _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Draw a picture (it can be stick figure!) of how détente happens. Include the ping pong,
China, the Soviets, and the United States!
Watergate
Participate in the classroom explanation, then answer the questions below:
1. What exactly does “Watergate” refer to? (No – not the building!)
2. How would this event be taken by an American public already increasingly upset
with government?
3. Explain how the end result of this scandal may be a positive effect in the long run.
Détente with Soviet Union and President Nixon
During the course of the Cold War, tensions rose and fell many times. One period of relaxation
developed in the early 1970s and became known as "Détente," a French word meaning
"release of tensions." It was hoped that the new relationship would herald a permanent
improvement in relations between the U.S. and Soviet Union, but differences in outlook led to
an increasing number of conflicts.
Soviet relations with the People's Republic of China
Détente could probably not have taken place, without the rift that developed between the
world's two primary communist powers, the Soviet Union and China. Despite the fear many
Americans had about a big communist team of major countries, the two supposed allies had
never been especially close. Joseph Stalin had not backed Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong) of
China in World War II, and his insistence that China pay cash for weapons during the Korean
War was a source of argument between China and the Soviet Union. By the end of the 1960’s,
China and the Soviet Union grew into an intense rivalry rather than a friendship.
For the US, this was good news, because it meant two things – one: that the biggest Communist
powers in the world would not form a dangerous alliance, and two: that the US could use China
in an attempt to ease tensions with the Soviet Union. President Nixon, seeking to fix the anger
and resentment that people had with the government following Vietnam, saw an opportunity to
be seen as someone who is working towards peace, and away from fighting.
Help in reaching détente came in the most unlikely of ways. A United States ping pong player
became friendly with Chinese players after accidentally boarding a bus with them on board while
at a tournament in Japan. This lead to the Chinese inviting the Americans to play in China which
was the first time any American athletes had been invited to China in nearly thirty years.
Détente and the SALT I agreement
With the United States suddenly in friendly negotiations with China, their biggest rivals, the
Soviet Union, was ready to negotiate towards peace with the US. After weeks of meetings and
talks, Nixon and Soviet premier Leonid Breznev announced that they had agreed to sign the
SALT I Treaty. SALT, or Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, is exactly what it sounds like – an
agreement between both powers to limit the amount of large scale military weapons that each
side was allowed to develop. Each country would drastically cut back on the amount of nuclear
weapons and weapons of other kinds. It did not force either side to reduce the amount of
already existing arms, but it was still a very big victory for Americans who were seeking good
news in a country that had been torn apart by the Vietnam War. The Cold War did not end here,
but détente and the SALT agreement proved that both sides could indeed agree to common
ground.
Above, Forrest Gump plays Ping Pong in China, from the movie, “Forrest Gump,” which
portrayed the exact event explained above in a fictional manner
US Olympic Boycott and Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Afghani Protestors
What does this picture seem to be showing you?
Read the attached article about the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
Judging from the Cold War policy and previous fears of domino theory by the US, what
would you predict is the United States response to an invasion by the Soviet Union on
another country?
Vietnam – now that was a gigantic mess wasn’t it… what should the US do to stop the
Soviet Union but also prevent another huge war?
POWERPOINT:
Why did the US boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics?
Explain why the United States’ absence was meant to put a damper on these games.
Do you agree or disagree that this was a strong message?
GET OFF THE FENCE:
Explain your side, using examples from what you’ve learned!