The+role+of+the+USSR+after+1970


 * USSR and the US relations**

USSR began to encounter severe economic turmoil as a result of trying to keep up with the Americans growing arsenal. They slashed their defence in order to reach Western living standards. Poor finances resulted in political discontent in Eastern Europe, destabilizing the region.

The Americans were becoming impatient with the Russians and exploring new ways of coping with them, even suggesting isolationism.

The Chinese were upset with the USSR and was more inclined towards isolating itself.

Western European countries tried to improve relations with Eastern Europe because they were most threatened if nuclear war broke out. Ostpolitik, promoted by Willy Brandt, appeared.

Under Brezhnev, in 1972, the SALT Treaty limiting ICBMs, and SLBMs but there was no agreement about MIRVs in which the American arsenal were superior. SALT 2 was not accepted by the US because the Russians had bellingerently deployed missiles at the Western European frontier. This resulted in a small build up of arms by the border of Western Europe.

1973 USSR helps forcing N. Vietnam to stop the Vietnam war and sign a peace treaty.

1975 Helsinki Agreements, which involves the acceptance of frontiers drawn up after WW2. European communist countries promised their people human rights and the right to leave their countries.

Only 4% of the nuclear arsenals were scrapped. Half the 1980s was spent building up nuclear arsenals. Gorbachev helped dètente on the way due to his liberal policies.


 * Russo-Sino relations**

Russian relations with China deteriorated further during the seventies as they had largely done after Stalin's death in 1956 and Krushchev's Secret Speech denouncing some of the late leader's actions and policies. Their diplomatic relations had been severed in 1963.

Chinese relations with the US began improving in the 1970s marked by Nixon's 1972 visit to China. This was in contrast to China's initial stance against 'peaceful coexistence' proposed by Krushchev. They had previously tried to spread revolution (Vietnam, Malaya). The aim of restoring China's pride as a great power and the fear of war with the USSR was eventually prioritized.

Russian relations with China were weakened with the Paris Peace Accords signed by Vietnam in 1973 which led Vietnam into a closer relation with Russia. China and Vietnam had experienced cordial relations prior to 1973 (commencing from the 1950s) with Chinese aid in food, engineer battalions, and weapons assisting the Vietnamese in their war against the colonial French. After the Paris Peace Accords China began supporting Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, which lead minor invasions into the country. The tensions between the two countries continued to escalate with armed border disputes in the 1980s.

Russia had refused to repatriate formerly Chinese territory of the Sinkiang province conquered in the 19th century despite requests.

The Chinese were upset with the Soviet presence in Afghanistan in 1979 and into the 1980s and were concerned over the Russian troop build up by the Russo-Sino border.

Gorbachev attempted to reconcile with China in the 1980s with five year agreements on trade and economic cooperation in 1985. Contact was made intermittently after this making it the first formal contact between the countries since 1963. Gorbachev visited Beijing in 1989.