Since the explosion of the first Soviet nuclear bomb in 1949 and the Hydrogen bomb in 1953, both the East and West had been tied in an arms race attempting to secure a military advantage over the other. This bought the fear that another world war, again with Europe its main arena, a distinct possibility. The events of the Cuban missile crisis bought home to the two sides that an arms race was not a solution, and that they need to come to some agreements that would attempt to avert the chance of a heating up of the situation. The results of this was that the 1970s came to be known as a period of détente, signifying a period of the reduction of tension amongst the East and West and a subsequent reduction in the possibility of another war breaking out. The search for peace also bought several agreements on arms limitation, and some much needed stability to the post war boundaries of Europe with the settling of the Oder-Neisse line and West Germany recognising the East German state. This period lasted up until 1979 when the Soviets deployed their new SS20missiles in East Germany forcing an acceleration in the arms race and the spread

The Cuban paradox led the two superpowers to reach a number of limited agreements that would set the pace for a period of ‘thawing’ in the Cold War. In 1963 an agreement in Geneva provided for the establishment of a ‘hot line’ , a direct telephone link between the White House and the Kremlin, and was designed for use in emergencies such as the Cuban missile crisis. In 1963 Britain, America and the Soviet Union signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty, limiting the testing of nuclear arms to underground. This was the first nuclear arms treaty, and although negligible in its effect, it paved way for other agreements designed to limit or even reduce the arms race and subsequently acknowledged their mutual interest in self preservation.

In 1961, Raymond Aron had written that the US and the Soviets were frĕres enemis, friends as well as enemies. What Raymond Aron’s paradox implies that even though they were in opposition, the nuclear forces they both maintained had the potential to ensure mutual destruction, and the best way to ensure mutual survival would be to be able to reach some agreements.

The relations in East and West in the 70s provided a hope for a better future across Europe. The settling of territorial boundaries, and the slowing down of deployment of weapons across Europe helped to stabilise relations and led to the belief of better times ahead for all. But unfortunately with the deployment of SS20 missiles and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the belief that the Soviets were content in their sphere of influence withered and saw an increase in the arms race with both sides again trying to out do the other.

West Germany also made a major contribution to the relaxation of Soviet America relations through its Ostpolitik (Eastern policy). In 1955 the then West German foreign minister, Walter Hallstein, laid down the policy that came to be known as the Hallstein Doctrine. This meant that West Germany refused to recognise East Germany, and undertook to break off all diplomatic relations with any states that did so. The first departure from this policy occurred in 1967 when Willie Brandt, the then Foreign Minister for West Germany, established diplomatic relations with Romania and Yugoslavia, who both recognised the government in East Germany. Willie Brandt was later to become Chancellor at the head of a new government in 1969, and soon after his accession, he was to embark upon Ostpolitik, recognising the East German government, accepting the new Polish frontier along the Oder-Neisse line, and improved relations between the West Germans and the Soviets. The success of any agreements was dependent upon the Soviets, and West German negotiations with the Soviets culminated in the Treaty of Moscow of 1970. In this treaty, both parties agreed that their objectives lay within peace and the relaxation of tensi

Some topics in this essay:
East West, Soviet Union, Ban Treaty, President Kennedy, Talks SALT1, Americans Soviets, Raymond Aron’s, Western Europe, Cold War, Albania Canada, arms race, east west, soviet union, west germany, territorial boundaries, missile crisis, east germany, cuban missile crisis, intermediate range, nuclear war, western europe, acceleration arms race, respective nuclear arsenals, recognising east german, full-scale nuclear war,