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Vietnam War
President Nixon ordered US troops to go to Cambodia. Nixon’s intentions were not to expand the war, but on the contrary to actually end the war. Unfortunately, his ideal plan did not succeed and it worsened the situation for a while. This ultimately led to more violence because there was a lot of conflict on whether Nixon acted illegally, which created a lot of unrest among the people. -
Primary Source One
Nixon’s Address to the Nation
1. “To protect our men who are in Vietnam and to guarantee the continued success of our withdrawal and Vietnamization programs, I have concluded that the time has come for action.”- “I have rejected all political considerations in making this decision.”
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Non Aggression Pact
Non Aggression Pact, (The Treaty of Moscow), was made between West Germany and the Soviet Union. Both sides decided to abandon their uses of weapons, bringing peace among them. Both sides desired peace between themselves and other European countries, and were very ambitious about the situation. They also decided to recognize the World War II borders, which really emphasized the extent of the division. In the end, the Non Aggression Pact, created more peace and contentment within the Soviets. -
Four Power Agreement Berlin
The Four Power Agreement made between Russia (Soviet Union), America, Great Britain and the France Republic. Ambassadors from each one of the four places came to represent their country. They reconfirmed the rights and responsibilities of those countries with regard to Berlin. Although it was just an agreement (not a treaty), this agreement was still able to bring peace, just like a treaty would. -
Agreement to reduce risk of Nuclear war
United States and the Soviet Union signed an Agreement on Measures to Reduce the Risk of Outbreak of Nuclear War on September 30, 1971. It provided for nuclear safeguards, immediate notification of an unexplained nuclear detonation, and advance notice of missile launches. They also agreed to improve the hotline. This ultimately brought peace among them, as they settled on an agreement among themselves. -
Richard Nixon Visits the Soviet Union
Richard Nixon becomes the first US president to visit the Soviet Union. Nixon had already visited the Soviet Union once in 1959, but visited once again in 1972. He had several meetings with the Soviet, and conversed with Brezhnev. This ultimately brought great amounts of peace between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. They came to several agreements, one of which was the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty, which was the most significant conclusion the U.S. and and Soviet Union made on Nixon’s trip. -
SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
This was the first of a two part treaty signed in 1972, it was a complex agreement that resulted in the regulation of anti-ballistic missiles that could theoretically be used to destroy incoming missiles by the other power. They added a limitation to strategic offensive weapons. This showed progress toward agreement between the US and the Soviet Union. Although this did not lead to direct peace, it was an agreement made that was important in the US and the USSR eventually getting to peace. -
Primary Source Two
Direct quotes from the SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty:
"Have agreed as follows:
Article I
The Parties undertake not to start construction of additional fixed land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers after July 1, 1972.
Article II
The Parties undertake not to convert land-based launchers for light ICBMs, or for ICBMs of older types deployed prior to 1964, into land-based launchers for heavy ICBMs of types deployed after that time." -
Announcement of Vietnam War Ending
Nixon announces the Vietnam War will end on January 28 and troops will be removed within 60 days. This war was between communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam and during this was the US and the Soviet union took sides respectively. This brought about even more tension between the Soviet Union and the US and this war is often seen as a small war within the larger cold war. The end of this war could have somewhat soothed tensions and was a stepping stone towards peace. -
The Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords ended American involvement in Vietnam.
It was a document signed by the US and North Vietnam and a separate document signed by South Vietnam. This was because South Vietnam would not recognize the Viet Cong government so they needed a separate document. These accords were important since they made foreign troops actually leave instead of people just saying the war was over. This was again a step towards less violence between the US and the Soviet Union. -
Richard Nixon Resigns from Presidency
Richard Nixon former US president from 1969 to 1974 resigned from presidency because he was facing certain impeachment from his involvement in the watergate scandal. This event was very important because Nixon had done much with the cold war conflict and trying to make peace. He singed many documents dealing with this and it would be a challenge for whoever came next to learn the ways of dealing with this war. Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_DrUaJEBtE -
The United States and East Germany establish diplomatic relations
In 1974 the United states and East Germany established diplomatic relations by the US recognizing the German Diplomatic Government known then as the GDR. This showed that the US was trying at this point to make some sort of step towards peace. They recognized the communist section of Germany, this could have encourage the Soviet Union to maybe begin to negotiate more and eventually make peace with the United States. -
Most Significant Event
The most significant event during this time would be Richard Nixon resigning. Not only was he the first United States president to resign, but he resigned during a very important time when tensions were high between the US and Soviet Union. During this part of the cold war Nixon has made many agreements and decisions that would impact America greatly. So the fact that he was leaving the US could have been detrimental for them in the cold war, although nothing disastrous happened right away. -
Most Significant Person
The most important figure during between 1970-74 was President Nixon. Nixon resigned because he would otherwise be impeached, but he established more than other figures during the time period. He understood the thought process behind the communist countries, and he exploited the tension between the Soviet Union and other communist countries, such as China. Nixon was the first president to visit the Soviet Union (and China). He established diplomatic relationships with areas during his visit.
