Détente

(noun)

French for "relaxation," détente is the easing of tense relations, particularly in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of geo-political tensions between the Soviet Union and the US, which began in 1971 and ended in 1980.

Related Terms

Examples of Détente in the following topics:

  • Détente and Human Rights

    • Détente was a period in U.S.
    • The most important treaties of détente were developed when the Nixon Administration came into office in 1969.
    • There is debate among historians as to how successful the détente period was in achieving peace.
    • Détente ended after the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, which led to America's boycott in the 1980s Olympics in Moscow .
    • Ronald Reagan's election in 1980, based on an anti-détente campaign, marked the close of détente and a return to Cold War tension.

  • The Cold War and Containment

    • It represented a middle-ground position between détente and rollback.
    • President Richard Nixon (1969–74), working with his top advisor Henry Kissinger, rejected containment in favor of friendly relations with the Soviet Union and China; this détente, or relaxation of tensions, involved expanded trade and cultural contacts.
    • President Jimmy Carter (1976–81) emphasized human rights rather than anti-communism, but dropped détente and returned to containment when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979.

  • Foreign Policy

    • The main foreign policies during the Cold War were containment, deterrence, détente, arms control, and the use of military force like in Vietnam.