Arms Race Notes

Key Questions

1. How did Reagan and the 'New Cold War' increase superpower tensions?
2. What was the economic impact of the increased arms race on the Soviet Union?
3. How did the summits and arms reduction agreements between Reagan and Gorbachev contribute to the end of the Cold War?

1. The Arms Race and the New Cold War (late 1970s–early 1980s)

1. In the late 1970s, the period of détente collapsed and Cold War tensions intensified in what became known as the New Cold War.
2. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979) increased Western fears of renewed Soviet expansion and led to a sharp deterioration in relations.
3. The USA responded by increasing military spending and adopting a more confrontational stance under President Ronald Reagan.
4. Reagan described the USSR as an “evil empire”, signalling a return to ideological hostility and moral confrontation.
5. Both superpowers dramatically expanded their nuclear arsenals, increasing the number and sophistication of ICBMs, SLBMs, and strategic bombers.
6. The deployment of US Cruise and Pershing II missiles in Western Europe in response to Soviet SS-20 missiles heightened tensions and public fear of nuclear war.

2. The Economic Impact of the Arms Race on the USSR

1. The prolonged arms race placed enormous strain on the Soviet economy, which was already inefficient and technologically backward.
2. A large proportion of Soviet resources was devoted to defence spending, reducing investment in consumer goods, housing, and living standards.
3. Central planning struggled to keep pace with rapid advances in military technology, especially compared to the more flexible capitalist economies of the West.
4. Falling oil prices in the early 1980s reduced Soviet export income, worsening economic stagnation.
5. By the mid-1980s, it became clear to Soviet leaders that competing militarily with the USA was unsustainable in the long term.

3. Reagan’s Military Buildup and Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

1. Reagan believed that military strength would force the USSR into negotiation from a position of weakness.
2. In 1983, he announced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a proposed missile defence system designed to intercept nuclear weapons from space.
3. Although largely theoretical, SDI alarmed Soviet leaders because it threatened to undermine Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).
4. The USSR feared it lacked the technological and economic capacity to match SDI, increasing pressure to seek arms reduction rather than competition.
5. SDI intensified the arms race psychologically and economically, even if it was never fully implemented.

4. The Rise of Gorbachev and a New Soviet Approach (from 1985)

1. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the USSR and introduced a radically new approach to Cold War relations.
2. Gorbachev recognised that the arms race was damaging Soviet society and preventing meaningful economic reform.
3. He introduced perestroika (economic restructuring) to modernise the Soviet economy and glasnost (openness) to encourage transparency and reform.
4. Gorbachev rejected the idea that security depended on endless military expansion and argued for “reasonable sufficiency” in defence.
5. He also abandoned the Brezhnev Doctrine, signalling that the USSR would no longer use force to control Eastern Europe.

5. The Developing Relationship Between Reagan and Gorbachev

1. Despite early hostility, Reagan and Gorbachev developed a pragmatic and increasingly cooperative personal relationship.
2. At the Geneva Summit (1985), both leaders agreed that a nuclear war could never be won and must never be fought.
3. The Reykjavík Summit (1986) marked a turning point, as both sides discussed dramatic reductions in nuclear weapons, even though no final agreement was reached.
4. These meetings helped build trust, reduce suspicion, and establish regular dialogue between the superpowers.
5. Reagan softened his rhetoric and became more willing to pursue genuine arms reduction, not just arms limitation.

6. Arms Reduction Treaties and the De-escalation of the Cold War

1. In 1987, the USA and USSR signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which eliminated an entire category of nuclear weapons in Europe.
2. This was the first agreement to actually reduce nuclear stockpiles rather than merely limit their growth.
3. The treaty included on-site inspections, increasing transparency and trust between the two sides.
4. Further agreements, such as START talks, continued the process of arms reduction into the late 1980s and early 1990s.
5. These treaties demonstrated that cooperation had replaced confrontation as the dominant feature of superpower relations.

7. The Arms Race and the End of the Cold War

1. The escalating arms race of the New Cold War exposed the economic weakness of the Soviet system and made continued rivalry impossible.
2. Gorbachev’s reforms required a peaceful international environment, encouraging cooperation with the West.
3. Improved US–Soviet relations reduced the likelihood of military conflict and undermined the justification for Cold War hostility.
4. As the USSR withdrew support from communist regimes in Eastern Europe, revolutions in 1989 occurred without Soviet intervention.
5. By 1991, the USSR collapsed, formally ending the Cold War, with the arms race playing a crucial role by pushing the Soviet system beyond its limits.

8. Overall Significance

1. The arms race, especially during the New Cold War, intensified tensions but ultimately exposed the unsustainability of continued competition.
2. The combination of US pressure, Soviet economic weakness, and the leadership of Gorbachev transformed rivalry into cooperation.
3. Arms reduction and improved dialogue were central to ending the Cold War peacefully rather than through military confrontation.