IB History 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.