Détente and the Cold War

The first decades of the Cold War were marked by unrelenting hostility between the Communist nations and the western world. In particular, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were enemies; while maintaining diplomatic relations, each nation spied on the other, backed opposing sides in “proxy wars” such as Korea and Vietnam, and engaged in very little trade with one another. This state of affairs lasted until the 1970s, when tentative mutual diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Russia and between the U.S. and China brought about an easing of tensions and the opening up of trade and diplomatic channels. This effect became known as “détente.”

Détente is defined by Merriam-Webster as “The relaxation of strained relations or tensions” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The relaxation of Cold War tensions was beneficial to all sides. The U.S. had experienced the horrors of the Vietnam War; China was desperate to modernize; the Soviet Union realized that its military expenditures were bleeding it dry. None of the major powers had much appetite, therefore, for war or warlike attitudes. The era of détente was ushered in by seminal events such as Nixon’s visits to Moscow in 1972 and 1974, Brezhnev’s visit to Washington in 1973, Nixon’s visit to China and “ping-pong diplomacy” (wherein the visit of a U.S. table tennis team to China marked one of the first cultural exchanges between the nations in years), and the Helsinki Accords of 1975.

The term “détente” is of French origin as dates to the early 20th century. However, when the term was first used to refer to the Cold War, it referred specifically to the easing of tensions between the Communist nations and the western powers/the U.S. Nowadays, the term has been generalized to refer to the easing of any strained diplomatic relations, such as “The U.S. seeks détente with Iran.” The term has also been used to refer to other mutually hostile entities, such as businesses, reaching an understanding and relaxing tensions.

Reference

Détente. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/détente