The Cold War from 1945 to 1980

AP US History· difficulty 4/5

"We have to find a way to live on the same planet, even though our differences are profound." — Henry Kissinger, 1972

Cartoon: Nixon's Triangular Diplomacy USA Nixon/Kissinger USSR Brezhnev PRC Mao/Zhou SALT I 1972 ABM Treaty Nixon visits Beijing 1972 Sino-Soviet split (1960s) "We have to find a way to live on the same planet" — Henry Kissinger, 1972 Feb 1972: Beijing May 1972: Moscow Result: 70s arms control + Helsinki Accords '75 Each leg of the triangle represents a separate channel

The diplomatic strategy depicted is best characterized as which approach?

  • A

    Massive retaliation: deterrence through threat of nuclear strike

  • B

    Liberation: actively rolling back communist governments

  • C

    Brinkmanship: pushing crises to the edge of war

  • D

    Detente: easing Cold War tensions through arms control and exploiting the Sino-Soviet split

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Explanation

Detente, championed by Nixon and Kissinger, sought to manage rather than win the Cold War. The opening to China leveraged the Sino-Soviet split and pressured Moscow into SALT I and the ABM Treaty in 1972.

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