How Far Was Detente Successful in the 1970's?

The first 200 words of this essay...

How far was Détente successful in the 1970's?

In the 1970's, the cold war entered a period of Détente. In the following essay I am going to discuss the reasons why I feel that in some aspects it was positive and others it wasn't.

I feel that indeed, Détente was successful in a number of ways. Firstly it reduced the defense costs for both the USSR and USA over the period by a substantial amount. With the fact that both sides agreed on SALT 1, which was when the Nuclear Weapons and long range weapon production and ownership was made to be reduced, for the safety of each other, and the world.

The first step required was in Europe, between East and West. Willy Brandt (West Leader) wanted to improve relations, and he made an Eastern Policy (Ostpolitik) that made success over the frontiers made from the war. Treaties were signed between West Germany and Warsaw Pact nations as a result of this. Moreover in Helsinki in 1975 the USA and USSR agreed that the boundaries post-1945 should be made permanent. This benefited both sides, as Russia believed that the USA now accepted that Russia's influence