Nixon’s Impact on the Cold War
Nixon Rethinks American Foreign Policy
Nixon’s campaign promise to pull the United States out of
Vietnam and the fact that a growing number of Americans did
not want to continue to pay for containment cause him to look
at the way America viewed the world.
Throughout the Cold War the United States had viewed any
country that practiced communism as a threat and the world
was divided into an “us” versus “them” mentality.
Nixon Rethinks American Foreign Policy
Nixon and his advisor, Henry Kissinger, decided to embrace the
idea of realpolitik or “real politics”. This meant looking at the
world according to concrete national interests instead of
ideas.
Instead of us versus them, national interests turned to how to
best benefit the United States.
Realpolitiks
Our old enemies, the Soviet
Union and China both have
vast populations and
resources. Key characteristics
that would make them
excellent trade partners.
Our friends, West Germany and
Japan, were slowly becoming
economic rivals in the global
trade market.
Recognizing China
Following World War II, the United
States recognized the Chinese
Nationalist government on Taiwan as
the government of China.
The first step in building a
relationship with China was
recognizing the nearly a billion
people in China.
Other Reasons for Embracing China
● Trade with China would boost the American Economy
● Drive a wedge between the Soviet Union and China
● Pressure the North Vietnamese to end the Vietnam War
Detente With The Soviet Union
Fearing that the United States and China
could isolate the Soviet Union, Nixon was
invited in an effort to improve Soviet
relations with the United States.
After meeting with Soviet leaders, Nixon
announced that the two nations would
work together on a wide range of issues,
ranging from saving the environment to
curing cancer and heart disease.
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I)
Arguably the most important
result of Nixon’s visit to the Soviet
Union was the SALT I treaty,
freezing the deployment of
intercontinental ballistic missiles
and limiting antiballistic missiles.
This did not end the arms race, but
it was an important first step
towards that goal.