Video: How did Gorbachev's 'new thinking' reduce tensions between the superpowers?

﻿Hello, and welcome to this History lesson, all about how Gorbachev's new thinking, reduced tensions between the superpowers. My name is Miss Quick, and I'm really looking forward to working with you, in the last enquiry of our studies of the Cold War, which is all about why the Cold War finally came to an end. In today's lesson, we're going to be meeting a key character in this story, and that was Mikhail Gorbachev. So before we begin, please make sure you are sat somewhere nice and quietly, you've turned off all distractions, and particularly if you know how to, you have turned off any notifications on devices that you are using, make sure the contour notes are nice and close by as well. And when we are ready, let's go into, have a look at what our new enquiry is all about. So our new enquiry question is, why does the Cold War come to an end? And this enquiry will take us from 1985 through until 1991, when the cold war came to an end. And we're going to be looking at the various factors, that helped that to happen. Now, recently, you have been looking particularly at the period of Detroit, and most recently how that was challenged, particularly by the presidency of Ronald Reagan. So before we go any further, let us just double check. We remember what Ronald Reagan did, and what the second Cold War was all about. Which of the following statements are true, and can be used, to complete the following sentence accurately? When Ronald Reagan became president of the USA in 1981, he, pause the video here, read the statements and decide which ones are true. Resume when you are ready. Excellent, well done. When Ronald Reagan became president of the USA in 1981, he did indeed increase spending on arms, by 13% in 1982 alone, he also called the USSR an evil empire. And he did introduce the Strategic Defence Initiative, which saw the USA, break several Cold war agreements, by placing satellites into orbit, that had lasers that could shoot down Soviet missiles, and prevent them from hitting the USA. However, he did not commit to containing communism. In fact, he committed to doing a lot more than this. He committed to rolling back communism, and took a very harsh stand against it. Consequently, the years of Reagan's presidency, are often called the second Cold War. It is within this context, of increasing Cold War tensions. That's how a story of the end of the Cold War begins. In 1985, after a series of leaders, who had suffered from ill health, or he would not have not been in power long enough to create real change. Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR. The USSR he inherited was one that was tired. Over the previous decades, huge amounts of money had been spent on developing arms to try and keep up with the USA. But the USSR has never managed this. Equally, the war in Afghanistan had gone on for a lot longer than the Soviets were expecting. And they were overstretched and demoralised. Within the USSR itself and its satellites, the standards of living were dropping, and the Soviet economy was incredibly overstretched and weak. Consequently, when Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he brought fresh hope to the USSR. Through his new thinking, he wanted to improve superpower relations and improve the lives of people living under Soviet control. But what did his new thinking involve? What would the consequences of it be? Could this man see the end of over 40 years of Cold War? In this lesson, that is exactly what we are going to begin to find out. So in today's lesson, we are going to start, by learning about what Gorbachev's new thinking was. We will then pause briefly, before looking at how this new thinking affected the relationship between the superpowers. Finally, we will pause again to draw all of our learning together, to answer our lesson question, or how did Gorbachev's new thinking, reduce tensions between the superpowers. So who was Mikhail Gorbachev, and what was his new thinking? Well, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR in 1985. He was much younger than his predecessors, and was also prepared to adopt much more radical policies, to try and improve superpower relations. He knew that if he did not improve this relationship, and instead carried on the ruthless competition, which had been dominating relations between the USA, and the USSR since 1981, the USSR would crumble. Gorbachev was also realistic. He recognised the soviet economy was incredibly inefficient, particularly in comparison to the US economy. While it was not uncommon, for a Moscow housewife, to queue up for five hours to simply buy bread. In the USA in the 1980s, Americans enjoyed an extra standard of living. The comparable shortage and frustrations of life in the Soviet bloc caused many people living there to begin to question communism, and to lose faith in their leaders. Consequently, Gorbachev understood, that drastic change needed to be introduced and fast. As a firm believer in communism, Gorbachev's aim was not to abandon communism, but to reform it. He hoped that by reforming the Communist Party in the USSR, and modernising soviet style socialism, he would be able to improve the quality of life, for people living in the USSR, and in turn would strengthen communist governments, in Eastern Europe, making them more popular. This led to the introduction of three main policies, which came to form Gorbachev's new thinking. The first was a sweeping reform of the Communist Party, and Soviet system within the USSR, based upon the two ideas of Perestroika and Glasnost. Perestroika is Russian for reconstruction, and was used by Gorbachev, to explain how he would reform the Soviet economy, by introducing some practises that made capitalism successful. Glasnost is Russian for openness, and referred to Gorbachev's belief, that people should not fear expressing their opinions, and should be allowed to challenge the government. Gorbachev intended for a lot more openness to be introduced into the USSR, whereby people could see how the country was run, and to have the opportunity to question or challenge the government, something which has certainly not been a feature of life in the USSR over the past 60 years. The second element of Gorbachev's new thinking, was the ending of the Brezhnev Doctrine This meant that the USSR would no longer get involved , in the affairs of Eastern European satellite states, like Poland, Czechoslovakia, or other Warsaw Pact states. The Brezhnev Doctrine has shaped the USSR interactions, with Eastern Europe ever since the Prague Spring in 1968. Its abandonment signalled the states of Eastern Europe, we're going to be given more independence. Finally, Gorbachev's third policy, was to reduce spending on arms and defence, bringing the arms race with the USA to an end. This led to the signing of lots of arms reduction agreements with the USA, and as we will see, a gradual improvement of superpower relations. Before we look, at how this improvement in relations happened, let's just double check that we fully understand, Gorbachev's new thinking. For each of the following sentences, points out the correct option on the screen. To complete the sentence accurately. So first of all, Gorbachev's new thinking aimed to. Brilliant, Well done, it aimed to reform communism in the USSR, not to remove or replace it. Perestroika was a policy that aimed to. Excellent, well done. It was a policy that aimed to reform and reconstruct the Soviet economy, to make it more efficient. Glasnost was a policy that aimed to. Brilliant, well done, it was a policy that aimed to allow freedom of speech in the USSR and encourage openness. Finally, there are two correct options for this one. Gorbachev's new thinking also included policies designed to. Brilliant work, well done. It's also included policies, designed to reduce the USSR spending on arms and defence, and to stop Soviet interference in Eastern European satellite states. Fantastic. So we now know what Gorbachev's new thinking was. But What impact did it have, on the relationship between the superpowers? Well, Gorbachev's new thinking was welcomed by the USA, who saw Gorbachev coming to power as a real opportunity, to improve the deteriorating relations, and seek an end to the Cold War. This was because, while Reagan, had promised to be tough against communism, when he became president in 1981, this policy seemed a lot less necessary, when the USSR was being run by a leader, who was not looking to expand communism. As a result, between 1985 and 1989, there were a number of meetings and agreements between both countries, that sought to reduce Cold War tensions, and improve superpower relations. The first of these, took place in Geneva, in November 1985. While it became clear at the meeting, that Reagan would not give up his commitment, to the Strategic Defence Initiative. The two leaders established a good working relationship and agreed to speed up arms talks, and left the meeting having committed to making the world a safer place. In October 1986, the two leaders met again, this time in Reykjavik in Iceland. After Reykjavik summit, Gorbachev proposed, that the USSR would phase out its production of nuclear weapons, if the Americans gave up their strategic defence programme. However, Reagan refused to restrict the programme, meaning that the summit once again ended, without any formal agreement. And with no compromise. Nonetheless, the tide began to change the following year, when the two leaders finally met again, in December 1987 at the Washington summit, and here a formal treaty was signed. The intermediate range nuclear forces, that's the INF Treaty, eliminated nuclear and conventional, ground launched ballistic and cruise missiles, with ranges of 500 to 5500 kilometres. The signing of the INF Treaty was made possible, because Gorbachev was willing to seek compromise. Even in 1987, Reagan refused to drop his plans for Strategic Defence Initiative. But Gorbachev decided to compromise anyway, because he realised that the Soviet economy, would never recover until it reduced, spending on nuclear weapons. And that disarmament was important, if the USSR were to improve its reputation in the West. This compromise, showed just how far, Gorbachev's new thinking had come to influence, and play a role in improving superpower relations. The INF Treaty, was followed by several further agreements over the next few years. Most notably, in December 1988, Gorbachev travelled to the United Nations in the USA, and delivered a speech, where he announced a reduction in Soviet troops stationed in Warsaw Pact countries, and also that Soviet forces would finally leave Afghanistan. It seemed as though Gorbachev's commitment to his new thinking, had remained firmly intact. And by 1989, when he met with the newly elected President of the USA, George Bush in Malta, it was clear that the Cold War was coming to an end. Though many factors were involved in this process, over many years, it was clear to Gorbachev new thinking had laid the foundations for increased cooperation, between the USA and the USSR. Ultimately, it provided the means through which, after nearly 45 years, of all be it fluctuating tension, lasting agreements could be made. Now, that was a lot of agreements and dates to remember. So let's just pause briefly, to make sure that we can match all the summits together, with their key information. Pause the video here, and match each detail with the correct summit. Resume when you are ready. Brilliant, well done. Take a moment now, to check that you have matched all those details correctly to the right summit. So now, it is time for you to show everything you have learned today, by answering your comprehension questions. Let's read through the questions together really carefully. Question one, why did Gorbachev believe that a new approach to running the USSR was needed in 1985? Question two, what were the policies of perestroika and glasnost? Question three? What were the other two policies of Gorbachev's new thinking? Question four, what happened at the Washington summit in 1987? And our challenge question for today is our lesson question. How did Gorbachev's new thinking reduce tensions between the superpowers? For this question, you can use the sentence starters I have given you if you wish, but the main thing I want you to think about, is how Gorbachev's new thinking about Soviet control in the USSR and Eastern Europe, affected the relationship between the superpowers, and also how his new thinking, affected events at the summit conferences from 1985 to 1988. So please pause the video now, read the slides on the resource worksheet, and answer the comprehension questions. When you're done, resume the video. Well done for working so hard on your comprehension questions. Let's spend some time reviewing your answers. So question one, Why did Gorbachev believe, that a new approach to running the USSR was needed in 1985? An acceptable answer would be, Gorbachev believed that a new approach to running the USSR was needed in 1985 because the Soviet government was unpopular. However, a good answer would go further than this and explain why the Soviet government was unpopular. Like this. Gorbachev believe that a new approach to running the USSR was needed in 1985. Because he recognised, the Soviet economy was incredibly inefficient, particularly in comparison to the US economy. This caused many people to question communism. Also, as a firm believer in communism, Gorbachev believed that communism could be reformed, to improve the quality of life for people living in the USSR. He hoped this would strengthen, communist governments in Eastern Europe, making them more popular. This is why he adopted his new thinking, and took a different approach to ruling the USSR. Question two, what were the policies of Perestroika and Glasnost? An acceptable answer would be, Glasnost was Gorbachev's policy about openness. Perestroika was Gorbachev's policy about reconstruction. Correct. But let's explain in a little more detail, what these policies meant for the USSR, and the countries of Eastern Europe. So a good answer would read, the first policy that Gorbachev introduced. As part of his new thinking, was to initiate big changes in the Communist Party and Soviet system through two main reforms. Perestroika and Glasnost. Perestroika is Russian for reconstruction, and was used by Gorbachev to explain how he would reform the Soviet economy by introducing some practises that made capitalism successful. Glasnost is Russian for openness, and referred to Gorbachev's belief that people should not fear expressing their opinions, and should be allowed to challenge the government, through the ending of restrictive policies like censorship. So the good answer is better, because it has explained key features of each of these policies in careful detail. Question three, what were the other two policies of Gorbachev's new thinking? An acceptable answer would be, two other policies of Gorbachev's new thinking, were an end to the Brezhnev of Doctrine and an end to the arms race. A good answer, would be second policy of Gorbachev's new thinking was the ending of the Brezhnev Doctrine. This meant that the USSR, would no longer get involved in the affairs of Eastern European satellite states, like Poland, Czechoslovakia and other Warsaw Pact states. The abandonment of the Brezhnev Doctrine, signalled that the states of Eastern Europe, were going to be given more independence, and the chance to run their own affairs. Finally, Gorbachev's third policy, was to reduce the spending on arms and defence, bringing the arms race with the USA to an end. This led to the signing of lots of arms reduction agreements with the USA and a gradual improvement, of superpower relations. Again, the good answer has not only given the two policies, but has explained them, and has also started to think about their consequences as well, particularly for superpower relations. Finally, Question four, before our challenge question. What happened at the Washington summit in 1987? An acceptable answer would be the INF Treaty was signed at the Washington summit. A good answer would go into a lot more detail than that. So when Reagan and Gorbachev met at the Washington summit in December 1987, a formal treaty was signed. The intermediate range nuclear forces or INF Treaty eliminated nuclear and conventional ground launched ballistic and cruise missiles, with ranges of 500 to 5500 kilometres. And by the treaties deadline in 1991, the USA had destroyed 846 of these weapons and the USSR had destroyed 1846. The leaders also committed to more transparent procedures, for checking that nuclear weapons have been destroyed, and propose an even more radical agreement, that each country would have its long range nuclear weapons. Although this part of the treaty was yet to be formalised. It showed how far, the relationship had improved, between the USA and the USSR. So it's clear from the amount of pink here, that the good answer is better, because it includes a lot more detail about the INF Treaty. What was agreed? And what this led, to check in your answer now that you have included at least two pieces of evidence about the Treaty, and add in some details, if you haven't already. Finally, our challenge question, Was how to Gorbachev's new thinking reduce tensions between the superpowers? Now just to remind you, it's absolutely fine if you've worded your answer differently, so we can look now in your answer for the common ideas and language that I have labelled in pink, and also those sentence starters that I gave you in blue. Look out particularly when reading this answer, for how it has discussed two different parts of Gorbachev's new thinking and how it helps to reduce tensions between the superpowers rather than just focusing on just the INF agreement. If you can, make sure that your answer also includes at least two examples. So pause the video here, and just take a little bit of time to read through that answer. When you're done, resume the video. So here we are at the end of today's lesson, and well done for all of your hard work. As we can see particularly from this picture, it's very, very clear that the relations between the USA, and the USSR are starting to improve. And that's largely because of Gorbachev's new thinking. Over the next few lessons, we'll be thinking particularly about the impact, that Gorbachev's new thinking had as a whole on the end of the Cold War. But for now, let's think a little more about how Eastern Europeans might react. Will Gorbachev's new thing can change their lives? Will it change their lives in the ways that he predicted? Will it actually encourage them, to resist communist control rather than strengthen it? These are all questions, that we are going to answer next lesson, as we continue to study the end of the Cold War. For now though, please don't forget, to go and do your exit quiz. So we can check everything that you have learned today, particularly about all of those summit agreements. And then all that's left for me to say, is well done for all of your hard work. I look forward to seeing you next time, as we continue this final enquiry of the Cold War together, bye bye for now.

Worksheet: How did Gorbachev's 'new thinking' reduce tensions between the superpowers?

Exit Quiz: How did Gorbachev's 'new thinking' reduce tensions between the superpowers?

Completed: How did Gorbachev's 'new thinking' reduce tensions between the superpowers?

In this lesson, you will learn about the changes that Mikhail Gorbachev made to the USSR and Soviet control of Eastern Europe. You will learn about what his 'new thinking' entailed and how this led to a reduction in tensions between the USA and the USSR. In particular, you will examine the Summit Conferences of 1985-1988 to see how Gorbachev's 'new thinking' enabled agreements to be made between the superpowers and contributed eventually to the end of the Cold War.

History

Y11 History

Key Stage 4

Year 11

How did Gorbachev's 'new thinking' reduce tensions between the superpowers?

The Cold War: Superpower relations from 1941- 1991

UNIT

Grand Alliance, 1941-1945: Why were they unlikely allies?

Why did tension develop at the wartime conferences?

Why did the atomic bombs damage US-Soviet relations?

Why did the 1946 telegrams increase the tension?

Did Churchill officially announce the beginning of the Cold War?

What were the consequences of Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe?

How far did early tension begin to show in the breakdown of the Grand Alliance?

Why did the Truman Doctrine increase the tension between the Superpowers?

How significant was the Soviet response to the Truman Doctrine?

What was the Berlin blockade?

What were the consequences of the Berlin blockade?

How significant were events in Asia for superpower relations?

How did the arms race increase tensions?

Why did the space race make US-Soviet relations worse?

Why did the Hungarians challenge Communist control?

How significant was the Hungarian uprising?

Why did the Cold War intensify between 1950-1958?

Why was the Berlin Wall built?

What were the consequences of the building of the Berlin Wall?

Why did the Cuban Revolution change the relationship between the superpowers?

How was the Cuban Missile Crisis resolved and with what significance?

What were the causes and consequences of the Prague Spring?

What was detente and why did it happen?

Why did detente not last?

Why did Reagan's policies increase tension?

Explore the Enquiry

How did the Soviet Union's hold on Eastern Europe come to an end?

What did the fall of the Berlin Wall mean for the Cold War?

Why did the Cold War come to an end?

History

How did Gorbachev's 'new thinking' reduce tensions between the superpowers?

Video

Worksheet

Final Quiz

Lesson Complete