Strategic+Arms+Limitation+Treaty

=Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty=

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The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks consisted of two rounds of talks and communication between USSR and the United States that concluded with treaties. The Cold War was a frightening time in the history of the world. After the United States detonated nuclear weapons at the close of World War II, the world was horrified by their destructive powers.Both the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States were building nuclear arsenals. Supposedly, these arsenals would act as a deterrent to other countries. Both sides saw that the arms race could not be sustained and knew it would be beneficial to both countries to reach an agreement that would limit the number of nuclear devices built.

The Cold War
In 1946, Winston Churchill was visiting Westminister College in Fulton, Missouri. He was very concerned about the Soviets taking over eastern-European nations. he spoke of an "iron curtain" descending through the middle of Europe. Joseph Stalin deepened this animosity by saying that "capitalist imperialism" was the reason World War II had happened and that another worl war could be on the horizon.

The term, Cold War, refers to the tension that developed between the East and the West. Both sides were extremely hostile and fearful. The ensuing arms race was an inevitable result. Both sides also realized, after a period of time, the the costs were unacceptable and that the ability to destroy the world ten times was not necessary. They agreed to meet with one another to negotiate a treaty(s) that would still protect and defend their nations, but would de-escalate the arms race that consumed both countries.

SALT I
SALT I is the common name given to the Strategic Arms Limitation Agreement. It call for both countries to stop creating more strategic ballistic missile launchers. MIRVs (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle warheads) were increasingly being deployed. The treaty called for The United States and the USSR to only have two sites protected by ABM (anit-ballistic missile) systems. This was extremely expensive. It also said that new submarine-launched ballistic missile launchers could not be built until the same number of intercontinental ballistic missiles had been destroyed. The two countries discussed these issues in a series of meetings from November 17, 1969 until May 1972 in Helsinki, Finland. Following the agreement the relation between the US and USSR improved slightly.

SALT II
SALT II consisted of talks from 1972 to 1979 between the United States and the Soviet Union. The agreement to limit missile launchers was concluded on June 18, 1979 in Vienna, Austria. It called for real reductions in all categories of each country's nuclear arsenal. Both sides also agreed to limit new strategic missile development. President Carter wanted to preserve the US's defensive capabilities and so did the Soviets. The United States Congress refused to ratify this agreement. Then a young member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee named Joseph Biden (the present Vice-President of the United States) met with some Soviet officials and obtained several changes. Because the Soviets sent troops to Afghanistan and because of the "Soviet brigade" in Cuba, the United States Senate never ratified the agreement. The terms were honored by both sides until president Regan accused the Soviets of violating the pact and withdrew.

Conclusion
Tensions between the two super powers, the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics and the United States of America, ebbed and flowed between the close of World War II and the demise of the U.S.S.R. The world has set on a precipice of mass destruction since nuclear weapons were invented. Not only could the whole of mankind be destroyed, but even with failure to launch the arsenals built up by both countries were expensive and consumed a great deal of their economies. President Johnson first suggested that these talks be held. It is quite possible that SALT I and SALT II helped the world avert mass destruction and allowed cooler heads to prevail. It also helped both countries to cease increasing their abilty to destroy each other multiple times.