U. S. - Soviet Relations During the Detente

Exploring how the early 1970s were years of crucial significance in the bipolar world which prevailed until the collapse of the Soviet Union, this volume reveals this period as a stage of the decomposition of the Soviet empire. For the first time, the superpowers engaged in a voluntary dialogue to normalize their strained relations after some fifty years hostility and place their rivalries within a cooperative framework. As a privileged partner of the United States, the Soviet Union assumed the position of equality with the leading world power, a position which was exploited for political and moral advantage.