Andrei Sakharov spoke out against human rights and was punished for it. Dissents were people who were punished for speaking out against the regime. One person who was punished for speaking out against the government was the father of the hydrogen bomb, Andrei Sakharov, who spoke up for human rights against the regime. Foreign policy damaged Khrushchev's reputation. When he rashly decided to send missiles to Cuba, it was the last straw for the government. In the 1970's détente collapsed when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. A new period of confrontation began between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union wanted to restore the pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan. The United States saw this as a chance for expansion. To show the disapproval of the United States, President Ronald Reagan canceled participation of the United States Olympics that were to be held in Moscow, Russia. Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union became colder. Reagan called the Soviet Union an "evil empire". A new arms race between the two world powers began. A new arms race erupted between the Soviet Union and the United States.
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At this time the Soviet Union benefited from détente (a relaxation of tensions and improved relationships between the Soviet Union and the United States). In the 1970's these two countries signed SALT I and SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty). They also signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty which limited the nuclear arms race against each other. When Brezhnev came to power him and the Soviet leaders relaxed rule on Western music, dress and art which allowed more access to these things. The leaders allowed this to happen because they felt more secure in the world. The leaders of the Soviet Union started to ease rule on culture in the Soviet. When Stalin died, the Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe wanted to pursue a new course for their governments. The Soviet Union made it clear that they were not allowed to become independent of Soviet power. The satellite states collectivized agriculture (organize on the basis of ownership of the people and state, and no one can own private property), eliminate all noncommunist parties, and set up institutions of repression. (Secret police and military force). In 1956, Poland started to protest. In Hungary protests erupted because they wanted the same reforms as in Poland. |