Cold War Dbq Essay

The end of World War II introduced nuclear weapons to the world, little did they know it would be the cause of their next conflict, the Cold War. The Cold War was a non-violent struggle for power between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. The leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the current president at that time, Ronald Reagan, were trying to resolve their conflict peacefully. The leader that was primarily responsible for ending the Cold War was Mikhail Gorbachev, since he called for the nuclear weapons treaty and for slowing down the arms race. Mikhail Gorbachev was helped end the Cold War by calling for a nuclear weapons treaty. Ever since Gorbachev first met Reagan in 1985 the two leaders have been quarreling over the issue of nuclear arms reduction. In document G-1 it says,”Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev indicates that his nation is ready to to sign “without delay” a treaty designed to eliminate U.S. and Soviet medium range nuclear missiles from Europe.”(G-1). The offer made by Gorbachev led to a breakthrough in negotiations and, after a months of negotiation, helped lead to the signing of the treaty in 1987. Not only did the nuclear weapons treaty help end the Cold War, but the efforts of Gorbachev to slow down the arms race helped end the Cold War. …show more content…
After the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987 helped to significantly reduce the weapons stockpiles of both nations. In document G-4 it is stated that,”Gorbachev felt free to make a series of proposals for deep cuts in his country’s nuclear arsenal because he was confident that the United States would not attack the Soviet Union.”(G-4). Gorbachev voluntarily made cuts in his country's nuclear arsenal risking a devastating attack by the U.S. based on the confidence of their leader. The U.S. took a longer time with much debate on whether or not to remove their