CNN Cold War, Episode 16: Detente - 1969-1975 on AllMovie

With WWII at an end, the world soon faced a new challenge widely known as the Cold War. In 24 episodes, this series chronicles this war of ideologies, from its inception in the late '40s until the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. some 40 years later. With Europe and Japan absorbed in rebuilding their cities and economies, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the world's superpowers and standard bearers for incompatible political philosophies. Capitalism or Communism: The line was drawn in the sand. This episode examines the easing of Cold War tensions in the era of detente. After America's withdrawal from Vietnam, the Soviet Union was more willing to end the armament race and President Nixon and Soviet Premier Brezhnev signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. The program shows the new-found spirit of peaceful coexistence that was in the air, exemplified by the Helsinki Accords.