Question

How did President Nixon’s policy of détente change US foreign relations with Communist nations?

It increased US aggression in other nations.

It led away from confrontation and toward negotiation instead.

It brought the Cold War to an end in the early 1970s.

Answer 1

Correct answer: It led away from confrontation and toward negotiation instead.

Brief explanation:
- Nixon’s policy of détente (with Henry Kissinger) sought to reduce Cold War tensions through diplomacy and arms-control, not military escalation. Major examples include Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, the opening of relations with the PRC, and agreements with the USSR such as SALT I and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
- The first statement is false: détente did not increase U.S. aggression toward Communist countries; it emphasized negotiation, trade, and strategic bargaining (though the U.S. still used covert and proxy measures in some places).
- The third statement is false: détente eased tensions but did not end the Cold War. Rivalry continued through the 1970s and 1980s (and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 effectively ended the détente era).