Abstract
The 1970s and 1980s were characterized by a particular period in the international relations which is called 'détente'. Détente is a French term that defines a situation of 'relaxation to relieve tension', which applies to the historical time when the United States and the Soviet Union were trying to normalize their relations. Since the end of the Second World War, a conflict was occurring between the Western powers and the USSR and a fortiori between the United States and the Soviet Union. This conflict so-called 'Cold War' was not only diplomatic, but also economic, military and most of all ideological, which means that there was an ideological war between the communist world and the capitalist world. Détente can take place only if some conditions exist, such as the acceptance by the protagonists that there must be some political and economic limitations in matters of affirmation of power. Then, they would have to accept to change the national perceptions of the 'enemy', along with a partial accommodation with this 'enemy'. In this case, the realization of the détente was not perfect because a number of events jeopardized the process of détente. Why did the USA and the USSR pursue a policy of détente? In what way these reasons can explain the détente's limits?
