We explain what the “Euromissile” crisis was and how it was resolved. Also, the historical context.
What was the “Euromissile” crisis?
The “Euromissile” crisis was a diplomatic and military crisis between the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Warsaw Pact in the context of the Cold War. It began in the late 1970s and ended with the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 1987.
The crisis began with the Soviet deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles in central and eastern Europewhich had the capacity to reach any country in Europe. The appeal of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany to NATO to intervene led to the adoption, on December 12, 1979, of the so-called “double decision”.
NATO's “double decision” granted the Soviet Union (USSR) a period of four years to negotiate the withdrawal of its missiles from Europe and, if an agreement was not reached, the installation of US missiles was considered. Pershing and Cruise in Western Europe to counter the Soviet threat. The breakdown of negotiations in 1983 led to the deployment of NATO “Euromissiles” in Western Europe.
The “Euromissile” crisis ended in December 1987 with the signing of a treaty for the elimination of intermediate range missiles. between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan.
Key points
- The “Euromissile” crisis was a diplomatic and military crisis of the Cold War between the countries that signed the Warsaw Pact, led by the USSR, and NATO, led by the United States.
- It began in the late 1970s, when the USSR installed intermediate-range nuclear missiles in central and eastern Europe and triggered alarm in Western European countries.
- NATO proposed the “double decision”: negotiate an agreement with the USSR within four years and, after the deadline, install US intermediate-range missiles in Western Europe, which happened in 1983.
- The “Euromissile” crisis ended in 1987, when US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty to eliminate intermediate-range missiles.
See also: Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
The historical context
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union shared hegemony over Europe and formed two military alliances. that grouped the countries of each of the two blocs: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), which integrated the countries of the Western bloc, and the Warsaw Pact, which integrated the countries of the Eastern bloc.
In the seventies, The Soviet Union began deploying new intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Central and Eastern Europe (i.e., a range less than 5,500 kilometers) that NATO designated with the code SS-20.
These missiles were clearly aimed at intimidating Western Europe, since they could reach any country on the continent and were, therefore, a potential threat of a limited war in which the United States government would not dare intervene due to the threat of Soviet strategic (long-range) missiles.
The Soviet government sought in the long term the neutralization of Western Europe, that is, its distancing from the United States.which would have made the Soviet Union the only great European military power. To achieve their goals, the Soviets relied on the strength of pacifist public opinion in Western European countries, especially in the Federal Republic of Germany.
It was German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt who proposed in 1977 that the United States negotiate with the Soviet Union an agreement on what the press began to call “Euromissiles.” If a compromise was not reached, Schmidt proposed that the US government deploy missiles in Western Europe to compensate for the imbalance caused by the deployment of the Soviet SS-20.
See also: Cold War Blocks
NATO's “double decision”
NATO followed Helmut Schmidt's proposal and adopted on December 12, 1979 what was called the “double decision.”: If an agreement was not reached with the Soviet Union on the withdrawal of the SS-20 missiles, NATO would deploy five hundred and seventy-two American intermediate-range missiles in December 1983 (Pershing and Cruise) in Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany. This deployment was intended to reestablish a situation of nuclear parity.
The American president Ronald Reagan proposed the “zero option” in 1981.that is, an agreement for the withdrawal of Soviet SS-20s from Central and Eastern Europe in exchange for NATO's commitment not to deploy the Pershing and Cruise Americans in Western Europe.
After long discussions, The Soviet Union broke off negotiations in the fall of 1983, prompting NATO to begin deploying the missiles..
The four years that passed between the decision and the deployment of the “Euromissiles” were characterized by massive anti-war protests throughout Western Europe. It was in the Federal Republic of Germany where they were most vigorous, and in some cases extreme neutralism was defended.
The crisis in Germany led to a historic government crisis in the fall of 1982.: The center-left coalition formed by social democrats (SPD) and liberals (FDP) left the government due to opposition to the deployment of the missiles by a significant fraction of the SPD deputies. Thus began in Germany a long period of hegemony of the center-right led by Helmut Kohl.
The crisis ended in 1987 with the signing in Washington of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan. that agreed to eliminate intermediate range nuclear missiles.
Who was Helmut Schmidt?
Helmut Schmidt (1918-2015) was a German politician belonging to the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) who served as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany between 1974 and 1982. Previously he was Minister of Defense (1969-1972) and Minister of Economy (1972-1974) in Willy Brandt's government.
Schmidt was a very influential political figure in Western Europe. Tried to establish ties with Eastern Bloc countries under Soviet hegemony, including the German Democratic Republic, without abandoning the alliance with the United States and the membership of the Federal Republic of Germany in NATO.
The differences between the Liberals and the Social Democrats who formed the government coalition over the decision of whether or not to cut social programs during the recession of the early 1980s, and the Social Democrats' discontent with Schmidt's security policy in The context of the “Euromissile” crisis forced his resignation.
The position of chancellor was then occupied by Helmut Kohl, representative of the German centre-right. Schmidt died in 2015 at the age of 96.
Who was Helmut Kohl?
Helmut Kohl (1930-2017) was a German politician who chaired the party Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 1973 and reached the chancellery of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1982, supported by the internal crisis caused by the “Euromissile” issue. He was re-elected four times, even after reunification, so He was the longest-serving chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1982-1998).
Based on the Paris-Bonn axis, formed with the French president François Mitterrand and the president of the European Commission Jacques Delors a trio that accelerated the European integration process. Under its direct influence, the Single European Act (1986) and the Treaty of European Union or Maastricht (1992) were approved, and the final stages towards the single currency were prepared.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Kohl He took advantage of the end of the Cold War to achieve German reunification. After agreeing with Lothar de Maizière (leader of the German Democratic Republic) on a treaty of monetary, economic and social union signed on May 18, 1990, he managed to convince the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to accept the new Germany's membership in NATO. reunified and the departure of the hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers who were stationed in the German Democratic Republic.
The result of this work was the signing of the 2+4 Treaty in September 1990, which established the borders of Germany and the end of the rights over it of the victors of World War II. On October 3, 1990, the country was reunified..
Aware of the distrust with which certain European countries (the United Kingdom and France) viewed a reunified Germany, Kohl propagated the idea of an indissoluble double identity, German and European. To achieve this, it did not hesitate to abandon the mark (the German currency) and facilitate the transition to a single currency (the euro, which came into force in 1999).
Electorally defeated in 1998 and involved in financial scandals in 1999, his political image was affected and he resigned from his party positions in 2000. In 2002 he retired from politics.. He died in 2017 at the age of 87.
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References
- Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Helmut Kohl. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Helmut Schmidt. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Freedman, L. D. (2023). nuclear strategy. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Powaski, R. E. (2000). The Cold War: United States and the Soviet Union, 1917-1991. Criticism.
