| Soviet-American relations witnessed a significant change in atmosphere from the time of Stalin's death in March, 1953 to the 1955 Geneva Conference of Heads of Government. The years from the end of World War II to the death of Stalin had witnessed the height of the Cold War, and the Korean War was in its third year when Stalin died. However, after Stalin's death the new Soviet leadership took the initiative in restoring cultural contacts and relaxing tensions with the West, including by facilitating a Korean armistice in July, 1953. American president Dwight D. Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, suspicious at first, eventually were flexible enough to agree to meet with the Soviet leaders at the 1955 Geneva Conference. As the first post-World War II meeting between the top leaders of the Soviet Union and the major Western powers, including France and the United Kingdom, this conference served as a ceremony marking the first relaxation of the Cold War.; The Soviet initiative, however, was only one of three realities underlying this relaxation. A second reality was the arming of West Germany within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and it was this action, taken in 1954 and 1955, which regained the initiative for the West. Soviet reaction to the rearming of West Germany included the agreement to sign a treaty restoring the independence of Austria, the consolidation of Soviet and Eastern European forces into the Warsaw Pact, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with West Germany in order to recognize two separate German states. The third reality was the existence of nuclear weapons, which led each side to fear destruction by the other.; Although what happened may be regarded as the first thaw in the cold war, rival views of ideology, freedom, and national security ensured that any accommodation and detente reached would be less than complete. The persistence of rival military blocs, ideological hostility, and antagonistic propaganda suggest that this was less a thaw than a quieter period after a blizzard. |
