The Reagan-Gorbachev Summits and the INF Treaty, 1985-87
Between 1985 and 1987, President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held a series of summit meetings that transformed superpower relations from renewed Cold War hostility toward genuine cooperation on arms control. Their first meeting, the Geneva Summit (November 1985), built a personal rapport between the two leaders despite no formal agreement. At the Reykjavik Summit (October 1986), the two leaders came close to agreeing the elimination of almost all nuclear weapons, but talks collapsed over Reagan's refusal to abandon the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), the proposed space-based missile defence system, which Gorbachev insisted must be limited to laboratory research only. Despite this setback, the two leaders met again at the Washington Summit (December 1987) and signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which eliminated an entire category of nuclear weapons, ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres, and was the first arms control treaty to actually reduce, rather than merely limit, existing nuclear arsenals.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the three summits in strict order, since narrative account questions on this topic are marked on sequence: Geneva (November 1985), Reykjavik (October 1986), and Washington (December 1987).
- Learn what each summit achieved or failed to achieve: Geneva produced no formal treaty but began a genuine working relationship between Reagan and Gorbachev; Reykjavik came close to a historic deal eliminating almost all nuclear weapons but collapsed specifically over SDI; Washington produced the INF Treaty, a concrete, signed agreement.
- Learn exactly why Reykjavik collapsed, since this is a common source of confusion: Gorbachev wanted Reagan to confine SDI research to the laboratory rather than testing or deploying it, fearing it could give the USA a decisive advantage, while Reagan refused to limit SDI in any way, so the talks broke down despite both sides being close to a much bigger deal.
- Learn the INF Treaty precisely: signed at the Washington Summit in December 1987, it eliminated all ground-launched intermediate-range nuclear missiles, defined as those with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres, and was historically significant as the first treaty to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons rather than simply limiting their numbers.
- For 'write a narrative account' questions, use the collapse at Reykjavik as your key turning point: show how its failure over SDI did not end negotiations but instead led both sides to agree the more limited, achievable INF Treaty a year later, since fully explaining this shift is what separates a top-level answer from a simple list of summits.
- For 'explain two consequences' questions, separate the consequence of Reykjavik's failure (showing both leaders' seriousness about arms reduction, even without an immediate deal) from the consequence of the INF Treaty's success (the first real reduction, not just limitation, of nuclear arsenals).
Worked example
Write a narrative account analysing the key events in superpower relations from the Geneva Summit of November 1985 to the signing of the INF Treaty in December 1987. You may use the following information to help write your answer: the Reykjavik Summit; the Strategic Defense Initiative. You must also use information of your own.
- Plan the sequence: Geneva Summit (November 1985), Reykjavik Summit (October 1986), the collapse of talks over SDI, and the Washington Summit and INF Treaty (December 1987).
- Open with Geneva: Reagan and Gorbachev met for the first time, and although no formal agreement was signed, the meeting began a personal working relationship that had been absent between earlier Cold War leaders.
- Link forward: 'Building on this new relationship, the two leaders met again at Reykjavik in October 1986, where they discussed the almost complete elimination of both sides' nuclear weapons, a far more ambitious goal than any previous arms talks.'
- Link forward again: 'However, the talks collapsed because Gorbachev demanded Reagan confine the Strategic Defense Initiative to laboratory research, while Reagan refused to limit it in any way, so no agreement was reached at Reykjavik despite how close the two leaders had come.'
- Close with the outcome: 'Despite this failure, both leaders remained committed to arms reduction, and a year later, at the Washington Summit in December 1987, they signed the INF Treaty, eliminating an entire class of intermediate-range nuclear missiles, showing that Reykjavik's near-success had built the trust needed for a real agreement.'
- Check the account explains Reykjavik's failure as a cause of, not a break from, the eventual success at Washington.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1When and where did Reagan and Gorbachev hold their first summit meeting?Show answer
Answer: Geneva, in November 1985.
Q2What was significant about the outcome of the Geneva Summit, even though no formal treaty was signed?Show answer
Answer: It built a genuine personal working relationship and trust between Reagan and Gorbachev, laying the groundwork for later agreements.
Q3When and where was the Reykjavik Summit held?Show answer
Answer: Iceland, in October 1986.
Q4Why did the Reykjavik Summit ultimately fail to produce an agreement?Show answer
Answer: Because Gorbachev wanted the Strategic Defense Initiative confined to laboratory research only, while Reagan refused to limit it, so talks broke down over SDI.
Q5What did the INF Treaty, signed at the Washington Summit in December 1987, eliminate?Show answer
Answer: All ground-launched intermediate-range nuclear missiles, defined as those with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres.
Q6Why was the INF Treaty historically significant, beyond its immediate content?Show answer
Answer: It was the first arms control treaty to actually eliminate (reduce), rather than merely limit or freeze, an entire class of existing nuclear weapons.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two consequences of the collapse of the Reykjavik Summit of October 1986.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
Explain two of the following: (a) The importance of the Geneva Summit of 1985 for later Reagan-Gorbachev relations. (b) The importance of the Strategic Defense Initiative for the collapse of the Reykjavik Summit. (c) The importance of the INF Treaty of 1987 for the ending of the arms race. You must answer on two options.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 16 available
See real GCSE History past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the the reagan-gorbachev summits and the inf treaty, 1985-87 worksheet pack - 7 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on the reagan-gorbachev summits and the inf treaty, 1985-87, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.