Détente is called to the easing of strained relations, especially in political situations. It is a French word and the term originated in 1912 when France and Germany tried to reduce tensions, without success.
The term is often used to the relation between the Soviet Union and the United States during 1969 - 1974. It was a policy that seeks to reduce tension between the Moscow and the West promoted by Richard Nixon, Leonid Brezhnev, and Henry Kissinger.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 ended any talk of détente.
