Final answer:
The correct order of events is: The era of détente began, Brezhnev became the leader of the USSR, the US and USSR restarted the arms race, and finally, Brezhnev died, and Reagan was elected. This sequence outlines the progression of Cold War tensions from a period of relaxation to a renewal of the arms race climaxing in a change of leadership in both the USSR and the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
Event Sequence of the Late Cold War Period:
- The era of détente began.
- Brezhnev became the leader of the USSR.
- The US and USSR restarted the arms race.
- Brezhnev died, and Reagan was elected.
The era of détente refers to the period of relaxed tensions between the US and USSR during the 1970s. Leonid Brezhnev became the leader of the USSR in 1964, and under his rule, the arms race, including the nuclear arms race, continued. After Brezhnev's death in 1982, Ronald Reagan was elected president of the United States in 1980 and took office in 1981, marking a period of escalated tensions and a renewed focus on military buildup, effectively cooling the era of détente and signaling a return to a more confrontational stance in the Cold War.