19.1.13

The Arms Race

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The Arms Race

The Soviet Union emerged as a nuclear player in 1949. This then became an arms race with the USA.

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Timeline - bombs

  • 1945 - USA drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
    • This brought the Second World War to an end.
  • 1949 - USSR tests an atomic bomb.
  • 1952 - USA develops Hydrogen bomb.
  • 1953 - USSR tests Hydrogen bomb.
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Timeline - missiles and submarines

  • 1957 - USA successfully tests Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
  • 1957 - USSR successfully tests ICBM.
  • 1959 - USA released Polaris submarines.
    • These submarines could fire nuclear missiles very close to the USSR from the sea.
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Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

  • Until 1949, the USA believed the best strategy against the Soviet Union in the event of war was to use its nuclear weapons.
  • By the 1950s, nuclear weapons had been developed which contained bigger warheads and would have destroyed both sides (Mutually Assured Destruction).
  • This made using nuclear weapons less attractive.
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The Warsaw Pact

  • The Warsaw Pact (May 1955) created an alliance to directly rival NATO.
  • The alliance included:
    • The USSR, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, East Germany (GDR), Albania.
  • This alliance bonded the countries even more closely.
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Avoiding war

  • The arms race became one of the most challenging issues of the Cold War.
  • From the 1950s onwards, leaders on both sides wanted to show their military and nuclear strength.
  • But because nuclear war would destroy both countries, they had to find ways to solve disputes without them leading to war.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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