Build-Up to the Cuban Missile Crisis
History: Cambridge International GCSE The Twentieth Century (Option B), topic 5.2.1
The Arms Race
After the USA used nuclear weapons to defeat Japan in World War 2, the Soviet Union began to focus on building its own nuclear weapons and a 'nuclear deterrent'.
1940s - The USA leads
- On the 6th and 9th August 1945, the USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to defeat Japan and bring them to surrender.
- This ended World War 2.
- On the 29th of August 1949, the Soviet Union completed its development of an atomic bomb.
- The USSR was 4 years behind the USA with its nuclear capabilities.
1950s - The USA leads
- In 1952, the United States successfully built a Hydrogen bomb.
- Experts estimate hydrogen bombs to be 1,000x more destructive than the atomic bombs used in Japan in 1945.
- In 1953, the USSR built their own Hydrogen bomb (H-bomb).
- They were now only 1 year behind the USA.
1950s - Neck and neck
- Atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs were important because they allowed countries to do lots of damage to their enemies.
- Missiles became very important because they allowed countries to remotely fire lots of missiles at their enemies quickly.
- The atomic bombs over Japan were dropped from planes.
1950s - Neck and neck (2)
- In 1958, the USSR completed a test of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, called an ICBM.
- These missiles could be fired 5,500km (the distance from Lisbon to New York over the Atlantic Ocean).
- The USA developed ICBMs in 1959, but the USSR had taken the lead in the Arms Race.
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
- Whilst the Soviet Union didn't have nuclear weapons (before 1949), the USA knew that in a war, it could use nuclear weapons and win.
- After 1949, both the USA and USSR had nuclear weapons.
- After 1959, both sides could fire nuclear weapons 5,500km at each other.
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) 2
- If there were to be a nuclear war between the 2 countries, it is likely that both countries would be completely destroyed, shooting missiles at each other.
- This concept was called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).
- This made using nuclear weapons seem like a worse option.
Test yourself on Build-Up to the Cuban Missile Crisis
In which year did the USSR first successfully test an atomic bomb?
Which statement describes the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)?
Timeline of the Arms Race