The Atomic Bomb
History: KS3, topic 20.1.5
The Atomic Bomb
The dropping of atomic bombs by the USA on Japan began a nuclear arms race between the USA and the USSR which would last until the end of the Cold War.
The arms race
- The USA had an atomic bomb that worked by the end of the war.
- This gave it an advantage until the USSR developed its own in 1949 AD.
- Tensions increased over the years of the war, as the two sides tried to build new nuclear weapons and get ahead of each other.
- This became known as the 'arms race'.
The hydrogen bomb
- By November 1952 AD the US had tested a hydrogen bomb.
- The USSR then successfully tested a hydrogen bomb in 1953 AD.
- These hydrogen bombs were 2500 times stronger than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
- If there was a war between the USA and USSR it was likely that both countries would be completely destroyed.
- This was called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).
- It was (and is) the only thing that stopped them from being used.
Potential death toll
- US intelligence at the time estimated that if Russia attacked the US with missiles then 20 million Americans would be killed and another 20 million would be seriously injured.
That would have meant a total of 40 million casualties (the amount of dead and wounded).
Test yourself on The Atomic Bomb
In what year did the Soviet Union develop their own atomic bomb?
The Beginning of the Arms Race
If there was an atomic war, how many Americans would be killed and how many would be injured (according to US intelligence)?