The Arms Race and Space Race

• What was the critical phase of the Cold War that began in the 1960s?

  The Cold War entered its most critical phase.
• What was the significance of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945?

  It motivated the USSR to develop its own nuclear weapons.
• When did the USSR successfully develop its own nuclear weapons?

  In 1949.
• What does the term 'arms race' refer to in the context of the Cold War?

  A competition between America and the USSR to build more nuclear weapons.
• What is the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)?

  It suggests that both America and Russia would destroy each other if a war started.
• What was the first successful atomic bomb test by the USSR?


  The USSR's first successful atomic bomb test in 1949.
• What significant event occurred in 1952 related to nuclear weapons?

  The USA successfully tested the first Hydrogen bomb.
• What was the significance of the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957?

  It was the world’s first telecommunications satellite.
• Who was the first living animal in space?

  Laika, the dog carried by Sputnik 2.
• What was the first man-made object to orbit the sun?

  Luna 1, launched by the USSR.
• What was the purpose of the USA's Apollo missions initiated in 1961?

  To put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
• Who was the first man to walk on the moon?

  Neil Armstrong.
• What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

  A 13-day confrontation that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
• What technology did the USA develop in 1968 related to missiles?

  MIRV technology, allowing multiple warheads to be fired from one missile.
• What was the impact of the arms race on the USSR?

  It created a financial burden that caused problems later in the Cold War.
• What were the key events in the arms race and space race during the Cold War?

  • 1945: USA drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
  • 1949: USSR's first successful atomic bomb test.
  • 1952: USA tests the first Hydrogen bomb.
  • 1957: USSR launches Sputnik 1.
  • 1961: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space.
  • 1969: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon.
• What were the strengths and weaknesses of the arms race during the Cold War?

  Strengths:

  • Ensured deterrence through MAD.
  • Advanced technological developments.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • High financial costs for both superpowers.
  • Increased tensions and risk of nuclear war.
• What was the largest man-made explosion ever recorded?

  The detonation of the Tsar Bomba by the USSR.
• How did the arms race contribute to the Cold War tensions?

  It increased competition and distrust between the USA and USSR.