Arms Race

• Causes of arms race


  Each side wanted to know about the other's developments.

  Nuclear weapons viewed about deterrents
• Event of arms race

  Competed in Sciene and Tech.

  Soviets developed A Bomb in 1949

  USA allocated 40% to Command bombing force.

  USSR developed long range bombers triggering fear of the 'bomb gap'

  Stockpiles of nuclear weapons built up in 1950's.
• What did Khrushchev realise about space tech?

  Space tech would make missiles better. Engineers from USSR would begin develop the first Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on 15th May 1957.
• Developments in arms race during 1960's

  America developed Polaris missiles which could be fired from submarines. America started to pull ahead.

  US public were alarmed that the USSR might have more Nuclear weapons but Eisenhower knew this wasn't the case due to his U2 spy planes.
• Key Dates of arms race

  1945 - USA drops atomic bombs (A bombs) on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

  1949 - USSR develops first A bomb which ends USA's monopoly.

  1952 - USA's first Hydrogen bomb (H bomb), X2500 times more powerful

  1953 - USSR tests its own H bomb

  1957 - Sputnik 1 launched by USSR - the first ICBM

  1958 - USA's tests ICBMs

  1959 - USA's Polaris subs

  1961 - USSR's Tsar Bomba
• What was Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)?


  full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation life on Earth. It was the ultimate deterrent.
• Define Brinkmanship


  A willingness to push a nation to the brink of nuclear war to keep peace.
• Responses to threat of MAD

  American public told to 'duck and cover'

  Britain - booklet detailing how to 'protect and survive'

  It was not if, but when for many people.