What was the role of the arms race in the Cold War? key area of

in war at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. •. [1948- USA B-29 bombers ready on UK airstrips during. Berlin Blockade crisis]. •. 1949- USSR first atomic test. •. 1952- USA ...
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What was the role of the arms race in the Cold War? key area of competition huge financial drain source of fear and tension nuclear deterrence mutually assured destruction (MAD) balance of terror Did this prevent a ‘hot war’ from happening?

Development of nuclear weapons: Joining the ‘nuclear club’ •

USA first and only time atomic bombs used in war at Hiroshima and Nagasaki



[1948- USA B-29 bombers ready on UK airstrips during Berlin Blockade crisis]



1949- USSR first atomic test

• •

1952- USA hydrogen bomb - 150 sq. miles of devastation 800 sq. miles of radioactive fallout - UK atom bomb



1953- USSR hydrogen bomb



[1956- Khrushchev threatens to bomb London and Paris during the Suez Crisis- eg. of ‘nuclear diplomacy’]



1960- France



1964- China (no longer a Soviet ally)

Launching Nuclear Weapons Early delivery system: drop from B-29 airplanes Long-range bombers Development of rockets/missiles with nuclear warheads:

1957- USSR tests ICBM = intercontinental ballistic missile (long range) Sputnik earth satellite 1958- USA Atlas missile (ICBM) 5000 mile range Late 1950s/1960s- USA medium range missiles Jupiter, Thor, Pershings stationed in Europe 1960s- USSR SS-4 and SS-5 missiles 1960s/1970s- SLBM = submarine-launched ballistic missile (USA: Polaris & Poseidons)

Atlas Missile Sputnik on the launch pad

USA advantages: •Brief monopoly on nuclear weapons •Its allies were first to develop nuclear weapons •Better quality and usually greater quantity •By 1961 USA had 20,000 nuclear bombs USSR spent the next decade catching up to ‘close the gap’ (only 10 ICBM’s in 1961 by 1969, 1,500) USSR had advantage in conventional land forces (army) US allies had small stockpiles compared to two superpowers

Some more terminology: Civilian air defense Early warning system Strategic Air Command (Omaha, Nebraska HQ) Missile silo

Nuclear fallout shelter c. 1960