Military Rivalry + Arms Race

LEARNING INTENTIONS

• Describe key facts about both sides’ weapons, including nuclear weapons

• Explain why the USA and Soviet Union entered an arms race

The USA developed nuclear weapons during World War

Two.

They used them to end the war,

dropping two bombs on Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) in

August 1945.

The Soviet Union did not have access to

nuclear weapons until 1949.

As they were the USA’s allies in World War Two they wanted the USA to share the

technology with them – but the USA refused (another reason for

tension).

Once both sides had ‘the Bomb’, they

each tried to build even bigger versions.

The Soviets and then the USA developed a

hydrogen bomb, bigger even than the atomic bombs used on

Japan.

Some people argue that nuclear weapons stopped the Cold War becoming a real war.

This is based on M.A.D. (Mutually

Assured Destruction), the idea that neither

side wanted to risk a nuclear war.

Neil Armstrong said it was “one small step for man” when he set foot on the

moon.

However the Space Race is actually a major part of the

Cold War.

In 1961 when Cosmonaut Yuri

Gagarin became the first man to orbit the earth, many

people in the USA worried this meant the Soviets had better weaponry.

The USA sent men to the moon in 1969 to

show their own technology.

Originally nuclear bomb had to be

dropped from planes, which made their use

much harder.

Over time both sides began to develop rocket systems to fire them great

distances (ICBMs).

Before ICBMs had developed, the USA

based their missiles in various NATO

countries.

Eventually both sides developed the

technology to launch weapons from

submarines, and this became the main

method.

During the 1980s both sides built more and bigger weapons (USA,

Cruise; USSR, SS20).

The US also built a defence system

called Star Wars. Some people say the

arms race cost brought down the

USSR.

There were three main reasons that the arms

race started:

• Fear of future war

• Need to be seen as a strong leader

• More weapons = more jobs

Fear of future war

A simple reason for arms race was

because there was fear of another

world war.

Each side wanted to make sure they could

win such a war.

Need to be seen as a strong leader

Another reason was that leaders in

different countries wanted to seem strong

and in control.

This was a show for other countries and

their own people too.

More weapons = more jobs

More weapons meant more jobs – this was important to both

sides.

e.g. Many Americans worked in Defence,

leading to the military-industrial

complex

During the Cold War the main fear was nuclear weapons.

These bombs could kill millions of people and could have spelled the

end of the world.

And both sides had them!