HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (AND THE ARMS RACE, AND THE ALLIANCE SYSTEM)ACTUALLY, YOU SHOULD JUST CALL THESE NOTES “THE ARMS RACE.” SORRY.

THE ALLIANCE SYSTEM

NATO AND THE WARSAW PACT

For “The North Atlantic Treaty” (p. 58) or “The Warsaw Pact” (p. 59):

1.What kinds of countries are signing this pact?

2.What do these countries say their purpose is?

3.What are these countries promising to each other?

THE ALLIANCE SYSTEM

NATOFormed 1949Alliance of capitalist,

democratic countries“An attack on one of us

is an attack on all of us”

The Warsaw PactFormed 1955Alliance of communist

countries“An attack on one of us

is an attack on all of us”

IN YOUR NOTEBOOK

Do you think the alliance system made the world more or less safe?

Why?

THE ARMS RACE

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Highly explosive devices developed during WWII

US dropped first nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945

USSR tested first nuclear weapon on August 29, 1949

THE ARMS RACE

Date: roughly 1945-1990Definition: competition between

the US and the USSR to develop greater military capacity

SignificanceRequired huge military expensesMade the world more

dangerous… or did it?

SOME NEW WEAPONS

THERMONUCLEAR (HYDROGEN) BOMBS

INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES (ICBMS)

TSAR BOMBA

NUCLEAR SUBMARINES

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

THE SPACE RACE

CIVIL DEFENSE

Civil defense sheltersPreparedness effortsEducation efforts –

Bert the Turtle

SO WHY AREN’T WE ALL DEAD?

Key concept of the Cold War: mutual assured destruction (MAD)

Principles of MAD:Each side maintains enough offensive capacity to

annihilate the other sideHuge arms stockpiles are a deterrent – they

discourage offensive attacks