The Nuclear Arms Race

1
The Nuclear Arms Race

• Sarah Vosti

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Timeline

• February 4-11, 1945?Yalta Conference, first
  tensions between US and USSR surface
• August 6, 1945?US uses the first A-Bomb in a war,
  showing the USSR that the US did have weapons
  that could cause great destruction
• September 1949?USSR explode their first A-Bomb,
  the USSR starting to compete with the US
• February 1950?Communist Witch Hunt is led by
  McCarthy in the US, causing further tension
  between the ideas of communism and capitalism
• June 1950?Both the US and USSR become involved
  with the Korean War, an example of a proxy war
• January 12, 1951?Federal Civil Defense
  Administration in the US is created, helped
  citizens cope with the threat of nuclear attack
• November 1, 1952?The first successful H-Bomb is
  created by Edward Teller, led the way for the
  advancement of the technology of weaponry.
• 1959-1979?The plutonium bomb is invented and
  further advancements in the A-Bomb and H-Bomb are
  made.
• 1962-The Cuban Missile Crisis

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Joseph Stalin

• Stalin was the dictator of the USSR from
  1929-1953, controlling the early stages of the
  Cold War from the USSRs standpoint.
• Stalins push for more control over Europe and
  Asia led Truman and Churchill to feel vulnerable
  because of the threat of Communism spreading into
  their countries.

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Harry Truman

• Harry Truman was the President of the United
  States from 1945-1953
• He was the successor of President Roosevelt, who
  passed away in office.
• He took a much more aggressive view towards the
  USSR.

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The Nuclear Arms Race

• The Cold War was a period from 1945-1989 when
  there was tension and competition between the
  Western Civilization (Capitalism) and the Eastern
  Civilization (Communism).
• There were no actual wars between the two main
  countries (US and USSR), but there were proxy
  wars.
• The Nuclear Arms Race was when the two countries
  continually built up their stock of nuclear
  weapons.
• The US concentrated on making better quality
  weapons while the USSR concentrated on making
  larger weapons.
• From both perspectives, the threat of having a
  hostile county with nuclear weapons was
  distressing and in order to feel safer, they
  would continue to build up their weapons.
• To the other country, this appeared to be an
  aggressive move and hence they would also build
  up, creating a cycle.

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WHY did this happen?!

• The Nuclear Arms race clearly exemplifies the
  idea of mistrust between two nations.
• During WWII, the USSR and the US created a
  temporary alliance to rid of Hitler and Nazi
  Germany. But after he was defeated, the purpose
  for the alliance was no longer there, and it fell
  apart.
• Although the countries attended conferences to
  try to keep peace by agreeing on what to do with
  Germany, it was to no avail. The feelings of
  tension between communism and capitalism
  resurfaced, eventually leading to mistrust
  between the two nations.
• The USSR saw the destructive powers of the bomb
  that the US possessed and to as they were both
  superpowers, the USSR acquired their own bombs.
  The US in turn got more bombs either because they
  a) felt threatened and/or b) wanted to appear to
  be more powerful.
• During the Cold War when the Nuclear Arms Race
  was taking place, mistrust and competition
  between two superpowers were significant factors
  in the continuation of it.

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Funny!
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Take Cover!

• The Nuclear Arms Race was not something that
  seemed like a distant threat. Schools would have
  emergency drills for the case of nuclear attack.
  Some families even built bomb shelters.

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Works Cited Page

• CNN Interactive. Profile Joseph Stalin. April
  1999. May 15, 2004. lthttp//www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/c
  old.war/kbank/profiles/stalin/gt
• Devitt, Terry. Edward Teller Tellers Triumph?
  2003. May 15, 2004. lthttp//whyfiles.org/186ed_tel
  ler/2.htmlgt
• Jones, Paul. Cold War. August 15, 1993. May 15,
  2004. lthttp//www.ibibli.org/expo/soviet.exhibit/c
  oldwar.htmlgt
• Team 10826. Timeline of the Cold War. July 31,
  1997. May 15, 2004. lthttp//library.thinkquest.org
  /10826/timeline.htmgt