Arms Race Selina Baeza Taylor Spearman

Manhattan Project  First nuclear weapon was created during WWII and was used against Axis Powers.  Two types of atomic bomb were developed  Gun type fission weapon (uses uranium)  Implosion type nuclear weapon

Hiroshima and Nagasaki  Little Boy was dropped by the Enola Gay on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 (gun type weapon)  Blast estimated to be equivalent to 13 kilotons of TNT  4.7 square miles destroyed  Fat Man was dropped by the Bochscar on Nagasaki three days later (plutonium-core weapon)  21 kilotons of TNT  44% of city destroyed

Uranium  Immediately after WWII, the US had a monopoly on knowledge and materials for nuclear weapons. American leaders hoped that this exclusivity was enough to hinder the Soviet Union.  However, uranium sources were found in Eastern Europe, providing the USSR with a steady supply.  In 1949 USSR detonated their first bomb named Joe One, an almost exact copy of Fat Man.

H-Bomb/ Deployable Thermonuclear Device  The governments spent massive amounts of money to increase nuclear arsenal.  Both countries worked frantically to produce the first hydrogen bomb.  The US detonated the first H-Bomb in November  The Soviets exploded a thermonuclear device in August 1955.

ICBMs  Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles  The most important development in terms of delivery in the 1950s.  Missiles delivered bombs instead of bomber aircrafts.

Sputnik  October 1957: Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik.  The US launched their own satellite in  The Space Race displayed the technology available for the delivery of nuclear weapons while maintaining the appearance of exploration and science.

Mutual Assured Destruction  At the end of the Kennedy Administration, both the US and the USSR admitted their vulnerability because of nuclear equality; one country couldn’t attack the other because they knew they would be attacked in return.  Whoever shoots first, dies second.  In the Reagan administration, MAD became Mutually Assured Security (MAS)

Détente  Economic problems led to arms control agreements beginning in the 1970s. This period of time, known as détente, allowed a reduction in spending.  Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I and II) limited the size of arsenals allowed.  Partial Test Ban Treaty banned nuclear testing, anti-ballistic missile systems, and weapons in space all in an attempt to limit the arms race.

Post-Cold War  As the Cold War warmed up, the U.S. and Russia began to cut down on spending; fewer weapons were produced.  Large amount of resources and money which was spent on developing weapons was spent on repairing the environmental damage produced by the nuclear arms race.  All major production sites are now major clean-up sites.

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Questions  What’s the purpose of ICBMs?  What is Sputnik?  What is the significance of MAS?  What was détente?  What three things happened after the Cold War?

Works Cited  Rhodes, Richard. "The Soviet Response | Cold War: A Brief History | History of the Atomic Age | atomicarchive.com." atomicarchive.com: Exploring the History, Science, and Consequences of the Atomic Bomb. N.p., 19 Apr Web. 15 Apr <  Hu, Irene, and Lica Awaki. "Turning Points in the Cold War: Sputnik and Apollo 11." Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. N.p., 19 Apr Web. 15 Apr <  Laqueur, Walter. "After the Cold War." America - Engaging the World - America.gov. N.p., 1 Apr Web. 18 Apr  "ICBM." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr  "ICBM." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr