ARMS RACE

ARMS RACE

By: Alaina Totton

Result of the Arms Race

The theory of MAD, Mutually Assured Destruction, developed meaning that if Russia attacked the United States, the United States would suitably retaliate. Once Ronald Regan came into office, he promoted his anti-nuclearism views. Regan believed that the Soviet's economy and technological base represented key weaknesses in its Cold War competition with the United States. He thought that the United States should lead an expan­sive competition with the Soviets politically, eco­-nomically, and militarily.

Throughout the Arms Race the U.S. had a much stronger economy eventually crippling the Soviet economy. The arms race was also viewed as a measure of political will. It existed to not necessarily be a sign that war must come, but simply proof that both sides were competing. By doing this, the U.S. was able to win against the Soviets and further prevent Communism from spreading.

What is the Arms Race?

Key People of the Arms Race

How the Arms Race Contributes to Containment

The Arms Race was a competition for high ranking in nuclear warfare between the Soviet Union and the United States. Each side competed to produce a better army, more advanced weapons, and elite military technology. The Arms Race lasted from 1945 until 1990 but is said to still be going on today.

What strengthened the USSR were more communist countries, and what strengthened the U.S. were less communist countries. With that, many poor nations started to turned towards communism. A main U.S. policy, containment, involved with direct/indirect stopping of the country from turning. The arms race gave way to Mutually Assured Destruction. The U.S. and USSR felt they had to have more nuclear weapons then the other so they could threatened the other with M.A.D., thus both sides were able to remain neutral towards each other.

• John Foster Dulles: U.S. secretary of state who announced the policy known as "massive retaliation"
• Edward Teller: theoretical physicist who is known as "the father of the hydrogen bomb"
• Klaus Fuchs: spy who worked for the Soviets and stole atomic secrets
• J. Robert Oppenheimer: director of the Manhattan Project
• Bernard Baruch: advocate of the Baruch Plan which was presented by the U.S. government to have international control of atomic weapons to the United Nations

Key Terms Associated With the Arms Race

Bibliography and Credits

• The Manhattan Project: led by the United States, the project was a research and development undertaking that produced the first nuclear weapons, essentially starting the Arms Race
• "Super Bomb": nickname given to the first hydrogen, or thermo-nuclear, bomb used by the United States
• The Tsar Bomba: Western nickname for the Soviet's hydrogen bomb, the most powerful bomb in the world
• Operation Crossroads: nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll
• Castle Bravo Test: a code name for the first U.S. test of a dry fuel thermonuclear device

http://www.heritage.org/defense/report/president-reagans-legacy-and-us-nuclear-weapons-policy

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/arms-race

http://www.atomcentral.com/the-cold-war.aspx

http://www.historytoday.com/john-swift/soviet-american-arms-race