The 1960s: A Troublesome Time
- Major Scares of the 1960s:
- Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 1961)
- Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1961)
- Development of MAD
- Signs of Hope of the 1960s:
- Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (July 1968)
- SALT I- Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (November 1969)
- During the 1950s, it was no longer just the Soviet Union and the United States whom had nuclear weaponry.
- The United Kingdom, France, and China were are far advanced in technological advancements in their testing for weapons.
Soviets Strike Back
Introduction
- Competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War.
- Marks the development of nuclear weaponry on an international scale
- No nuclear weapons were engaged, however nuclear weaponry production were closely matched throughout the War.
- Due to the aid of Russian spies on the Manhattan Project, the Soviet Union was able to respond in 1949 with their own atomic bomb.
- Marks the beginning of the 'Arms Race'
- Cuts all political ties between Soviet Union and United States
History of Atomic Weapons
- The first nuclear weapon was developed by the United States during WWII as defense against the Axis Powers.
- Manhattan Project
- Allies were all informed of nuclear weapon testing
- BUT NOT THE SOVIET UNION
- Why?
- They were not trusted to keep it secret from German spies
- The US didn't want to give them the specs of the construction of the bomb
- First Atomic Bomb
- In August 1945, Truman ordered the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
- Post WWII- Attempt of Disarmament
United We Stand
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test/videos/manhattan-project?m=528e38969e64d
- SALT I leads to...
- Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty
- The United States and Soviet Union agree to only have 2 ABM sites each.
- Detente?
- Development of MIRVs
- Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles-single missiles that could target multiple cities with several nuclear warheads
- Yeah, no detente.
- SALT II Treaty (1979) -recognized MIRVs and set limits on the number of weapons a country could have and the rate at which technology could move forward
- Jimmy Carter pulls out of SALT II when in 1980 the Soviets invaded Afghanistan
- By the 1950, the United States had largely increased all production of uranium and plutonium.
- President Truman announced the US would continue research on "all forms of atomic weapons"
- i.e. Fission Bomb, Thermonuclear Fusion Bomb, and...
- Hydrogen Bomb (1952)- "Mike"
- Soviet Union responded in 1953
Warm Up
What are your opinions and beliefs on the situation in Crimea?
- 1952- UK tests its first nuclear bomb in Australia
- 1952- US tests its first hydrogen bomb which raises the stakes of the the nuclear arms race.
- 1960- France tests its first nuclear bomb
- 1982- Millions of people rally for disarmament which was conducted by the United Nations.
Timeline
- Reagan Presidency 1981
- Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)- "Star Wars" (1983)
- design a complex anti-ballistic missile system that used technology on the ground and satellites in space to defend the U.S. from airborne nuclear attacks
- Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty- START I (1990)
- reduction of nearly 50 percent of each country's nuclear arsenal
- That's it.
- No big kaboom. Or detonation.
- Still no resolution.
- United States had 9,200 missiles ready to deploy at any moment.
- Russia has 5,600 missiles ready to deploy at any moments
- Any 8 of the these missiles detonated would wipe out most of the human population.
Because warm ups don't relate to what we are learning.
- August 1942- the establishment of the Manhattan Project in the United States. This was created to create the first nuclear weapon and cost the US a great deal of money.
- July 1945- the United States conducts its first nuclear test and the date of this test was the beginning of the nuclear age.
- August 6, 1945- US drops bomb on Hiroshima 1946- UN calls for elimination of all nuclear weapons
- August 1949- Soviet Union tests its first nuclear bomb
- This was the catalyst for the rest of the world to test nuclear bombs and weapons and was the clear beginning of the nuclear age until the 1990s.
The Nuclear Arms Race during the Cold War