Stalin was determined to make the Soviet Union a nuclear power, after the USA created the first atomic bombs during the Second World War, which were tested in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. In August 1949 the Soviet Union successfully tested an atomic device, thus bringing an end to the US nuclear monopoly and this subsequently led to the beginning of nuclear arms race where the two superpowers aimed to match each other. Indeed with both superpowers having nuclear capabilities a balance of terror was once again established. The fact that each of the super powers now had nuclear capacity was clearly a stabilising factor, because nuclear weapons meant that the destructive power of each was greatly increased and subsequently so was their vulnerability should we not have the balance of terror in place. In this way the nuclear arms race brought some stability to relations between the superpowers in the period 1949 – 1953 because the threat of nuclear attacks forced both superpowers to limit conflict.
(Rodreyer, Smith) The creation of the bomb was considered by many scientists during the 1930’s and 1940’s. Mainly because It was thought that another force would be creating a mass destructive device similar to what the scientists had in mind. This whole project took a course of several years and much dedication. This project is known as, “The Manhattan Project.” The Manhattan Project was the code name for the U.S. creation of the atomic bomb during World War Two. An atomic bomb is a powerful explosive weapon that derives its force from the sudden release of energy in a nuclear reaction called fission, or splitting, of the nuclei of such heavy elements as plutonium and uranium.
How far was the nuclear arms race a threat to world peace 1949-1963? The period of 1949 to 1963 saw increasing developments in nuclear technology by the Soviet Union and the Americans. The word ‘race’ meant that both superpowers aimed to match each other and gain the upper hand in terms of nuclear missile technology. Nuclear arms were seen as a form of scare tactic against the opposition as they both felt threatened by each other’s ideological capabilities. It was also used as a defence mechanism in case of future attack.
Such a poor choice this was, to split the nuclei of atoms. When the U.S. developed the first atomic bomb in the 1940s, other countries soon followed. Relations with Russia had been strained since the 1890s, even as allies in the second world war, and as the United States and then Soviet Union began building stockpiles of nuclear weapons, tension broke out again. “"Cold war" is the term given to the competition, conducted through means short of direct military conflict, between the United States and the Soviet Union since World War II.”(Foner, p. 1). The threat of “mutually assured destruction” kept everyone on edge during this time, and has since lessened since the fall of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War.
From 1917 to 1980, their relationship shifts from good relationship to bad relationship that almost led to nuclear war, which was fallowed again with a good relationship that led to arms control and détente, then to an intensified relationship until the end of the cold war. IA. It is important to know the background that strained the relationship of the Americans and the Soviets by understanding the period 1917 to 1945. It is not at this span of time that the nuclear arms race started but rather this period marked the beginning of the ideological clash between the Americans and the Soviets. The overthrowing of the Tsarist Empire in 1917 led to the creation of the Soviet Union, marking the expansion of communism in Europe.
With the bomb came advances in technology, the possibility to end millions of lives, and the beginnings of the Cold War. Behind Truman were three important factors that influenced his decision: the scientists who created the bomb, the geopolitics and politicians circling the bomb, and the general military outlook involving the bomb. From each of these key perspectives, the decision is shown to be influenced far more by politics and persons than the battle of Okinawa. To evaluate this claim, the scientists and their influence on the decision must first be examined. 1 Scientist Interventions The U.S’s introduction to the atomic bomb was through the renowned physicist Albert Einstein and
Reagan and the end of the Cold War. Cooperative resolution, as seen in the Cold War, has shown itself to be a rare significance in shaping the ending of many portentous conflicts.The Cold War, which began in 1945 after the Yalta conference saw international tensions on a scale that the world had never seen before. With the American fear of communism and the rapid expansion of nuclear warfare technology, the world, until 1991 was at the brink of a devastating conflicts between Soviet Russia and the U.S. Many historians may argue the Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet leader from 1985-1991 had the biggest influence over the end of communism. However, Ronald Reagan, U.S president between 1981-1989, was the most significant political leader to influence the ending of the Cold War.
Stanley Kubrick’s film deals comically with the fear that the opposing sides had of nuclear annihilation and their strategic deterrence as a direct consequence of this fear. Dr. Strangelove defines deterrence as “the art of producing in the mind of the enemy fear to attack”. Kubrick uses the ultimate deterrence: mutually assured destruction. The doomsday device represents the dangers of mutually assured destruction, an unstoppable deterrence device. In the film the deterrence device built by the Soviet Union is impossible to stop and once triggered will release enough radiation to make the world uninhabitable for one hundred years.
The German people are most fascinating. In the 20th Century, in my opinion, they were the people who had made the most impact in the world today. They developed the most innovative technology during their wars with the world, and also were most receptive to the many periods of change that swept over the rapidly changing country. They managed to fight World War 1 and nearly defeated the Western Allies before the entry of the United States of America. After being stripped of the right to build artillery guns according to the Treaty of Versailles, they began to develop missiles, like the V1 and V2, so as to replace the need for long-range combat support.
The U.S. believed that if the atomic bomb ended the war, the U.S. would establish postwar supremacy over the Soviets. In addition, the atomic bomb had cost 2 billion dollars and mobilized, at its peak, over 120,000 people. Linking this weapon to the end of the war would help justify that expenditure. In addition to the desire to force Japan's surrender, these considerations led the U.S. to proceed with the atomic bombings. (2) Why did it happen?