COLD War and the Arms Race Essay - 1686 Words

COLD War and the Arms Race When President Truman authorized the use of two nuclear weapons in 1945 against the Japanese in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II, the nature of international security was changed irreversibly. At that time, the United States had what was said to have a monopoly of atomic bombs. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union began working on atomic weaponry. In 1949, it had already detonated it first atomic bomb and tensions began to heat up between the two countries. With the information that the Soviets had tested their first bomb, the United States began work on more powerful weapons1, and a fight for nuclear superiority had begun. In the 1950’s, the United States announced a policy of†¦show more content†¦Many new talks between the two countries would come along with many new advancements in weaponry. President Kennedy came to office with warnings of a missile gap. The Soviets had achieved or were achieving a significant advantage in strategic nuclear we apons. Though tensions ran even higher, Eisenhower’s strategy of massive retaliation made little sense and did not account for the rapidly growing Soviet nuclear arsenal4. Kennedys nuclear strategy became known as flexible response. The idea was to acquire the military forces that could deal flexibility with varying levels of Soviet Aggression3. The most serious confrontation between Russia and the US was the Cuban Missile Crisis. (Link to Stephanies page) Soviet leader Khrushchev attempted to place intermediate range missiles in Cuba. Kennedy responded by imposing a quarantine on Cuba. This resulted in the removal of the Soviet missiles and led to Kennedy making the decision to dismantle U.S. missiles based in Turkey. Some analysts argue that the successful outcome was due to the United States’ nuclear superiority, which proved that strategic superiority offered important political advantages5. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara later concluded, after Kennedys death, that the only way to defend our boundaries from a nuclear attack is to counterattack with equal nuclear force.Show MoreRelatedCold War Arms Race2351 Words   |  10 PagesDrew Valerio Prof. McNally History 268 September 6, 2012 Introduction The Cold war dated from 1947-1991. It was characterized by both political and military superiority between United States, which was backed by its NATO allies, and Soviet Union that led the communist side. The cold war was mainly started after the success of the alliance that was formed against Nazi Germany. This competition supremacy on nuclear warfare attracted other countries that also started making nuclear weapons due toRead MoreThe Nuclear Arms Race : The Cold War Between The United States1621 Words   |  7 PagesStarting in the 1949 with the explosion of an atomic bomb(RDS-1) in Russia and ending with the dissolvement of the Soviet Union, the nuclear arms race was an extremely tense few decades that forever changed the United States in many ways. The Arms Race is exactly what it sounds like; a race to amass more advance weapons. During these four decades, the Nuclear Arms Race affected Americans socially through instilling a variety of emotions ranging from fear, to awe of the power of the nuclear weapons, economicallyRead MoreThe Strategic Defence Initiative Within The Cold War Essay1147 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cold War was an ideological war primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union (1945-1991). 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The Cold War had many factors that contributed to the start of the war between the United States and the USSR, but theRead MoreAmerican Wars Abroad1567 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the Cold War the United States was involved in numerous conflicts overseas. As the Cold War progressed there were occasions where the US extended its participation beyond what was necessary by not acting in a quick and decisive manner. When dealing with crisis or conflict, America must not prolong foreign involvement. The Vietnam War and the Arms Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union are two instances where America prolonged involvement past what was necessary. Certain aspects of bothRead More The Cold War Essay808 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cold War was one of the most important political confrontations of the twentieth century, with the potential to wreak enormous damage to the world and its inhabitants. It began during the last stages of World War II when the alliances were crumbling and ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Cold War was the 20th centurys version of great power rivalry (except they were superpowers with the ability to annihilate each other with nuclear weapons at a moments notice.) From theRead MoreThe Arms Race and How it Changed the United States of America1415 Words   |  6 Pageswhat, at the height of the arms race, United States President Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union (Rudolph 1). Unsurprisingly, the Soviet Union was similarly upset at the United States. This anger is what fueled the arms race. During the Cold War, due to fears of nuclear attack, the US and Soviet Union designed and deployed thousands of nuclear warheads, each hoping to deter the other from nuclear launch with threat of counter attack (O’Neal 1). This massive arms buildup, however, had manyRead MoreThe Cold War And Soviet Union840 Words   |  4 Pagesthe cold war started. Some believe that the cold war was the result of the belligerence of Joseph Stalin and the insecurity it caused in the United States and the West. Others believe the primary responsibility for the cold war derives from the hardline policies of the United States. (Viewpoints Article: the Soviet Union Start the Cold War) I believe The Cold War was triggered by the theory of two superpower countries in a race for dominance in the world of nuclear arms. The nuclear arms race triggeringRead MoreWhat Was And Is The Arms Race?1329 Words   |  6 PagesWhat Was and Is The Arms Race? The arms race was throughout the cold war, which lasted about 45 years. During this time, The United States of America (USA) and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) were both creating and stockpiling military weapons to use against each other. The belief was â€Å"the more nuclear weapons you had, the more powerful you were†. This lead to the development of many extremely dangerous bombs and weapons, which could destroy life on earth. The Cold War was establishedRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War1636 Words   |  7 PagesThe U.S. learned greatly after having been declared the victor of the Cold War. Retired four-star U.S. Army general Colin Powell said, â€Å"The long bitter years of the Cold War are over. America and her allies have won; totally, decisively, and overwhelmingly† (Reed 343). The Cold War started after World War II in 1947 and ended in 1991. The U.S. underwent a political war with the Soviet Union in hopes of advancing more rapidly in certain fi elds, such as nuclear weapons and space crafts. Avoiding nuclear