The Arms Race and the Space Race

Ever since the USA had dropped the on Hiroshima in 1945, the had been determined to develop its own nuclear weapons. It finally succeeded in 1949 and this began a nuclear arms race, with both sides racing to develop more and bigger bombs.

However, it became clear that the did not intend to use these new weapons hastily. This was demonstrated during the Korean War when President Truman sacked General MacArthur for arguing in favour of using nuclear weapons to end that war.

Nonetheless, a new idea developed: that of . This suggested that the very fact of a country possessing nuclear weapons would prevent another country from threatening its interests, because they wouldn’t want to provoke a nuclear attack. In order to maintain this upper hand, the superpowers had to continue to build up their stockpiles of ever more powerful nuclear weapons so that they would have the power to massively retaliate against any such attack.

As the Cold War developed, the theory of (MAD) took shape. This said that the existence of such massive nuclear weapons meant that open war between the superpowers, in which nuclear weapons were used, would end life on earth. This was the ultimate deterrent, and both sides continued to build up their arsenals of nuclear weapons to gain this advantage.

There was pressure on the US government from the armed forces and arms manufacturers to increase military spending throughout the 1950s. As President Eisenhower was coming to the end of his term of office, he warned the American public that too much power lay in the hands of this . As an army general, he felt able to resist their pressure, but he was concerned that a future president wouldn’t be able to resist their arguments for limitless military spending.

This nuclear arms race was also matched by similar competition over space and the race to the moon.

Date	Major Events of the Arms Race
1945	USA drops atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
1949	The USSR’s first successful atomic bomb test ends American nuclear monopoly
1950	The UK carries out nuclear tests in Western Australia
1952	The USA successfully tests the first Hydrogen bomb, 2500 times more powerful than the atomic bomb
1953	The USSR tests its own Hydrogen bomb.
1955	The USA publishes its Doctrine of Massive Retaliation stating that any attack on the USA or its allies would be met with incredible destructive force
1957	In order to launch the satellite Sputnik I, the USSR had developed a rocket. The same rocket was capable of carrying an atomic warhead for thousands of miles. This meant the USSR had created the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
1958	The USA tests its own ICBMs
1959	The USA deploys Polaris submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles close to the shore of the USSR
1961	The USSR detonates the Tsar Bomba, a nuclear bomb which produced the largest ever man-made explosion
1962	The Cuban Missile Crisis – for 13 days the world stood on the edge of nuclear war
1968	The USSR develops an Anti-Ballistic Missile system to shoot down in-bound US missiles
1968	The USA develops MIRV technology - allowing missile warheads to hit multiple targets from one missile

Date	1945
Major Events of the Arms Race	USA drops atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Date	1949
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USSR’s first successful atomic bomb test ends American nuclear monopoly

Date	1950
Major Events of the Arms Race	The UK carries out nuclear tests in Western Australia

Date	1952
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USA successfully tests the first Hydrogen bomb, 2500 times more powerful than the atomic bomb

Date	1953
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USSR tests its own Hydrogen bomb.

Date	1955
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USA publishes its Doctrine of Massive Retaliation stating that any attack on the USA or its allies would be met with incredible destructive force

Date	1957
Major Events of the Arms Race	In order to launch the satellite Sputnik I, the USSR had developed a rocket. The same rocket was capable of carrying an atomic warhead for thousands of miles. This meant the USSR had created the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

Date	1958
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USA tests its own ICBMs

Date	1959
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USA deploys Polaris submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles close to the shore of the USSR

Date	1961
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USSR detonates the Tsar Bomba, a nuclear bomb which produced the largest ever man-made explosion

Date	1962
Major Events of the Arms Race	The Cuban Missile Crisis – for 13 days the world stood on the edge of nuclear war

Date	1968
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USSR develops an Anti-Ballistic Missile system to shoot down in-bound US missiles

Date	1968
Major Events of the Arms Race	The USA develops MIRV technology - allowing missile warheads to hit multiple targets from one missile

Date	Major events of the Space Race
1957	The USSR launches Sputnik 1 - the world’s first telecommunications satellite. Sputnik 2 was launched later that year and carried a small dog named Laika – the first living animal to go into orbit.
1959	The USSR launches Luna 1 - the first man-made object to orbit the sun. The USA then sent Pioneer 4 to do a fly-past of the Moon, prompting the Soviets to launch Luna 2 at the moon.
1960	The USA launches Discovery XIV - the first satellite equipped with a spy camera.
1961	The USSR puts the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into space. The USA responds by launching its own Apollo missions, and Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space. President John F Kennedy challenges America to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
1969	The American astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, become the first men to walk on the moon.

Date	1957
Major events of the Space Race	The USSR launches Sputnik 1 - the world’s first telecommunications satellite. Sputnik 2 was launched later that year and carried a small dog named Laika – the first living animal to go into orbit.

Date	1959
Major events of the Space Race	The USSR launches Luna 1 - the first man-made object to orbit the sun. The USA then sent Pioneer 4 to do a fly-past of the Moon, prompting the Soviets to launch Luna 2 at the moon.

Date	1960
Major events of the Space Race	The USA launches Discovery XIV - the first satellite equipped with a spy camera.

Date	1961
Major events of the Space Race	The USSR puts the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into space. The USA responds by launching its own Apollo missions, and Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space. President John F Kennedy challenges America to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

Date	1969
Major events of the Space Race	The American astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, become the first men to walk on the moon.

The Arms Race and the Space Race - The Cold War, 1948-1960 - AQA - GCSE History Revision - AQA - BBC Bitesize (2)

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Look at the table below so you understand when the leaders of each superpower changed:

The Arms Race and the Space Race - The Cold War, 1948-1960 - AQA - GCSE History Revision - AQA - BBC Bitesize (3)

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The Arms Race and the Space Race - The Cold War, 1948-1960 - AQA - GCSE History Revision - AQA - BBC Bitesize (2024)

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What was the arms race in GCSE history? ›

The USA dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. This marked the start of what historians call 'The Arms Race'. This was a period of time when the USA and the Soviet Union competed against each other to create and stockpile the most advanced weapons.

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What was the Cold War arms and Space Race arms race? ›

During the Cold War, the two superpowers raced to build the most destructive arsenal in history. This competition caused several terrifying crises and launched the space race. The effects could well be called unprecedented, magnificent, beautiful, stupendous and terrifying.

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What was the Space Race GCSE history? ›

The Space Race was a struggle between the Soviet Union and the USA to be the first to achieve key milestones in the exploration of space - including the launch of the first artificial satellite, sending the first living creature into space, and sending the first human being into space.

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What is the arms race in a short essay? ›

An arms race denotes a rapid increase in the quantity or quality of instruments of military power by rival states in peacetime; in this case, the rivalry between the USA and USSR after the Second World War. The build- up of arms is one of the most profound characteristics of the Cold war.

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What was the arms race short answer? ›

arms race, a pattern of competitive acquisition of military capability between two or more countries. The term is often used quite loosely to refer to any military buildup or spending increases by a group of countries. The competitive nature of this buildup often reflects an adversarial relationship.

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What is the Cold War GCSE summary? ›

The Cold War is a title given to the period of tension between the two superpowers, the United States of America (USA) and the Soviet Union (USSR). The conflict grew initially from ideological. differences due to the fact that the Soviet Union was a communist.

How did space race impact the Cold War? ›

The space race played a significant part in the Cold War as the Americans and Soviets competed to prove their technological and intellectual superiority by becoming the first nation to put a human into space. From beginning to end, the world's attention was captivated by this contest for dominance.

What were the main causes of the space race? ›

The Space Race began as an arms race between the respective militaries of the United States and the Soviet Union. World War II had demonstrated to the world that rocket technology would drive modern warfare, and as such the U.S. and Russia locked themselves in a race to have the most superior technology.

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What was the space race 1960? ›

Following World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States engaged in a struggle to prove their superiority. The Cold War constituted nearly fifty years of physical battles, technological advancements, and diplomatic engagements. By 1960, the battles extended beyond Earth's gravity.

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What was the main focus of the arms race? ›

Table of Contents. An arms race occurs when two or more countries increase the size and quality of military resources to gain military and political superiority over one another.

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How did Cold War produce arms race as well as arms control? ›

The Cold War produced an arms race as well as arms control: 1. Cuban Missile Crisis engaged both of them (superpowers) in the development of nuclear weapons to influence the world. ... Both the powers were not ready to initiate a war because they knew that destruction from these will not justify any gain for them.

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What was a major outcome of the arms race during the Cold War? ›

In the end, the arms race helped to end the Cold War. Both the United States and the Soviet Union were spending enormous amounts of money on their nuclear programs. This was one of the factors that led to the Soviet Union agreeing to an end to the Cold War.

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What is the explanation of the arms race? ›

An arms race occurs when two or more groups compete in military superiority. It consists of a competition between two or more states to have superior armed forces, concerning production of weapons, the growth of a military, and the aim of superior military technology.

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What were the key events in the arms race? ›

The Arms Race and the Space Race

Date	Major Events of the Arms Race
1949	The USSR's first successful atomic bomb test ends American nuclear monopoly
1950	The UK carries out nuclear tests in Western Australia
1952	The USA successfully tests the first Hydrogen bomb, 2500 times more powerful than the atomic bomb

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The Arms Race and the Space Race - The Cold War, 1948-1960 - AQA - GCSE History Revision - AQA - BBC Bitesize (2024)