The Arms Race begins 1945- 1955

The USA had the advantage of the atomic bomb and its power was obvious when it ended WW2
Competition soon developed as both sides were keen to develop new and more powerful nuclear weapons
In 1949 the USSR tested their own atomic bomb and so both competed to develop the more powerful hydrogen bomb
Competition was also on how best to deliver the bombs, the USA had a co-ordinated fleet of bomber planes in western Europe but in the 1950s the Soviets were ahead with the development of missiles
It was a central part of the rivalry between the superpowers and was a source of tension and anxiety so both sides spied on each other and tried to get ahead by developing new weapons and technology
If a war broke out it would have been the most destructive in history raising the stakes
The risks were extremely high and may have mad the war less likely as both sides new how bad it would be

Resource summary

	Created by Sophia Hinchliffe about 7 years ago