Nuclear Agreements 1963–68

What is the main issue of the question?

Whether nuclear agreements from 1963–68 genuinely reduced the threat of nuclear war.

What was the Cold War context after 1962?

Cuban Missile Crisis highlighted danger of accidental nuclear war and encouraged limited cooperation.

Name the three major agreements between 1963 and 1968.

Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) 1963, Hot Line Agreement 1963, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 1968.

How did the PTBT (1963) reduce nuclear danger?

Limited nuclear testing, reduced fallout, signalled superpower cooperation and lowered public anxiety.

What was the purpose of the Hot Line Agreement (1963)?

Provide direct communication between Washington and Moscow; reduce risk of miscalculation.

How did the Hot Line reduce the threat of nuclear war?

Made crises easier to manage and reduced chance of accidental escalation.

What was the main aim of the NPT (1968)?

Prevent further spread of nuclear weapons and limit number of nuclear powers.

How did the NPT help reduce nuclear danger?

Reduced risk of regional or irrational actors gaining nuclear weapons.

Why were these agreements limited in effectiveness?

They did not reduce existing arsenals or stop development of new nuclear weapons.

How did the arms race continue despite agreements?

USA and USSR expanded ICBM and SLBM systems and developed MIRVs, increasing destructive capacity.

What was a major weakness of the PTBT?

Allowed underground testing; superpowers continued to modernise nuclear weapons.

Why was NPT enforcement weak?

Did not require disarmament, and major powers like France and China didn’t initially sign.

What event in 1964 undermined the effectiveness of arms-control efforts?

China’s first successful nuclear test.

How did superpower behaviour show nuclear danger remained high?

Vietnam War escalation and confrontation continued despite agreements.

Did the agreements reduce the risk or the reality of nuclear danger more?

They reduced risk of accidental war, but not the strategic danger created by the arms race.

Final judgement?

Agreements modestly reduced danger through communication and limited cooperation, but failed to reduce real nuclear capability or rivalry.