Superpower Relations and Arms Race Summary

Superpower Relations: The Arms and Space Race (1945 – 1963)

Reasons for the Arms Race:

  • International Tension: Post-1945, fear and hostility grew between superpowers due to increasing anxiety about each other's intentions.

  • Atomic Bomb: Development and use of the atomic bomb led to the US having a nuclear technology monopoly initially, with the USSR focused on achieving equity and tactical advantage.

  • National & Personal Prestige: Success in the Arms Race reflected national strength and the superiority of their ideology (communism or capitalism).

  • Domestic Factors:

    • Military Industrial Complex: Lucrative contracts and resources for armament sectors in both the USA and USSR.

    • Powerful influence to emphasize threats for securing resources.

The Contest:

  • 1945: US develops the atomic bomb, gaining a strategic advantage.

  • 1949: USSR develops its own atomic bomb.

  • 1950: US had 369 operational atomic bombs, USSR had 5 or 6.

  • Thermonuclear Bombs:

    • 1952: US detonates the first Hydrogen Bomb (more destructive than the Atomic Bomb).

    • 1953: USSR detonates its Lithium Bomb.

    • 1954: US detonates its Lithium Thermonuclear device: BRAVO test.

  • Impact: Weapons became powerful enough to destroy civilization, leading to Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

Delivery Systems:

  • Bombers:

    • US used modified bombers initially. B-52 Stratofortress developed by 1955 with intercontinental range.

    • USSR had similar capabilities by 1956.

  • Missiles:

    • Both sides developed missile programs using Nazi technology.

    • USSR first to launch an ICBM in 1957 - the US was deeply concerned by the ‘missile gap.’

Missile Gap & US Response:

  • Concerns: USA feared USSR would have more missiles by 1960.

  • U2 Aircraft Programme: US used U2 aircraft to confirm USSR strategic capability, revealing limited ICBMs.

  • US Developments:

    • Polaris submarine developed (1960) with ballistic nuclear missiles.

    • Kennedy ordered construction of submarines and ICBMs.

Impact - Space Race:

  • Sputnik: USSR launched the first satellite in 1957, highlighting a technological gap.

  • Yuri Gagarin: In 1961, the Soviets launched the first man into space.

  • Control over space would give them enormous tactical advantage

  • Kennedy's Response: US aimed to lead in space exploration for freedom and peace.

Nuclear War and the Cuban Missile Crisis:

  • Armageddon: By 1962, there were enough bombs to destroy the world.

  • Ongoing tensions: Many tensions from 1945-1962 remained.

  • Brinkmanship: Both superpowers operated on policies of brinkmanship.

  • Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962): A major crisis with Kennedy and Khrushchev arm wrestling on Hydrogen Bombs.