Sunday, 6 October 2013

The Arms Race

The Arms Race 

  • USA drops atomic bomb in 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  • USSR tests its first nuclear bomb in 1949
  • By 1953 both the superpowers had hydrogen bombs and continued to develop weapons. 
  • There was some hope that the superpowers would slow down their arms race development. 
  • But from 1957- 1959, US increased its spending on missiles by 20%. 
  • USA also placed missiles in several European countries (e.g. Italy)
  • By 1961 relations were deteriorating and the events in Cuba almost brought the world to a nuclear war.