Why did the arms race develop? 1945-63

• it was driven by national vulnerabilities of the superpowers and insecurities of leaders
• each thought science of weaponry would boost reputation
• became an insurance against the actions of the enemy

GROWTH OF INTERNATIONAL TENSION;

• as the Cold War developed, arms were viewed as necessary to safeguard interests of the East and West
• the USA had a monopoly in nuclear warfare from 1945 until the Soviets developed their own in 1949
• Soviet secrecy matched with Stalin and Khrushchev's boasting fuelled American concerns they needed to keep ahead of the USSR
• the decision for America to develop the hydrogren bomb was prompted by the Soviet challenge over Berlin 1948-9; communist takeover in 1949 within China; Korean war of 1950
• this in turn led to the Soviets responding with their own super bomb

NATIONAL AND PERSONAL CONSIDERATIONS;

• keeping ahead with the arms race…