the arms race

By Dahir
  • 19

    Partial Test Ban Treaty 7 October 1963

    Did not include China, but the other major world powers agreed to stop testing nuclear bombs anywhere but underground, partially because of the risk of nuclear fallout, and partially to slow the arms race and move towards détente

  • FIrst US Atomic Bomb Detonated July 16, 1945

    Began the threat of US nuclear superiority

  • USSR detonates their first atomic bomb August 29, 1949

    End of U.S. monopoly on atomic threat.

  • America tests hydrogen bomb

    Also known as thermo-nuclear bomb, a significant power increase above a typical nuclear bomb.

  • Massive Retaliation

    Idea announced by Eisenhower, fueled the idea of MAD

  • First ICBM missile launched by USSR

    Named the R-7, was a significant range increase. Posed a major threat to the US because they could strike from farther than they could.

  • Sputnik put into orbit

    Major soviet advance in space-race, moral shift, showed society that the USSR was a very strong world power.

  • US develop ICBM technology 9 July 1959

  • U-2 Incident 1 May 1960

    USAF spy aircraft shot down over USSR

  • Soviets detonate Tsar Bomba October 1961

    An unnecessarily large bomb meant for intimidation

  • First human spaceflight 12 April 1961

  • McNamara proposed idea of counterforce 1962

    Heavily criticized as only being preemptive.

  • Cuban MIssile Crisis October 16 1962 - October 28 1962

    Soviet missiles placed in Cuba, and US missiles in Turkey. End results were the withdrawal of missiles from Cuba and Turkey and the creation of the nuclear hotline.

  • US develop MIRV systems 1968

    Added great accuracy to missiles

  • USSR develop defensive ABM systems 1968

  • Non-Proliferation Treaty 5 March 1970

    Nations with nuclear capabilities agreed to not spread nuclear weapons and technology to nations without nuclear capabilities.

  • USSR develop MIRV technology 1975

  • Strategic Defense Initiative March 23 1983

    Proposed idea of a laser based anti-missile system, would be an end to MAD. Unrealistic technology, but in combination with the failing USSR economy, was enough to end the Cold War