Nuclear Arms Race essays

Nuclear Arms Race essays In order to maintain peace and stability in the world, there must be a balance of power between countries. The Nuclear Arms Race was started because there wasn't a balance of power after World War II. The U.S. was the only country at that time which possessed nuclear weapons. Russia, fearing a United States domination of world power, developed a nuclear bomb of its own. Thus started the Arms Race, in which both countries attempted to gain the upper hand in terms of the number of nuclear warheads each possessed. However, the Arms Race ended when several treaties in arms reduction were passed. I believe that in the end, the United States and the Soviet Union realized that one country would eventually win, and the balance of power would again be shifted. Fearing a nuclear war, arms negotiations began in an attempt to lessen the tension. This is evident in the fact that treaties between the two countries were signed, agreeing on the limitation and testing of nuclear arms. It is also illustrated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, where Russia agreed to withdraw the missiles placed in Cuba, fearing U.S. retaliation. In order to better understand the Arms Race, a brief history must be given. The Arms Race probably began in August of 1949, when Russia detonated its own nuclear weapon, thus ending the U.S. monopoly. In response, President Truman ordered the development of the hydrogen bomb in January of 1950. However, the Soviet Union made the first H-bomb in August of 1953. Then, the race escalated when the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile was developed in the summer of 1957, again by the Soviets. A serious crisis arose in 1962, when the Soviets placed ballistic missiles in Cuba, their new ally. The missiles were withdrawn when the U.S. threatened nuclear retaliation. In return, President Kennedy's promised not to invade Cuba. The world had never come closer to a nuclear war. Negotiations, beginning with the establishme...