2. During World War Two,
all sides attempted to
build new weapons,
including creating
atomic weapons.
The USA’s Manhattan
Project eventually
succeeded in doing so in
July 1945.

3. The USA used atomic
weapons to end World War
Two, dropping two bombs
on Japan (Hiroshima and
Nagasaki) in August
1945.
The US did not consult
with the USSR about
using their new weapon.

4. The Soviet Union did not
have access to nuclear
weapons at this time.
As they were the USA’s
allies in World War Two
they wanted the USA to
share the technology
with them – but the USA
refused (another reason
for tension).

5. In 1949 the Soviets
finally developed their
own atomic bomb.
This caused tension for
two reasons:
1) simply the fact that
both sides had the bomb
2) The Soviets developed
this due to their spies
stealing US technology

6. Once both sides had
‘the Bomb’, they
engaged in numerous
nuclear tests
throughout the 1950s.
First the Soviets and
then the USA developed
a hydrogen bomb, bigger
than the atomic bombs
used on Japan.

7. Some people argue
that nuclear weapons
stopped the Cold War
becoming a real war.
This is based on
M.A.D. (Mutually
Assured Destruction),
the idea that neither
side wanted to risk a
nuclear war.

8. Neil Armstrong said
it was “one small
step for man” when he
set foot on the moon.
However the Space
Race is actually a
major part of the
Cold War.

9. In 1961 when Cosmonaut
Yuri Gagarin became the
first man to orbit the
earth, many people in
the USA worried this
meant the Soviets had
better weaponry.
The USA sent men to the
moon in 1969 to show
their own technology.

10. Originally nuclear
bombs had to be
dropped from planes,
which made their use
much harder.
Over time both sides
began to make
missiles that could
be fired from great
distances (ICBMs).

11. Before ICBMs had been
developed, the USA
based their missiles in
various NATO countries.
Eventually both sides
created the technology
to launch weapons from
submarines, and this
became the main method.

12. During the 1980s both
sides built more and
bigger weapons (USA,
Cruise; USSR, SS20).
The US also built a
defence system called
Star Wars. Some
people say cost of
the arms race brought
down the USSR.

13. Another feature of the
Cold War arms race were
chemical weapons.
Both sides produced
weapons such as anthrax
and VX. By the 1980s,
the USA and USSR had,
between them, around
80,000 tonnes of these
type of weapons.

14. Chemical weapons were
used in different ways.
The US used weapons such
as napalm during the
Vietnam War to destroy
jungle (although it hurt
people too). The USSR
was accused of using
chemical weapons during
the Afghanistan War.