Write a narrative account analysing the development of the arms race, 1945-75

The development of the arms race between 1945 and 1975 was shaped by fear, competition, and the growing divide between the USA and the USSR. 

The origins of the arms race can be traced back to August 1949, when the Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic bomb.  Up until that point, the United States had been the only nuclear power, but now both superpowers were locked in a race to develop deadlier weapons.  This rivalry was fuelled by Cold War tensions; in the late 1940s, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO had made Stalin feel threatened, while Western fears of Soviet aggression grew after events such as the Berlin Blockade.  By the 1950s, these tensions had deepened further – McCarthyism in the USA created paranoia about communism, while the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 showed the West that the USSR was willing to use military force to maintain control. 

Both sides believed that the only way to prevent war was through deterrence.  The idea of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) meant that if one side attacked, the other would respond with overwhelming force, making war suicidal for both.  However, this logic also led to constant efforts to gain an advantage.  Fearing a pre-emptive strike, both sides sought security by building more and more weapons.  Khrushchev spoke of “peaceful coexistence” , but in reality, this was an intense competition to prove which system – capitalism or communism – was stronger.  Meanwhile, powerful arms manufacturers in the USA benefited from high military spending; by 1955, nearly a fifth of America’s national income was being spent on weapons, ensuring the arms race (and the manufacturers’ profits) continued. 

As both sides built up their nuclear arsenals, the Cold War became increasingly dangerous, with the ever-present threat of total destruction. 

The USA had dropped the first atomic bombs in 1945, but by 1949, the USSR had caught up.  The next stage came in 1952 when the USA tested the first hydrogen bomb – far more powerful than those used in World War II – followed by the USSR in 1953.  In 1954, the USA launched the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, while the USSR developed its own nuclear submarines by 1958. 

The number of nuclear warheads grew dramatically.  By 1955, the USA had 2,000 nuclear warheads compared to the USSR’s 200.  This imbalance did not last, as both sides continued building more weapons.  The most dangerous development came in 1957, when both the USA and USSR successfully tested intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), capable of delivering nuclear warheads across the world within minutes … the American Atlas-A and Soviet R-7 missiles meant that nuclear destruction could be triggered at the push of a button.  In 1960, the USA introduced the Polaris missile, which could be launched from submarines, making a first strike even harder to prevent.  By 1960, the USA had 20,000 nuclear warheads and the USSR had 1,605 – ‘overkill’ (enough to destroy all human life many times over_.  The USSR, however, maintained superiority in conventional forces; by 1980, the Warsaw Pact had 70,000 tanks, more than double NATO’s 30,000. 

The arms race influenced politics, society, and the economy, leaving a lasting impact on the world.  While it led to terrifying moments of crisis, it also spurred scientific progress and efforts to control nuclear weapons. 

The political impact of the arms race was huge.  There were a number of occasion when tensions between the superpowers nearly led to nuclear war, most notably during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.  The arms race also led to indirect conflicts, as both superpowers avoided direct war by backing different sides in proxy wars; the Korean War (1950-53) and the Vietnam War (1955-75) were major examples, with the USA and USSR supplying weapons and troops to opposing sides. 

However, after the Cuban Missile Crisis, both sides realised the need to prevent nuclear confrontation.  This led to arms control agreements such as the Hotline Agreement (1963), which allowed direct communication between Washington and Moscow, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968), and SALT I (1972), which slowed the arms build-up.  These agreements marked the beginning of détente, a period of reduced tensions in the 1970s. 

The arms race had a major social impact as well.  Ordinary people lived in constant fear of nuclear war.  Governments carried out ‘duck and cover’ drills to prepare citizens for an attack, and popular culture reflected these anxieties – films like Dr.  Strangelove (1964) and books like Nevil Shute’s On the Beach (1957) imagined the horrors of nuclear war.  Anti-nuclear movements, such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), gained support and Hippies advocated ‘Love not War’. 

At the same time, the arms race drove scientific and technological advances.  Space exploration was closely linked to missile development, leading to the Space Race, which saw the USSR launch the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, and the USA land on the Moon in 1969.  Civil nuclear power also developed in the 1950s, providing a new source of energy. 

Economically, the arms race had significant consequences.  In the USA, defence companies such as Lockheed and Boeing became extremely powerful, pushing for more military spending.  The huge cost of the Vietnam War in the 1960s contributed to economic problems, ending President Johnson’s ambitious “Great Society” welfare programs.  By the 1970s, overspending on defence had helped create stagflation, a period of high inflation and high unemployment. 

The Soviet Union also suffered economic damage.  Heavy spending on weapons and the military left little money for consumer goods and agriculture, leading to declining living standards.  By the 1980s, these economic problems would contribute to the eventual collapse of the USSR.