Explain how the nuclear arms race developed during the Cold War and how the fear of mutual destruction affected the superpowers

What this dot point is asking

This dot point asks you to explain the nuclear arms race during the Cold War and how the fear of total destruction affected the superpowers and the world. You should be able to explain how the two sides competed to build more and more powerful weapons, what the idea of mutually assured destruction means, and how this terrifying situation both increased and limited the danger of war. The key idea is a kind of grim balance: the arms race made the Cold War more frightening than any rivalry before, yet the very fear it created also helped stop the superpowers from ever fighting each other directly.

The answer

The build-up of nuclear weapons

After the United States used atomic bombs to end the Second World War, it was for a short time the only country with such weapons. But the Soviet Union soon developed its own, and from then on the two superpowers competed to build more and more powerful nuclear weapons. This competition is called the arms race. Each side feared falling behind the other, because being weaker might tempt the enemy to attack. So both kept building larger numbers of bombs and ever more powerful weapons, and developing rockets, called missiles, that could deliver them across the world.

Mutually assured destruction

As both sides built up huge numbers of nuclear weapons, a strange and important situation developed. Each superpower had enough weapons to completely destroy the other, even if it was attacked first. This meant that if either side started a nuclear war, it would be destroyed in return. This idea is called mutually assured destruction: both sides would be wiped out, so neither could "win". Because of this, neither side dared to launch a nuclear attack or even risk a direct war that might lead to one. The weapons existed not really to be used, but to frighten the other side into not attacking, an idea known as deterrence.

The fear that gripped the world

The arms race created a deep and constant fear across the world. People knew that a nuclear war could destroy whole cities in moments and might even threaten human survival. Governments built shelters and gave advice on what to do in case of attack, and many people lived with the worry that war could break out at any time. This fear was at its sharpest during crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world came close to nuclear war. The shadow of the bomb hung over daily life throughout the Cold War.

The space race

Linked to the arms race was the space race, a competition to lead in space technology. When the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite into space, it shocked the United States, partly because the same rockets that launched satellites could also carry nuclear weapons. The two superpowers then competed to achieve "firsts" in space, including sending people into orbit and, for the United States, landing astronauts on the Moon. The space race was about national pride and showing off scientific and military strength, and it was closely tied to the rivalry over missiles and weapons.

Steps toward control

The terrible danger of the arms race, made vivid by the Cuban Missile Crisis, eventually pushed the superpowers to try to control it. They held talks and made agreements to limit certain kinds of weapons and to slow the race, a process sometimes linked to a period of reduced tension. These early steps did not end the arms race, but they showed that both sides understood how dangerous it had become and wanted to reduce the risk of accidental or all-out nuclear war. The effort to control nuclear weapons would continue and grow as the Cold War went on.

Examples in context

Example 1. Living under the shadow of the bomb. During the Cold War, governments handed out advice on how to prepare for a nuclear attack, and some families built shelters or stored supplies. Schoolchildren in some countries practised what to do if an attack came. This shows how deeply the arms race affected ordinary life, with the fear of sudden nuclear destruction always in the background.

Example 2. The first satellite. When the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into orbit, it stunned the United States, not only as a scientific triumph but as a warning, because the rockets that carried satellites could also carry nuclear weapons. This event sharpened the space race and the arms race together, showing how closely the competition in space was tied to the nuclear rivalry.

Try this

• Cue. Explain what the arms race was and why each side kept building more nuclear weapons.

• Cue. Explain the idea of mutually assured destruction and how it helped stop the superpowers fighting directly.

• Cue. Explain how the space race was linked to the arms race, and give one early step the superpowers took to control nuclear weapons.