-
End of World War 2
The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that were used to end World War 2 without more loss on the side of the Allies caused large nations to begin building up large amounts of nuclear weapons. Conflict after these events between the Soviet Union and the U.S. along with the large amount of nuclear weapons started the Cold War arms race. -
Period: to
Cold War Arms Race
-
Soviet's First Atomic Bomb Test
The Soviet Union tested their first atomic bomb, codenamed First Lightning, that was created by the aid of the spies in the U.S. nuclear weapons program. -
World's First Hydrogen Bomb
The U.S. detonated the world's first hydrogen bomb. It was tested on Enewetak atoll on the pacific ocean. It was about 1000 times as powerful as the previous bombs. -
RDS - 6
The Soviet Union detonated it's first thermonuclear device. RDS-6 (Joe-4) Although the yield was significantly smaller than the Americans version, it was still much more effective than previous bombs. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was created in response to NATO. It was the alliance of the Soviet Union and it's satellite nations. This only increased tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Warsaw Pact helped expand the Soviet Union’s and their satellite nation’s military forces. -
Successful Test of an ICBM
The first successful test of the ICBM (Intercontinental ballistic missile) was accomplished by the Soviet Union. It flew over 3,700 miles and it carried a hydrogen bomb. -
Largest Man-Made Explosive Ever
The Soviet Union detonated the largest man-made explosive in human history. It was an estimated 58 megaton hydrogen bomb, called the Tsar Bomba. It was the equivalent of over 50 million tons of TNT or more than all the explosives used during the entirety of World War 2. -
The Cuban MIssile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was started after the Cuban government allowed the Soviet Union to set up missiles on Cuba that were in range of the U.S. The U.S. made a blockade around Cuba to prevent more missiles from being set up and the Soviet Union agreed to take the missiles down if the missiles the U.S. setup pointed towards Moscow were also taken down. -
China's First Nuclear Weapon
The Chic - 1, named by U.S. intelligence, was the first testing of a nuclear weapon from China. China, a communist country, was on the side of the Soviet Union and only increased tensions between the U.S. and other communist countries. -
Détente
The beginning of a long list of treaties that slowly ended the arms race. The first treaties were the Outer Space Treaty and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This was called Détente, which is french for easing strained relations, especially in politics. Tensions from here on started to ease and the Cold War slowly ended.
