-
United States tests first hydrogen bomb
After the Soviets successfully tested an atomic bomb that they copied from the U.S. in the late 1940s, our government decided that we needed to get back in the lead of the arms race. Harry S. Truman, the president of the United States at the time, told the public of his plan to create a more powerful weapon: the hydrogen bomb. To do this, our engineers and scientists began working on the thermonuclear bomb that would be more than 1,000 times as destructive as the ones dropped on Japan. -
United States tests first hydrogen bomb Pt. 2
There were many who opposed the research and construction of this kind of weapon in fear of other nations obtaining this same power of destruction and using it against us. The opposers of the creation of this bomb were right to theorize other nations would obtain this same level of power soon after us in order to keep up in the arms race. When the Soviet Union made their version of this weapon, they could've used it on America if we had more aggressively pushed against the spread of communism. -
Soviets test first hydrogen bomb
Only 3 years after the U.S. created and tested Mike, the world's first hydrogen bomb, the Soviet Union created its own with many similarities. The initial information given to the Soviets was from Klaus Fuchs, a prestigious German-born scientist involved in America’s nuclear program. Andrei Sakharov later suggested a design for a smaller bomb comparable to a pastry. Rather than frosting and cake, however, the Soviet scientists alternated layers of hydrogen fuel and uranium into a smaller device. -
Soviets test first hydrogen bomb Pt. 2
This “Layer Cake” project was stopped so that they could focus on dropping their first true hydrogen bomb, one that yielded 1.6 megatons compared to our initial 10 megatons. Although the Soviet Union’s first hydrogen bomb was nowhere near as effective as America’s, by 1961 they had created a hydrogen bomb capable of yielding 58 megatons. This was a large step for the Soviets in the worldwide arms race, putting them in a more powerful position to force communism on to the rest of the world. -
Construction of the Berlin Wall Begins
The Berlin Wall was erected by East Germany, or at the time the German Democratic Republic (GDR), who was a communist ally of the Soviet Union. It was made out of concrete and barbed wire by East German soldiers, the police force, and volunteer construction workers. The Berlin Wall stretched over 100 miles and was guarded fiercely by soldiers who would shoot anyone trying to escape. Its purpose was to keep the citizens of the GDR in Berlin and away from the West where the American-controlled... -
Construction of the Berlin Wall Begins Pt. 2
...territory offered better working and sale conditions. Over the years as the wall became more fortified and secure, outsiders were granted visas to enter, though anyone from inside wasn’t allowed to exit. Because the west was controlled by the States, the Soviets who governed the east decided that containment was their best shot at keeping a stable position. This is also symbolic of the way that the Soviet Union contained the satellite nations and kept them under communist rule. -
Signing of the INF Treaty
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was made between United States President Ronald Raegan and Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. This arms agreement forbids both either from having any nuclear or conventional ground-launched missiles that reach between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Both nations destroyed almost 2,700 of these kinds of missiles within the four following years. This was the first time in history that the world’s two largest superpowers agreed to reducing... -
Signing of the INF Treaty Pt. 2
...their nuclear arsenals in this way. In 2014, the U.S. accused the Russians of violating the INF Treaty and backed the accusation with proof, though Russia still denies that this happened. Keeping our promise stated in the INF Treaty is imperative in keeping the peace with Russia. If either nation begins making more advanced missiles, we will begin another more serious and competitive arms race and have a repeat of the Cold War with likely a worse ending. -
Berlin Wall Falls
The East German government announced that all of the GDR’s citizens would be able to cross over into West Berlin and West Germany. This occurred after a group of more than half a million people protested in East Berlin, demanding the destruction of the wall and what it stood for. This order being effective immediately after the press conference it was announced in, those who had been confined for years (some of which their whole lives) flooded out. -
Berlin Wall Falls Pt. 2
They left through the previously guarded checkpoints, celebrating with each other and citizens of West Berlin. Many then took hammers and began busting down the wall, later to be assisted by bulldozers to finish the destruction. Just as the Soviet Union began to let many satellite nations leave their communist rule without repercussions, this was repeated on a much smaller scale in Berlin. Leniency with these matters is a contributing factor to the Soviet Union’s collapse only two years later. -
Sources
History.com Atomicarchive.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXzODWlTWgk
