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Beginning of the Cold War
The beginning of the Cold War was in 1947 between the US and the Soviet Union. It was basically an arms race between the two powers, both in hopes of being ahead of the other in weapons, technology, and space exploration. Not only was it an arms race, but it was also a political disagreement on "how you should run your country". -
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American Side of the Race
The Americans were proud of their developments in the hydrogen bomb after the Second World War but that didn't last when the Soviets tested their own hydrogen bomb less than a year later. The US found out about the Soviets Sputnik operation in 1957. Sputnik was the worlds first artificial satellite ever. Believing they always had the technological advantage over the Soviets, the Americans scrambled and created NASA in 1958. NASA eventually led the US ahead of space exploration and research. -
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Soviet Side of the Race
The Soviets tested their own atomic bomb in 1949 which shocked the Americans who believed they always had the technological lead. The Americans tested their hydrogen bomb with amazing results but the Soviets too experimented a hydrogen bomb months later. Once the powers learned about the others nuclear weaponry, they both began stockpiling nuclear weapons of destruction instead of traditional tanks, troops, and ammunition. The Soviets launched Sputnik, the worlds first artificial satellite too. -
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The Citizens Reaction
Many citizens of each world power began to worry for a nuclear war and even fallout. American families invested in bomb shelters and schools led air raid drills in case of a Soviet attack. Many Americans believed that the government was starting to be influenced by communist ideas which became known as the Red Scare. -
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Other Countries Actions
The US and Soviet based arms race bothered other countries as it could be a threat to their countries indirectly. Most sought to avoid the whole situation of the nuclear arms race, and became nonaligned nations supporting neither side. Their interests went to promoting the strengths of poorer countries. -
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Nuclear Arms Control
In 1955, President Eisenhower proposed the open skies treaty with the Soviet Union. The treaty entails that each country is allowed to fly aircraft over the other to gather information about their militaristic development. Suggesting total nuclear disarmament, the Soviets were denied this proposal. When John F. Kennedy was elected president following Eisenhower, he supported the idea of arms control and limiting tests. The US and Soviet Union came to an agreement on the Test Ban Treaty in 1963. -
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The Bay of Pigs Invasion
In 1959 rebels overthrew the Cuban government and established a communist rule. Fidel Castro was the leader and worked close ties with the Soviets, as they shared the same governmental ideas. These actions worried the US as Cuba was only 90 miles off the coast of Florida. The Americans, wanting to overthrow Castro, trained 1500 Cubans who fled Castro's regime. In 1961, the team came ashore at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba which became known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The government was easily taken. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was an incident involving the US, Soviet Union, and Cuba. Consisting of Soviet and Cuban ties, the Soviets had installed nuclear warheads within Cuba which is only 90 miles off the coast of Florida. This upset the US as they saw it as an intimidation method and possibly a sign of upcoming conflict, nuclear conflict that is. After a half month dispute, the US ambassador confronted the Soviet ambassador with photos of the missiles, declaring removal. The Soviets agreed. -
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SALT 1 and SALT 2
Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968 and he wanted to reduce tensions between the Soviet Union. His idea was to start the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks, or SALT 1 which entailed both powers limit the amount of nuclear weapons they can own at one time. SALT 1 also led to the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty, which disallowed the creation of missile designed to shot down nuclear projectiles. SALT 2 was a talk of arms control in 1979 although it was never approved by the US Senate. -
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Ronald Reagan's Disposition
When Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 he took an aggressive approach to the Soviets and ABM development. Violating the ABM Treaty, Reagan began arms reduction talks with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1988 the two countries signed the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which allowed the elimination of certain types of missiles. After this, the Soviet-American relationship finally started to rise to a better state.
