how i learned to stop worrying and love the bomb (and the arms race, and the alliance system)
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How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb (and the arms race, and the alliance system). Actually, you should just call these notes “the arms race.” sorry. The alliance system. Label these countries on your study guide (if possible). NATO. THE WARSAW PACT. Albania Bulgaria - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (AND THE ARMS RACE, AND THE ALLIANCE SYSTEM)ACTUALLY, YOU SHOULD JUST CALL THESE NOTES “THE ARMS RACE.” SORRY.
THE ALLIANCE SYSTEM
LABEL THESE COUNTRIES ON YOUR STUDY GUIDE (IF POSSIBLE)
NATO Belgium Canada Denmark France Iceland Italy
Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal UK USA
THE WARSAW PACT Albania Bulgaria Czechoslovaki
a East Germany Hungary
Poland Romania USSR
NATO
Date: 1949Mutual defense
organization of western capitalist democracies
All members will respond to an attack on any member
THE WARSAW PACT
Date: 1955Mutual defense organization of
eastern communist dictatorshipsTwo major goals:
Provide defensive alliance for Eastern Bloc
Maintain USSR control over satellite states’ militaries
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
How might the alliance system make the world safer?
How might the alliance system make the world less safe?
THE ARMS RACE
NUCLEAR WEAPONSHighly explosive devices
developed during WWIIUS dropped first nuclear
weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945
USSR tested first nuclear weapon on August 29, 1949
THE ARMS RACE
Date: roughly 1945-1990Definition: competition between
the US and the USSR to develop greater military capacity
SignificanceRequired huge military expensesMade the world more dangerous…
or did it?
SOME NEW WEAPONS
THERMONUCLEAR (HYDROGEN) BOMBS
INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES (ICBMS)
TSAR BOMBA
NUCLEAR SUBMARINES
CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
THE SPACE RACE
CIVIL DEFENSE
Civil defense sheltersPreparedness effortsEducation efforts –
Bert the Turtle
SO WHY AREN’T WE ALL DEAD?
Key concept of the Cold War: mutual assured destruction (MAD)
Principles of MAD:Each side maintains enough offensive capacity to
annihilate the other sideHuge arms stockpiles are a deterrent – they
discourage offensive attacks