Events during the arms race
Nuclear development
Both sides competed with each other to obtain more nuclear weapons than the other. They also tried to develop more powerful weapons (see table below).
Each side aimed to achieve the possibility of a first strike. This was for example, the ability of the USA to neutralise all of the USSR鈥檚 nuclear capabilities before they could launch nuclear weapons back at the USA.
Because of the secrecy surrounding the number of nuclear weapons each superpower had, both countries believed the other was ahead.
The USA believed there was a 鈥楳issile Gap鈥 in the 1950s and massively increased spending to try to catch up.
| Year | Weapon development |
| 1949 | USSR tests its first atomic bomb |
| 1952 | USA tests its first hydrogen bomb |
| 1953 | USSR tests its first hydrogen bomb |
| 1957 | USSR tests its first intercontinental ballistic missile |
| 1957 | USA tests its first intercontinental ballistic missile |
| Year | 1949 |
|---|---|
| Weapon development | USSR tests its first atomic bomb |
| Year | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Weapon development | USA tests its first hydrogen bomb |
| Year | 1953 |
|---|---|
| Weapon development | USSR tests its first hydrogen bomb |
| Year | 1957 |
|---|---|
| Weapon development | USSR tests its first intercontinental ballistic missile |
| Year | 1957 |
|---|---|
| Weapon development | USA tests its first intercontinental ballistic missile |
Delivery systems
The aim was not just to amass more weapons than the other side, but to invent more effective delivery systems.
The first atomic bombs were delivered by bombers, but these could be slow and vulnerable and there would have to be airbases positioned around the world.
Delivery of nuclear warheads by missile became a reality by the 1960s, with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs).
Both the USSR and USA began to develop missile technology that could put rockets in space. This opened up new possibilities for the delivery of nuclear weapons.