Arms Race

Question 1

Early Stages: The exacerbation of fear and distrust in the early stages of the rivalry was a clear element of the superpower rivalry precipitated by the arms race.

Answer 1

• Potsdam Conference (July 1945) was proposed to be a reinforcement of ideas discussed at Yalta (Feburary 1945) surrounding the division of Germany.
• However, Potsdam marked the beginning of increased hositiliites and district between the superpowers when Truman revealed the US had developed nuclear capabilities for the “Manhattan Project”.
• This alarmed the Soviet Union as both sides sought to prove their military strength in the post-war power vacuum.
• The effect of this can be clearly demonstrated by 1949, when the Soviet Union complete its first successful test of the Nuclear bomb, underscoring the arms race as the physical manifestation of tensions between the USSR and US. Furthermore, the impact of this initial - The Baruch plan, proposed in 1946 by the US, was a significant early attempt to control and prevent a nuclear arms race in the aftermath of WW2. Proposing a system of international control over atomic energy and nuclear weapons, it encompassed international oversight, control of atomic material, gradual disarmament and punitive measures. - Soviet Union rejected it as a result of the pre-exisitng suspicions that arose from Potsdam and the Manhattan Project.
• As the USSR was still developing nuclear capabilities, the Baruch plan would only solidify the post-war power vacuum for the US.

Question 2

Space Race: In wake of the development of technology as the superpowers sought to compete against the others’ advance, concomitantly there was a need to develop in other areas of technology as well as gain prestige, resulting in the space race.

Answer 2

• The space race was reflective of the superpowers’ desire to gain an international presitge and assert their ideology as the dominant framework, underscoring the nature of the Cold War.
• Beginning in 1957, the Soviets launched “Sputnik 1”, followed by “Sputnik 2”.
• These satellites indeed exacerbated tensions as they were launched using an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) which could launch both satellites and nuclear weapons, indicating a simultaneous development in the arms race.
• By 1959, the USSR continued to maintain their leader in the space race by launching LUNA 1, the first satellite to orbit the sun.
• US responded by launching “Pioneer 4”, a satellite that successfully flew past the moon alongside capturiing a photo of earth from orbit with Explorer 6.
• Historian John Lewis Gaddis, “Sputnik was the size of a football, transmitted a a weak signal and had a short life. However this was a devastating failure for the US who were supposed to be more technological advanced”.
• While the space race served undoubtedly as an impetus for tension, it concomitantly facilitated cooperation.
• In 1975, a join Soviet-US mission, “Apollo Soyuz”, saw astronauts from both the US and USSR conduct an international mission.
• This came to symbolise the period of détente and further set a precedent for liaison.

Question 3

Proxy Wars: Due to the nature of the arms race, the threat of mutually assured destruction (MAD), made latent in the Cuban Missile Crisis, facilitated the superpowers’ involvement in several proxy wars in order to assert ideological dominance without direct nuclear confrontation.

Answer 3

• According to historian Sheila Fitzpatrick, “by the end of the Cold War it would appear as though there was not a single continent left untouched by the rivalry”.
• The Vietnam War (1995-75) significantly impacted the arms race. By demonstrating the dangers of MAD, the war influenced the broader strategic competition between the US and USSR by when highlighting the limitations of nuclear weapons in conventional conflicts; the US was military superior but count not translate its nuclear detterent in a clear victory in Vietnam.
• Middle Eastern conflict, the arms race served to fuel tensions by using arms transfers and military aids as tools to leverage ideological influence.
• The USSR provided arms and military support to several Arabic states including Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Soviet-built tanks, aircrafts and missile played an integral role in conflicts such as the Six Day War (1967) and the Yom Kippur War (1973).
• In response, the US provided military aid to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran up until 1979. They became Israel’s primary arms supplier after the 1967 war, providing advanced weapon systems including fighter jets, missiles and tanks.
• The arms build up in the Middle East paralleled the broader Cold War arms race, as both superpowers sought to arm their regional allies with increasingly sophisticated weaponry. - Yom Kippur war in 1973 almost led to direct US-Soviet confrontation when the USSR threatened to intervene militarily on behalf of its Arab allies.
• In response, the US raised its defence readiness to DEFCON 3, the highest alert status since the Cuban Missile Crisis, hence underscoring the imminent threat the arms race posed in MAD.

Question 4

Cooperation: While the arms race can in many ways be seen as a catalyst for tensions it ultimately served as the basis for cooperation.

Answer 4

• By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the blatant cost of the arms race began to weigh heavily on both superpowers.
• Maintaining massive nuclear arsenals and conventional forces yielded a significant economic impact on the superpowers, with 40% of the USSR’s economy being dedicated to military spending by 1975.
• Following the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, where the threat of MAD was crystallised, there was undoubtedly a need for increased dialogue and cooperation surrounding the nuclear arms race.
• Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed in 1963, the hotline established and the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968.
• Despite these agreements, both sides continued to develop their nuclear capabilities, largely attributable to the perceived “missile gap”.
• SALT 1, signed in 1972, placed limitations on the development of ABMs and ICBMS, creating a framework for further nuclear cooperation.
• SALT 2, was not as successful. While it sought to expand the provisions of SALT 1, it was ultimately not ratified by US senate due to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
• Following the ascension of Mikhael Gorbachev in 1985 as Soviet leader, significant disarmament dialogue was facilitated. Treaties such as INF (1987) and START 1 (1991) were instrumental in the deterioration of Cold War tensions and ultimately heralded the end of the war.