Debates over the nuclear deterrent Flashcards
Why would Britain have to become a nuclear power by itself?
USA had stopped sharing nuclear secrets with Britain.
What did Churchill continue? Who were Britain behind?
Nuclear weapons policy and Britain’s first tests of the atomic bomb were in 1952 - third country in the world to develop nuclear weapons BUT behind USA and USSR (who had hydrogen bombs).
What did concerns over nuclear developments lead to?
The formation of the CND in 1958 which rapidly became the most powerful pressure group in Europe, backed by many intellectuals and mobilising middle-class protesters.
What did the CND want?
They wanted Britain to reject nuclear weapons and instead follow a policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament.
What happened in 1958 and 1959?
1958 - Aldermaston demonstration in which 8000 took part.
1959 - A second march was even bigger
What did CND’s ‘unilateralism’ become?
It became a powerful magnet for anti-government protest and many Labour left-wingers joined in.
What did the USA do in 1958?
Agreed to share nuclear technology with Britain under the Defence Agreement.
What was abandoned in 1960?
Britain’s own rocket project, Blue Streak. It was replaced by dependence on the American Polaris submarine weapons system.
What did Blue Streak’s abandoning mean?
Britain would not have an independent nuclear deterrent - some in Labour became more sceptical of supporting a pro-nuclear policy.
