Nuclear Proliferation Flashcards
What was the Manhattan Project
1942-45 - US-led - USA + Allies (BRIT + CAD) dev first atomic bombs at height of WW2 - at least 3 spies
Harry Truman
US vice president in 1945, Implemented the Marshall Plan
Bernard Baruch + Baruch plan
Truman’s main advisor: proposed to create a UN agency for nuclear tech that would have broad powers to inspect facilities everywhere in the world -was proposed under the assumption of non-weapon use of atomic powers - soviets did not like this , plan died after this
□ People in the USA also did not agree - such as Jimmy Byrnes and Leslie Groves
McMahon Act
NUCLEAR ISOLATION - not share nuclear tech - prohibited the USA from cooperating with other countries for nuclear stuff
Military Applications of Uranium Disintegration (MAUD)
1st major body in the world that considered making an atomic bomb possible + worthwhile to pump resources into
Why did the UK go off on their own?
Collaboration stopped due to McMahon act in 1947 - Their reasoning for making their own Nuclear bomb is:
- American Isolationism: fear that US would leave them behind, that if BRIT were facing soviet challenge in EU US would not use their nuclear weapons to protect them
- Believed that nuclear bombs would signify power status
- BRIT credited with being the first dev 1st strategic doctrines of nuclear age - MAD, mutually assured destruction - nuclear weapons are not war-winning weapons, no winner just destruction, deterrent strategy
® Eng pop concentrated, would suffer massively under nuclear attack
Winston Churchill + Nuclear Proliferation
UK Prime Minister - 1952 Tory’s and Churchill test A-bomb on Montebello Island (AUS)
Isolationism
fear that US would leave them behind, that if BRIT were facing soviet challenge in EU US would not use their nuclear weapons to protect them
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Mutually Assured Destruction
Quebec Conference
First true case of Nuclear Proliferation
Soviets - in QB conference made decision to not share tech with soviets - was still shared secretly
Stalin 1942 set up research project in Kazan - headed by Kurchatov - did not have a whole lot of access to Uranium
® Dec 1944 - control transferred to Ministry of internal affairs (secret police KBD) - important because responsible for espionage projects in Manhattan project at least 3 spies - were making advances so soviets were interested - how much can be attributed to their won physicist est? their espionage was crucial ◊ e.g. US realized 1941 another way to build an atomic bomb w/o a Uranium core - synthesized Plutonium - Soviets now had another way ◊ US detonated devices + Soviets hopped on fully -> Stalin wanted the bomb by 1948 - actual 1949, in Kazakhstan
1960s Countries with Nuclear Powers
France, China, Israel
France Nuclear Proliferation
Leader: Charles DeGaul - tested in Algeria in 1960
- BRIT shared some technology with them
- most interested in Nukes as a power source
- Fear of American Isolationism, USA not reliable ally
- wanted Power status
- W Germany had just became sovereign + France wanted a weapon that they did not have
Israel Nuclear Proliferation
- Close allies with France so had a lot of help
never openly admitted that they had a bomb + never tested it - recommend by Nixon admin to not say anything about nuclear weapons due to being in an unstable area - saw as ultimate guarantee for their own security - ‘never again’ doctrine
Built reactor in 1960 - thought to have built bombs in 1966/67 - thought to have come close in Yom Kippur War (1973)
China Nuclear Proliferation
Leader: Mao
- made decision that 1955 (jan) that China should have nuclear weapons - bad bad relations with USA at the time
® Eisenhower seemed to threaten a nuclear attack on China - Once backed off in Korea
◊ US Chief of staff debated using (limited) Nuclear weapons to help the French in China - China knew
® China got into fight in Nationalist regime in Taiwan (had fled) + held on to offshore islands on Chinese coast + using them aggressively, China got mad
◊ US got involved - China feared war, asked Soviets for help, Soviets were not interested -> Mao fully determined need for nuclear weapons - Russia helped until 1959: open breach between China and SU, Soviets pulled out from China - went out on their own
} Sin Chang in W China - tested fist nuclear bomb (Time?)
◊ First developing country to start developing nuclear bombs
Late 20th century Nuclear proliferation countries
India, Pakistan, South Africa
India Nuclear Proliferation
- wanted because of what other countries nearby were doing - president of India at the time was interested in nuclear weapons - CAD helped India in getting Nuclear power, helped build a reactor in 1955 (power), made bomb in 1960
□ After being defeated in a border war in China in 1962 in the Himalayas - India was beaten - knew the Chinese were developing a bomb
□ President successor tested + built bomb in 1974 + became an atomic power
Pakistan Nuclear Proliferation
knew India was working on one (rival) - dev tech for Nuclear energy in 1950s + assisted by CAD + BRIT - Unstable area so wanted a Bomb - Zukifar Ali Bhutto: Foreign minister in Pakistan 1965 - defeated in regional war in India over Cashmere
□ Defeated again by India in 1971 - at time that Pakistan Civil war + Bangladesh broke away - poli chaos in Pakistan - Alebouto came to power - functioning model by 1983, tested 1998
South Africa Nuclear Proliferation
only country that dev atomic bombs + voluntarily gave them up - at time Apartheid - 50s/60s regime skittish - neighbors now had black-majority regimes + were against Apartheid, + some were Marxist regimes - Caused civil wars in neighboring country
□ In one, in a neighboring country civil war, proxy b/w SA and Cuba - SA regime threatened, hard to use Nuclear weapons b/c of position, nonetheless = nuclear weapons - after Apartheid collapses they disposed of the atomic bombs
Why didn’t W Germany and Japan get Nuclear weapons?
Post-war restrictions on military expansion
