The Development Of Atomic And Nuclear Warfare Flashcards
How much would the US invasion of Japan prolong the war?
By a year
How many casualties would it cost the US to invade Japan?
500,000
What was the political reason for the use of the nuclear bomb?
Truman was aware of the threat of the Soviet Union and wanted to issue a reminder that they were ahead in the arms race
What was the economic reason for the use of the atomic bomb?
Justified the expensive spending not the Manhattan Project
When was the first atomic bomb dropped?
6th August 1945
Where was the first atomic bomb dropped?
Hiroshima
On the 9th where was the second nuclear bomb attack?
Nagasaki
How many people died in Hiroshima?
80,000 immediately and 58,000 later on
What were the long effects of the atomic bomb?
It sparked a nuclear arms race as they competed to produce the most destructive weapons
What year did Russia test it’s own atomic bomb?
1949
When was the hydrogen bomb tested?
1952
How many times more powerful was the hydrogen bomb?
2500
What year did the Russians produce the H-bomb?
1953
Why was the H-bomb more effective than the original nuclear bomb?
It was a smaller, lighter warhead which provided larger explosions
What US bomber could fly 6000 miles while carrying a nuclear payload?
B52
When was Sputnik launched by the Soviet Union?
October 1957
By the end of the 1950’s what did the US develop?
The Minuteman
In the 1950’s what did the Soviet Union produce?
The medium-range ballistic missiles and intermediate-range ballistic missile, these could be launched from Europe
What is Mutually Assured Destruction?
MAD was a theory which stated that during the Cold War the US and SU had the power to destroy the whole world
What were the effects of MAD?
It encouraged both superpowers to develop even more powerful weapons in order to maintain balance and threat. At the same time it acted as a deterrent for the use of such weapons
By what year was there enough bombs to destroy the whole world?
1961
What could the Atlas missile do?
Travel at 16,000 mph for 5000 miles
What was another emphasis for nuclear weapons?
The mobile missile launchers to shot the weapons
How many missiles could the Polaris submarine launch?
16 nuclear missiles with each missile carrying 4 warheads
When did China explode an H-bomb?
1967
What were some other developments in nuclear missiles?
Submarine-launched ballistic missile were developed and, multiple independently-targeted re-entry vehicles which was a missile with multiple warheads for different targets
By 1981 how many ICBM’s did the US and SU have?
8000 and 7000
By 1981 how many planes did the US and SU have that could deliver nuclear bombs?
4000 and 5000
How did Ronald Reagan change the whole balance of the nuclear armed race?
The Strategic Defence Initiative of 1983
What was the Strategic Defence Initiative?
It proposed a nuclear umbrella which would stop Soviet nuclear bombs from reaching America, using powerful lasers from an army of satellites intercepting missiles from space
What was a nickname for SDI?
Star Wars
What did SDI cause?
It caused a detente and attempts at arms limitation
What the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament?
It organised protest marches and publicised the dangers of nuclear warfare
What did the Cuban Missile Crisis lead to?
Arms limitation
What the 60’s and 70’s a period of?
A period of detente
When was the Partial Test Ban Treaty?
1963
How many countries signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty?
100
What did the Partial Test Ban Treaty state?
It banned all nuclear explosions except from underground
When was the Non-proliferation Treaty signed?
1868
What did the Non-proliferation Treaty state?
It stated that non-nuclear countries would not develop nuclear weapons and nuclear countries would reduce their numbers
What did SALT stand for?
Strategic Arms Limitations Talks
When was SALT 1 and 2 signed?
In 1972 and 1979
What did SALT 1 do?
The superpowers agreed to limit nuclear missiles, however there was no limit on delivery systems
What did SALT 2 do?
It was a further agreement on SALT 1
What was START?
It was talks between superpowers during 1982-83 at Geneva where nothing was agreed
When was the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF)?
1987
What was the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF)?
It abolished nuclear and conventional ground launching ballistic bland cruise missiles which had a range of 500-5500km by June 1991. In addition the superpowers were allowed to inspect each other’s military installations
