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The development of the Cold War, 1949 - 60 - Coggle Diagram
The development of the Cold War, 1949 - 60
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Military Rivalries
Formation of NATO, 1949
The western powers met in Washington in April 1949 and signed the treaty known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The main motive for President Truman regarding this treaty was the fact the it enabled them to have secure bases in Europe if he chose to. He knew that the USSR was well-positioned to invade however the Americans would have to cross the Atlantic. With the signing of NATO, the US forces could resist any threat of Soviet expansion. Countries like Britain were happy to hold the American forces because it helped them reduce the possibility of a Soviet attack.
Warsaw Pact, 1955
In May 1955, the Western Allies finally made West Germany a member of NATO. Khrushchev had to act swiftly and smartly, and so he formed the Warsaw Pact in which the members were entitled to defend each other if one was attacked.
Nuclear Arms Race
After the USA dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, the USSR was determined to develop its own nuclear weapons, succeeding in 1949.
The superpowers engaged in a race to develop more powerful nuclear weapons, leading to the concept of nuclear deterrence to prevent nuclear attacks.
The theory of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) emerged, stating that the use of massive nuclear weapons would result in the end of life on earth, serving as the ultimate deterrent.
President Eisenhower warned about the influence of the Military-Industrial Complex on increasing military spending, fearing the consequences of limitless military expansion.
The nuclear arms race was part of a broader competition during the Cold War, including the race to the moon.
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1949: USSR successfully tests its first atomic bomb, ending American nuclear monopoly
1952: USA tests the first Hydrogen bomb, 2500 times more powerful than the atomic bomb
• 1957: USSR launches Sputnik I, developing the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
1961: USSR detonates the Tsar Bomba, the largest man-made explosion
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Space Race
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1957: USSR launches Sputnik 1, the first telecommunications satellite, followed by Sputnik 2 with the first living animal in orbit, Laika.
1961: USSR puts the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into space, prompting the USA to launch Apollo missions.
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