Nuclear War; An arms raceThe Cold War was a nuclear arms race between the United States and Soviet Russia; who had the most, who had the best, and who could do the worst damage. Both sides created nuclear weapons in an attempt to prove they were better than the other. The USA created their first H-bomb in 1952, which was smaller than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, but 2,500 times more powerful. The USSR wasn't far behind, and by 1953, they too had a H-bomb. With the mass production of nuclear weapons, many on both sides were afraid of an all out nuclear war, that would have destroyed the world.
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Ussr
The USSR, or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was established in 1922. The USSR was made up from Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation. It was led by Joseph Stalin until his death in 1953. The United States refused to acknowledge The USSR as a state up until 1933, 10 years after its establishment. Stalin was afraid of what America was capable of after learning about their nuclear bombs. The USSR and The USA were distrustful of each other for more than a few reasons that were present throughout WWII. Both countries were on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Through the distrust that was built between them over the years, the Cold War was born.
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The Cuban missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major point in the Cold War. It was during this crisis that the world was the closest to a nuclear war. In 1962, President Kennedy was alerted of nuclear tipped missiles in Cuba, courtesy of the Soviet Union. He met with his group of advisers, more commonly known as the ExCom. Kennedy came to the decision of placing a blockade around Cuba. He made it clear if Soviet ships came too close, America would be ready to go to Nuclear War. The USSR made their move on October 24th. Soviet ships neared the blockade, but instead of crossing the line, they turned back. Both Soviet and American leaders met and found a compromise. The USSR said they would remove their weapons if America promised not to invade Cuba, and they would dismantle them if America removed their missiles from Turkey.
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