The Cold War: Arms Race

In 1949, the USSR tested its first atomic bomb.

• True

• False

In 1949, the USSR tested its first atomic bomb.

• True

• False

The different aims of the USA and the USSR (e.g. Stalin’s want to create a ‘sphere of influence’) led to increased suspicion and tensions between the two countries.

• True

• False

In what year did the USSR also test the hydrogen bomb?

• 1961

• 1953

• 1949

• 1971

What concept in the development of the war meant that nuclear weapons became deterrents, rather than weapons used in wars.

• 'peaceful co-existence'

• Mutually assured destruction (M.A.D.)

• Détente

Which two (2) leaders recognised the dangers posed by nuclear weapons, and the significant cost of the arms race?

• Truman

• Khrushchev

• John F. Kennedy

• Stalin

The destructive nature of the bomb increased tensions, but made war​ (a)   likely.

• LESS
• MORE

Since developing the​ (a)   bomb in 1945, the USA had felt secure knowing that they had a monopoly on such a powerful weapon. This was an important piece of ​ (b)   that the USA could use to counter the Soviet Union’s much larger arsenal of ​ (c)   weapons. This security was broken in 1949, when the Soviet Union successfully tested their first atomic bomb, ending the US ​ (d)   on nuclear weapons. This took away the USA’s​ (e)   and so they sought to develop a more powerful weapon than the A-bomb – the Hydrogen Bomb (H-bomb).

• atomic
• leverage
• conventional
• monopoly
• advantage

The arms race meant that the USA and the Soviet Union had to find ways of stopping disputes between them turning into dangerous wars that involved nuclear weapons.

• True

• Flase

What was the arms race?

Answer explanation

A ‘race’ between the USA and the USSR to develop better weapons than the enemy.