Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and thank you for joining me for today's history lesson.

My job today is to help guide you through our history resources in the lesson, and I'm gonna be working to make sure that by the end of our time together, you can securely meet our lesson objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the development of the Cold War, where we've been asking ourselves how peaceful was peaceful coexistence? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to assess the key events and significance of the nuclear arms race.

There are five key words which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Three of them are monopoly, arms race, and Armageddon.

A monopoly is when only one person or country has control over something.

An arms race is a situation in which two or more countries try to have more and stronger weapons than each other.

And Armageddon refers to a catastrophic conflict, especially one seen as likely to destroy the world or the human race.

And our other two key words for today are missile gap and deterrence.

The missile gap was the fear of US government officials that Soviet development and production of missile technology had overtaken the USA's.

And deterrence is an action or system intended to prevent or discourage someone from doing something.

Today's lesson will be split into three parts, and we'll begin by thinking about the Soviet development of nuclear weapons.

The USA had successfully developed atomic bombs by 1945.

This made the USA the world's first nuclear armed state, and gave it a nuclear monopoly.

The immense power of the USA's new weapon was demonstrated during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.

So, thinking about what we've just heard, which country was the first to develop nuclear weapons? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the answer was the USA.

The USA was the first country to develop nuclear weapons as it used an atomic bomb in 1945.

This also gave the USA nuclear monopoly as no one else yet had their own nuclear weapons.

The US development of the atomic bomb helped trigger a nuclear arms race with the USSR.

The Soviet Union became to develop nuclear weapons of its own.

As well as being concerned by the threat that US atomic bombs pose directly, the USSR was also worried that without their own nuclear weapons, the US could exploit its nuclear monopoly to put pressure on the Soviets during any negotiations between the two countries.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we just heard.

We have a statement on the screen that reads the threat of nuclear attack was not the only reason why the USSR disliked America's nuclear monopoly.

Is that statement true or false? Pause video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that the Soviets were worried that nuclear accidents could take place which caused widespread destruction.

And the second says that the Soviets were worried that the USA would use its weapons to put additional pressure on the USSR.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was B.

The USSR was not only worried about the threat of nuclear attacks.

The Soviets were also concerned that the USA would use its weapons to put additional pressure on the USSR during any negotiations between the two.

In August, 1949, four years after the USA, the USSR successfully developed an atomic bomb of its own.

American leaders said that the Soviet success changed everything.

The US had not expected the Soviets to develop atomic capabilities until 1950 or 1951, meaning the USA's nuclear monopoly came to an end earlier than expected.

So let's make sure we've clearly understood what we just had.

Why did the US nuclear monopoly end in 1949? Was it because the USA agreed to share atomic bombs with Britain, the USA agreed to scrap its existing atomic bombs, or the USSR successfully developed its own atom bomb? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C.

The USA's nuclear monopoly came to an end in 1949 when the Soviet Union successfully developed its own atomic bomb.

This was a year to two years sooner than Americans had expected the Soviets to achieve this.

So we are now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about the Soviet development of nuclear weapons into practise.

I want you to study the following statements.

The USSR enjoyed a nuclear monopoly between 1945 and 1949.

The USSR was worried that the US would use atom bombs to pressure it during negotiations.

And the Soviets took longer than expected to develop their own nuclear weapons.

So you need to do two things in response to these statements.

Firstly, identify whether each statement is true or false, and then secondly, I want you to correct any false statements.

You should provide additional details to support any corrections.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So firstly, I asked you to identify whether each first statements was true or false.

Our first statement was false.

Our second statement was true, and our third statement was also false.

So for the second part of Task A, we are gonna focus on how we should have corrected those first and third statements.

So your corrections of those false statements may have included, the USA enjoyed a nuclear monopoly between 1945 and 1949 as it was the first country to develop the atom bomb, and the Soviets took less time than expected to develop their own nuclear weapons.

The USSR successfully tested an atom bomb in 1949, whereas the USA had not expected them to achieve this until 1950 or 1951.

So really well done if your own response looks something like those models which we've just seen.

And now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson where we are going to think about the nuclear arms race.

A key feature of the Cold War was the nuclear arms race between the USA and USSR.

In the 1940s and 1950s, many significant technological developments occurred as part of this race.

After the USSR developed their own atomic bomb, US President Harry Truman's response was to significantly increase American defence spending and order an even more powerful weapon to be developed, the hydrogen bomb or H-bomb.

Truman hoped that even if had lost its nuclear monopoly, it could still possess a greater number of more powerful weapons than the Soviets.

In November, 1952, the USA successfully detonated the world's first H-bomb.

Over 1000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb, the H-bomb restored the American nuclear advantage.

However, less than a year later, by August, 1953, the USSR had developed their own H-bomb.

Both sides spent vast and increasing amounts of money on building up their military capabilities.

Between 1949 and 1953, American spending on arms increased from 13.

5 billion to 49.

6 billion per year, while Soviet spending increased from $13.

4 billion to $35.

5 billion per year.

So reflecting on everything we've just heard, I want you to discuss the following with a partner.

How did Truman respond to news that the USSR had developed their first atomic bomb in 1949? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your discussion.

Okay, well done if similar things included in your discussion were that Truman ordered military spending to be significantly increased so that the USA could develop an even more powerful weapon, the hydrogen bomb or H-bomb.

And let's try another question.

The USA developed the first hydrogen bomb in November, 1952.

When did the USSR develop their first hydrogen bomb? Was it August, 1952, August, 1953, or August, 1954? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was B.

The Soviet Union developed their first hydrogen bomb by August, 1953.

So whilst the Americans were first to develop this weapon, their advantage was only temporary as the Soviets soon had the same technology.

In July, 1955, Eisenhower and Khrushchev met at the Geneva Summit to discuss how they could reduce their spending on nuclear weapons.

Although the atmosphere at the summit was cooperative, continuing issues in a range of different areas meant that there was too much suspicion between the two superpowers to reach an agreement on arms limitations.

The arms race was set to continue.

The resulted development of intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs, marked a new and more dangerous phase of the arms race.

ICBMs were capable of firing a nuclear warhead at a target over 4,500 kilometres away, which meant that they could be fired from one continent to hit targets in another without the need to drop bombs from aeroplanes.

The USSR demonstrated strong expertise in this area as they were able to use the same technology to launch the first manmade satellite, Sputnik One, into space in 1957.

The launch of Sputnik One raised concerns in the USA about Soviet technological superiority in the realm of missile technology, which was often referred to as the missile gap.

Concerned that they were being overtaken by the USSR, the USA increased its spending on missiles by 20% between 1957 and 1959, and expanded its training programme for engineers and scientists.

In 1958, the USA successfully tested its own ICBMs and president Dwight D.

Eisenhower quickly began building missile bases in some western European countries, including Britain and Germany.

In 1960, both superpowers successfully developed submarine launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs, known as Polaris missiles in the USA and R-13s in the USSR.

SLBMs could be fired from submarines whilst they were still moving and underwater and made it virtually impossible for either superpower to attempt to destroy all of their rivals nuclear weapons in the event of war between the two sides.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of everything we've just heard.

What were ICBMs, were they missiles capable of firing nuclear warheads thousands of miles away, new bombs which were 1000 times more powerful than the H-bomb, or defence systems that protected people from nuclear blasts? Pause video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was A, ICBMs, or intercontinental ballistic missiles, were missiles capable of firing nuclear warheads thousands of miles away, and they helped increase the danger of the nuclear arms race.

Let's write another question.

How did the US respond to fears about the missile gap in the late 1950s? Pause a video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the US responded by increasing American spending on missiles by 20%, by expanding training programmes for engineers and scientists, and by ordering missile bases to be built in Western Europe.

So we are now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about the nuclear arms race into practise.

I want you to write an account that analyses the events of the nuclear arms race in the years between 1945 and 1961.

You should ensure that your account follows the correct chronology of the crisis, makes it clear how events in the crisis link together, and includes specific details.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So I asked you to write an account that analysed the events at the nuclear arms race in the years between 1949 and 1961.

And your answer may have included, in 1945, the USA became the first country to develop an atomic bomb, giving it a nuclear monopoly.

This concerned the USSR, which worried about its security and the pressure it could be put under during negotiations and triggered the nuclear arms race.

The USSR committed to developing its own nuclear weapons and had succeeded by 1949 when it first tested an atomic bomb.

Having lost its nuclear monopoly, President Truman approved plans to develop a hydrogen bomb as this would increase the power of the USA's nuclear weapon stockpile compared to that of the USSR.

However, after the US developed H-bombs in 1952, the Soviets managed to develop H-bombs of their own in 1953, ensuring that they did not fall behind.

In 1957, the USSR developed ICBMs, which allowed them to strike more targets in the USA.

This caused concern in the USA about a missile gap and led to an increase in American arms spending by 20% between 1957 and 1959.

Both sides continued to develop missile technologies so that by 1961, both powers were able to successfully test SLBMs. The development of SLBMs made it virtually impossible for either side to knock out all of the other power's nuclear weapons in the event of an attack.

It's really well done if your own account looks something similar to that model, which we've just seen there.

And now we're ready to move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today where we are going to think about the dangers of the arms race.

Many people across the world worried about the potential dangers of the nuclear arms race between the USA and the USSR.

In 1945, the British author George Orwell wrote a short essay called You and the Atomic Bomb, in which he offered his own predictions about how the nuclear arms race would develop.

In October, 1945, two months after atomic bombs were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, George Orwell wrote an essay for the Tribune, a British newspaper, called You and the Atomic Bomb, sharing his predictions about the future now that nuclear weapons had been developed, Orwell's essay included the following reflections.

The Soviets do not yet possess the secret of making the atomic bomb, but they will possess it within a few years from now.

This creates the prospect of a world split between two superpowers, both possessing a weapon by which millions of people can be wiped out in a few seconds, dividing the world between them.

Some people assume that this means that there will be bigger and bloodier wars, and perhaps even a nuclear Armageddon.

However, really the likeliest development is that these superpowers will make an unspoken agreement never to use the atomic bomb against one another, as they will both be unable to conquer one another.

So thinking about what we've just heard, which outcome did George Orwell predict was most likely for the nuclear arms race? Was it war leading to nuclear Armageddon? Refusal of the superpowers to use their weapons? Or the improvement of ordinary people's lives as technology advanced? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was B.

George Orwell predicted that the most likely outcome for the nuclear arms race was that both superpowers would refuse to use their weapons.

By the late 1950s, both the USA and the USSR had developed stockpiles of nuclear weapons that could have destroyed the world many times over.

This prompted a change in thinking about war.

Previously weapons had been developed to win wars, but now they were being developed to stop the other side from going to war at all.

The idea that nuclear weapons could be used to stop an enemy from attacking was known as deterrence.

For example, in 1955, President Eisenhower's government announced a policy of massive retaliation.

The US warned that if it or any of its allies was attacked by the Soviets, the US would respond with incredibly destructive force.

In other words, the US was warning that it would respond to any attack, even if that attack was non-nuclear, with a nuclear strike of its own.

At this time, the theory of mutually assured destruction, or MAD, began to develop as both superpowers had the power to destroy one another.

It was argued that they would not attack one another to avoid nuclear Armageddon.

Some have argued that this helped to stabilise relations between the superpowers.

However, the constant suspicion that existed between the US and USSR meant that panic or even a simple accident could still trigger a nuclear war and unleash devastating levels of destruction.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of everything we just heard.

We have a statement on the screen that reads massive retaliation was a US plan for nuclear deterrence.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well then to everybody who said that that statement was true, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that the US promised that it would respond with extremely destructive force to any attacks on itself or its allies.

And the second says that the US promised that if it even suspected the USSR was about to attack, it would bomb every Soviet city.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was A, massive retaliation was a US policy that said it would respond with extremely destructive force to any attacks on itself or its allies.

Although it didn't say explicitly that this extremely destructive response would be a nuclear attack, that was the clear impression that the US was trying to give.

And let's try another question.

Which theory suggested that nuclear war was unlikely because both the superpowers had the means to destroy one another? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that this theory was known as mutually assured destruction or MAD.

So we've seen that George Orwell shared his predictions in 1945 about the development of the nuclear arms race.

For task C, I want you to tell me how accurate were Orwell's predictions about the nuclear arms race.

You should include a quotation from You and the Atomic Bomb and include your own knowledge as part of your answer.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So I asked you how accurate were Orwell's predictions about the nuclear arms race.

And your answer may have included Orwell's predictions in You and the Atomic Bomb were quite accurate.

Orwell wrote his essay in 1945, at a time when the US enjoyed a nuclear monopoly.

Nevertheless, he predicted that the Soviets would have their own atom bombs within a few years from now.

In 1949, just four years after Orwell wrote his essay, the USSR had successfully developed its own atom bomb.

Thereafter, both superpowers continued increasing the number and power of their nuclear weapons until they were both in a position where they could destroy the world many times over.

Your answer may also have included all those predictions in You and the Atomic Bomb were quite accurate.

In his essay, Orwell accurately predicted that possessing nuclear weapons could help deter war between the superpowers.

He wrote that they will make an unspoken agreement never to use the atomic bomb against one another.

This is very similar to the theory of MAD, which developed in the 1950s.

MAD claimed that the US and USSR would not go to war as both had enough power to completely destroy each other and the world many times over.

Whilst tensions remained high throughout the decade, both sides ended up developing nuclear weapons mainly for deterrence and avoided entering any wars against one another.

So really well done if your own response looks something like either of those models, which we've seen.

And that means we've now reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about the nuclear arms race.

We've seen that the development of the atomic bomb triggered a nuclear arms race between the USA and USSR.

Once the USA lost its nuclear monopoly, both superpowers competed to have the largest, most powerful, and most versatile nuclear stockpile.

By the start of the 1960s, both superpowers had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world many times over.

Some people worried about a nuclear Armageddon, but MAD theory suggested war between the superpowers had become less likely, and both superpowers became focused on deterrence, powerful weapons intended to make it too dangerous for their enemy to attack.

So really well done for all of your hard work during today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you through our resources, and I look forward to seeing you again in future as we think further about the development of the Cold War and continue to ask ourselves just how peaceful was peaceful coexistence.