Starter quiz
- Write the missing word. An ______ race is a situation in which two or more countries try to have more and stronger weapons than each other.
- 'arms' ✓
- Who became US President in 1953?
- Dwight D Eisenhower ✓
- George Kennan
- Harry Truman
-
- When did the Korean War end?
- 1945
- 1949
- 1953 ✓
- 1957
-
- Who promoted their belief in peaceful coexistence?
- Dwight D Eisenhower
- Harry Truman
- Joseph Stalin
- Nikita Khrushchev ✓
-
- Which statement is most accurate?
- An agreement on ending the arms race was made at the Geneva Summit.
- An agreement on German reunification was made at the Geneva Summit.
- No agreements were made at the Geneva Summit. ✓
-
- Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
- 1⇔Tehran Conference
- 2⇔Yalta Conference
- 3⇔Potsdam Conference
- 4⇔Geneva Summit
Exit quiz
- Which word refers to when only one person or country has control over something?
- armageddon
- arms race
- deterrence
- monopoly ✓
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- Write the missing number. The hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) was ______ times more powerful than the atomic bomb (A-bomb).
- '1000' ✓
- Who was the second country to develop nuclear weapons?
- Britain
- China
- France
- USA
- USSR ✓
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- What was the name of the theory which suggested that nuclear weapons made war between the superpowers unlikely?
- 'MAD' ✓
- What prompted US fears about a missile gap?
- a Soviet backed coup in Czechoslovakia
- a Soviet attack on West Berlin
- the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 ✓
-
- Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chornological order.
- 1⇔US developed an atom bomb
- 2⇔USSR developed an atom bomb
- 3⇔US developed a hydrogen bomb
- 4⇔USSR developed a hydrogen bomb
- 5⇔USSR successfully tested an ICBM
- 6⇔USA successfully tested an ICBM
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The development of the atomic bomb triggered a nuclear arms race.
- The USA and USSR competed to develop larger and more powerful nuclear weapons.
- By 1961, both superpowers had the ability to destroy the world many times over.
- Mutually Assured Destruction suggested nuclear weapons deterred war.
- The nuclear arms race became increasingly focused on deterrence.
Common misconception
Everybody agreed the possession of nuclear weapons made the world more dangerous.
Many people argued that as the US and USSR both possessed nuclear weapons this deterred them from going to war with one another - otherwise they woudl afce mutually assured destruction.
Keywords
Monopoly - when only one person or country has control over something
Arms race - the situation in which two or more countries try to have more and stronger weapons than each other
Armageddon - a catastrophic conflict, especially one seen as likely to destroy the world or the human race
Missile gap - the fear of US government officials that Soviet development and production of missile technology had overtaken the USA's
Deterrence - an action or system intended to prevent or discourage someone from doing something