Role of Arms cum Space Race in Cold War
This article analyses how the Arms Race and Space Race affected the Cold War and the world at large.
• Prevented the Development of a Nuclear War through MAD
The concept Mutually Assured Destruction was formulated shortly after the beginning of the Cold War, with reference to the arms race. Both countries, the USA and USSR, had stocked up a whole arsenal of nuclear weapons during this period, and continually competed with each other to outpace the opponent’s technology. Each country had enough nuclear weapons to kill off the entire world twice.
It was only after the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis was the MAD theory actually verified. The theory essentially states that because each country will also perish should it use its own weapons against its enemy, both countries would refuse to go to war against each other. During the Cold War (Arms Race in particular), such stockpiling of weapons occurred, and both countries were essentially waging a test of endurance against each other (in technical terms, brinksmanship), as shown by the picture above, trying to push each other to the limits to press the nuclear button, to detonate their nuclear missiles. As also demonstrated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, both countries were not willing to actually do so. The Arms Race was supposedly to pose a threat to each country (though there were also other motives behind the race), in the sense that it sends the message to its opponent: “you had better not provoke me, because I have the power to kill you.” Yet, not one party was willing to press that nuclear button at any point in the Cold War (despite coming very close to doing so), testifying to the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction.
The idea of MAD has prevented the development of any major nuclear war. This is highly evident during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, an event which was caused (albeit indirectly) by the Arms Race. Khrushchev knew the potential danger of the weapons and had no intention to start the war (“we had no desire to start a war” Khrushchev [1977]) and even though Kennedy expressed his willingness to wage a nuclear war against USSR, it was clear that he would only resort to that if he had no other alternatives. Therefore, the MAD theory, which arose from the Arms Race, prevented a nuclear war from happening. Fortunately.
The theory of MAD had guided the USA in much of their defense policy in the Cold War, though it was not official that it was being employed. Yet, it was most evidently put into use during the Kennedy Administration. While it is acknowledged that MAD itself is a very dangerous policy to use (there are many flawed assumptions that underlie the theory), it was being implied in many US policies and was used in the rhetoric of many political leaders from both superpowers.
• Maintenance of upper hold (as a symbol of power and strength)
As mentioned by Shengyi in an earlier post, the Arms Race and the Space Race were clearly avenues for the two superpowers to demonstrate their technological prowess and strength, to the other party and to the whole world. As compared to the other aspects of the Cold War, the races were more direct avenues. While it seems somewhat childish and sadistic to spend immense amounts of taxpayer money to developing destructive weapons, it seems to be the case that showcasing power and strength is an important part in the countries’ agenda. (Conversely, it can also be argued that traditionally large amounts of money has been allocated to the defence budget. The amount of money spent on nuclear weapons per person living in the United States in 1998 was equivalent to $22000, somewhere around the GDP per capita of Portugal today.)
Conversely, it can also be interpreted that the Arms and Space Race were symbolic of the power and superiority of one ideology over another. Their progress was an indication of the success of communism and capitalism in general, and as with the policy of détente, or peaceful coexistence, both countries were trying very hard to outdo each other in this aspect and tried to prove to the world that their model was the most ideal.
Because of the big budget spent on the projects in both the Space Race and Arms Race, both countries were unable to channel more resources into developing other areas of the economy- economically speaking, there was the presence of allocative inefficiencies, and had many negative externalities. Not only was money needed to develop and test the weapons and space equipment, money was pumped in for intelligence and defensive measures. Socially it created an atmosphere of secrecy. The USSR found the continuation of the Space Race and Arms Race a challenging marathon to win, as it used a larger amount of its industrial power to support the races. Since the growth of USSR industries (Average growth 4.8% before 1950-1975, 1.85% after 1975) is lower than its growth rate for weapon output, the USSR outstretched its industrial power to compete with U.S.A in the arm race, while at the same time ignoring the light industries and domestic economic issues. These factors might even have contributed to the long-term effect of the collapse of the USSR.
With the race for superiority came the sacrifice- the price of development.
• Space development and other technological advances
The Space Race first begun with the launch of Sputnik in 1961, signaling a great success for both USSR and mankind alike. The Space Race accelerated the development of space technology, for the competition among both parties proved a strong enough incentive and pressure for the countries to develop the best technologies in the shortest possible time. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established in 1958, with the aim of facilitating the growth of the space industry in the United States. Scholarships were given out to support further studies into space technology and massive amounts of budget were dedicated to the agency. The launch of the first man to the moon in 1969 was a landmark for all of humankind, or in Neil Armstrong’s words, “one big leap for mankind”. If not for the Space Race, there would probably be not much incentive for either country (which were at that time the only few which had enough budget to fund such an exorbitant program) to dedicate the resources to venture into space, and the progress of space technology development would not have reached the pace it has achieved in the past few decades.
Furthermore, it can be credited to the Cold War for spawning the invention of the Global Positioning System and the Internet, both of which were technologies developed to boost USA’s defense but has since been developed to be available to the average consumer. Such projects are funded by the USA’s government agency Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). (Just for your information, ARPA, now renamed as DARPA with the word ‘defense’ added in front, had actually came to our school to give a talk last year.)
Since the Arms and Space Race spanned a few decades, we cannot isolate particular incidents and determine its effects on the Cold War and on the world in general. Yet, we cannot say that the Arms and Space Race did not play an integral role in the development of the Cold War either, for its long-term presence would indefinitely play a role in shaping the policies of both countries alike. Ironically, the Arms Race and Space Race have might made the already cold war even colder, for the steely edge of technology seemed only to distance the two factions further.
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Space Race, and its impact!
Hey all! The part where you’ve been waiting for! For this post, we’ll tell you all about the Space Race and how it affected the Cold War between USSR and USA.
The Space Race was a crucial factor of the Cold War, its impact on the escalation of the Cold War also very important. Both the superpowers, USA and USSR, felt that the victor of the Space Race would eventually be able to monopolize in space, and thus overtake the other as the leading superpower. The Space Race then became a contest between USA and USSR to see who was more scientifically advanced, and this Space Race also resulted in the rapid advancements in space technology. For this post, we would analyze key segments of the Space Race, and the impact each segment had on the Cold War.
Start of the Space Race (4th October 1957) – USSR launched the first artificial satellite, named Sputnik 1, triggering the start of the Space Race. This satellite was successfully launched via an Intercontentinental Ballistic Missle (ICBM) by USSR. Khrushchev felt that having a successful space program would demonstrate Soviet superiority at a time when economically, militarily, and politically the communist system was being called into question by members of the Soviet bloc. The launch of the Sputnik 1 proved that USSR could lead the West as well, and not just follow it. Following the launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite, Americans were stunned, as they were no longer having the lead in space advances. As a result, USA responded by pouring more money and resources into space technology development, and grew more wary of USSR, increasing tension between the two countries, and escalating the Cold War. USSR 1, USA 0.
USA fights back (31st January 1958) – The US Army successfully launched Explorer 1, the first American artificial satellite, in respond to the launch of the USSR satellite, Sputnik 1, roughly 4 months ago. During those 4 months, the military budget and the budget allocated for the research and development for space technology was increased tremendously, allowing the US Army, to catch up with the USSR in terms of space technology. This successful launch showed USSR that the USA was also capable of space exploration, and that they would not back down from the challenge that USSR has set upon them, showing the mentality of the USA during the Cold War. USSR 1, USA 1
Setting up of the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) – NASA was established on 29th July 1958 to speed up USA space exploration from a science and technology perspective. The setting up of NASA promoted science education and space research, and billions of dollars went into the study of science at universities. How this impacted the Cold War would be to show the USSR that USA was a serious contender, and would not take the initial “defeat” lightly.
The first successful orbit of the Earth by a man (12th April 1961) – USSR quickly took another great leap ahead, with the USSR cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man to successfully orbit the Earth, which made the Soviets the winners in the race to have the first man in space, where the US lagged behind again. This so-called victory for the USSR further showed the rest of the world that USSR was really a contender in competition with the USA, and that the Cold War was not really just a one-sided war. It also resulted in greater tension in USA, as USSR was finally excelling at something USA had not achieved, leading to more tension between the two countries. USSR 2, USA 1
Kennedy’s speech to the Congress (25th May 1961) – In an attempt to get America back on top, Kennedy told Congress that he was committed to sending a man to the moon within the decade. Such a mission would be of convincing value in the Cold War contest for international scientific prestige. It would also remind other nations of the American superiority, and beat the Soviets to place the first man on the moon in the Space Race, in which the Soviets were now leading. This speech rejuvenated America’s bid to compete with the Soviets regarding the Space Race, and on the Cold War side showed that America was willing to concede defeat, but not give up. This led to a series of smaller achievements by both USA and USSR, until…
First men on the moon (20th July 1969) – Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon while crewmate Michael Collins orbits around the Moon alone. The final major breakthrough in space technology for the Space Race was achieved by the USA, beating the USSR to the top prize in space technology. This achievement finally ended the Space Race, proving USA to be the victor, the more technologically advanced superpower. The Space Race proved that USA would not back down from a fight, and showed their fighting spirit in the Cold War. To be fair to USSR, it was mainly because of the lack of economic resources that they lost out to USA in the Space Race.
Well, that’s it for the key events for the Space Race and the impact it had on the Cold War! Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post! ;D
My keyboard rests at 8:10 PM
Thursday, March 11, 2010
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What it looks like
It is not often argued that nuclear weapons can cause much destruction, and that the Nuclear Arms Race is most probably one of the more visible (and tangible) aspect of the Cold War. Below are some pictures of what nuclear testing actually looks like.
While the sadist among us might relish at the beauty and symmetry of the mushroom cloud, we must not fail to recognise how horrific this is. Should this cloud have exploded over a civilian population (such as in the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), what devastation would it cause!
My keyboard rests at 7:15 PM
Thursday, March 4, 2010
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A World Divided
This picture illustrates the division of the world during the Cold War Era.
My keyboard rests at 12:47 PM
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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Space Race
Hey all,
Our 1st segment for our blog's Inquiry-cum-Research Question is here!
Basically, this segment aims to analyze how the Space Race affected the Cold War.
First, a summary of the origins of the Space Race!
The Space Race was actually started when the USA and USSR began to compete to gain the upper hand in weapons and space technology. The space race started on the 4th of October, 1957, and lasted till late 1969. During this period of time, both USA and USSR believed that whoever gained the upper hand in the Space Race would proceed to gain the upper hand over the other country in the long run. The Soviets started out strong in this campaign, being the first country to send a man, Yuri Gagarin, to orbit the Earth successfully. This changed the mindset of most of the other neutral countries, as it showed that the Soviet space programme was also very successful. However, the reigning president of USA for much of the Space Race, John F. Kennedy, believed that a successful manned mission to the Moon ahead of the Soviets would give USA a technological, economic and political advantage over USSR, and pumped billions of dollars to speed up space exploration from a science and technological perspective. All these result in the origin of the Space Race.
My keyboard rests at 6:45 PM
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Inquiry Question!
Hey all! If you guys have been reading our blog, you would have realised that we have not come up with a Inquiry-cum-Research Question!
After some discussion, we decided to focus on the Space Race as well as the Arms Race!
We also decided on our question, and it goes as follows:
"To what extent did the Space Race and the Arms Race affect the Cold War?"
Our research will be focusing on the 3 aspects:
1. Arms Race and its effects
2. Space Race and its effects
3. The Country's Leaders and their effects on the Races and Cold War
Some analysis in these areas regarding the Inquiry-cum-Research Question would be coming up soon, so please check out our blog from time to time!
My keyboard rests at 6:36 PM
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