In 1949 the USSR developed their first nuclear bomb, and in doing so, entered the nuclear arms race, which would prove to continue for the following sixteen years. The United States had already developed their first nuclear weapons and were well on their way to improving and replacing them. The Soviets were well aware of this, and the missile race was created by the two countries wanting to constantly out-do each other. This race appeared to be based on having the best defences from opposition attack, however it was also somewhat of a childish competition between the two to see who could build the bigger bomb.

The weapons being developed were never actually used militarily, only in test situations. Had they been used, the safety of the entire world’s population would have been at risk, as both sides had enough weapons to ensure that in the event of a war, there would be Mutually Assured Destruction. As the technology, and the weapons being developed with the technology, was getting more and more advanced, the potential for mass-scale destruction became very real. Bomb sizes, ranges and tactics were being improved at a vast rate, and this put a huge danger to the world. The volatility of these weapons can be exemplified by the USA’s Jupiter missiles, based in Turkey, which, more than once, were struck by lightning, initiating their launch sequence. The range of the missiles was one thing that changed drastically during the arms race. Originally missiles had to be fired from nearby countries or ships, thus the placement of the Jupiter missiles in Turkey, near the USSR, and also the Soviet placement of missiles in Cuba, near America, but with the development of first the inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) and then the Soviet achievement of Sputnik and space-capable rockets, the whole world was put in danger. These missiles could now reach any point on earth,