About
The nuclear arms race (1945-1991) between the United States and Soviet Union produced the most dangerous period in human history — with both superpowers eventually possessing enough nuclear weapons to destroy civilization multiple times over. At its peak (1986), the US and USSR together possessed approximately 70,000 nuclear warheads. The doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) — that any nuclear first strike would trigger a devastating response — was the paradoxical logic that prevented nuclear war while making its possibility permanent.
Key moments: Soviet first test (1949, 4 years after US); hydrogen bomb race (US 1952, USSR 1953 — 1,000x more powerful than Hiroshima bomb); Sputnik and ICBM development (1957, missiles could now reach any city on Earth in 30 minutes); Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962, 13 days, the closest approach to nuclear war — Soviet submarines had nuclear torpedoes, one captain nearly used them); Able Archer 83 (NATO exercise so realistic Soviets nearly launched preemptively). Arms control treaties: SALT I/II, START, New START.
# Top 10 nuclear arms race facts
- 170,000 warheads (1986 peak)
- 2MAD doctrine
- 3Soviet first test (1949)
- 4H-bomb race
- 5Sputnik/ICBM
- 6Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
- 7Stanislav Petrov (1983, refused false alert)
- 8Able Archer 83
- 9Vasili Arkhipov (refused nuclear torpedo launch)
- 10New START (2021)
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Soviet submarine officer Vasili Arkhipov prevented nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis — his submarine was being depth-charged by the US Navy, communications had failed for days, and two of three required officers wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo; Arkhipov refused, requiring unanimity
- ◆Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet early warning officer, received an alarm on September 26, 1983 showing 5 US missiles incoming — he judged it a false alarm (correctly) and didn't report it, preventing a possible Soviet nuclear response. He was reprimanded for not following protocol
- ◆The US 'Football' (nuclear launch authorization briefcase) that the President carries was designed after a 1960 study found that a single deranged general could start nuclear war — the authentication codes were meant to prevent unauthorized launches, but were initially set to '00000000'
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