Transcript Nuclear Weapons Study Guide 1

Nuclear Weapons Study Guide 1
1. What did the CIA source named
Dragonfire report on October 11, 2001?
• They reported that al Qaeda had stolen a 10-kiloton
nuclear weapon from Russia and brought it to New
York. P.1
2. Define “proliferation”
• The spread of nuclear weapons p.2
3. Text fill in
• Russia and the United States have
approximately 26,300 of the some 27,600
nuclear weapons in the world. P. 2
4. When and why were nuclear
weapons used?
• August 6, 1945
– Hiroshima, Japan
• August 9, 1945
– Nagasaki, Japan
• The bomb was authorized by President Harry
Truman in hopes of a speedy end to the war in
the Pacific. It was used to save lives. It was
estimated that using the bomb would result in
fewer casualties than continuing the conventional
war. P. 3
5. What was the Cold War? How long
did it last?
• The Cold War –
– The conflict between communism and capitalism
following World War II, ending with the fall of
communism in most Eastern European nations in
1989. It lasted more than 40 years
– approximately 1947 – 1989.
6. Text fill in
• Deterrence was based on the idea that the
build-up of nuclear weapons could actually
prevent one side from starting a nuclear war.
P. 5
7. Charts page 10
• Examine the charts of U.S. and Soviet nuclear
weapons in your reading. In what year did the
number of soviet weapons surpass U.S.
weapons? P. 10
• 1978
8. What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
P. 8
• In October 1962 the United States discovered that the
Soviets were installing nuclear missile sites on the
island of Cuba. President Kennedy demanded the
removal of the missiles. After a 13 day standoff
between the U.S. and Soviet Union the Soviet Union
agreed to remove their missiles from Cuba if the U.S.
promised not to invade Cuba and removed nuclear
missiles from Turkey.
• T his is the closest the U.S. has been to nuclear war.
Forces in United States and Soviet Union were on high
alert.
9. What was the purpose of arms
control? Give two examples of arms
control treaties. P. 10
• Give two examples of arms control treaties. P. 10
• To limit the danger of nuclear weapons and war.
• Limited Test Ban Treaty
– Signed by United States, Soviet Union, and the United
Kingdom
– It prohibited nuclear tests in the atmosphere, under
water, and underground.
– Marked the beginning of U.S. efforts to control the
danger of nuclear weapons through arms control
agreements and treaties.
9. continued
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signed in 1968
– U.N. resolution sponsored by Ireland calling for negotiations on an
international agreement. (1961)
• Prevent state other than those already having nuclear weapons from acquiring
nuclear weapons
• States would be allowed to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
• The NPT became the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to prevent the spread of
nuclear weapons.
•
Ant-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty (1972)
– Agreement between U.S. and Soviet Union to preserve deterrence.
– Limited the number of ground based missile interceptors each side
could have.
•
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT)
– Prevented increases in the number of ballistic missiles.
10. Why did President Reagan shift his
attitude about the Soviet Union? P. 11 - 12
• NATO military exercise in November 1983 called
Able Archer led the Soviets to believe they were
about to be attacked by nuclear weapons
• Reagan was stunned the Soviets thought the U.S.
would launch an unprovoked attack.
• Military intelligence said the Soviets continued to
fear they were about to be attacked.
• This led to a level of mistrust between the Soviets
and U.S. that had been unseen since the Cuban
Missile Crisis
• This and a change in Soviet leadership led Reagan
to begin negotiations with the Soviets to prevent
a nuclear war.