Introduction

Following World War II, the same two countries that fought together to stop the axis powers, now developed problems with one another. A rivalry was created between the capitalist United States and the communist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Near the end of the second World War, the three major ally countries met at the Yalta Conference in Russia partially to discuss Germany's future. It was agreed to divide Germany into sections, later known as East and West Germany. Despite the fact that the countries could not agree on how to unify Germany, the post-war world looked very promising. Then in 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs in Japan to end the Pacific Theater and ultimately, World War II. This started a conflict between the USSR and the United States. The USSR was upset that the Atomic Bomb was developed secretly. It was discovered that spies were sent to the US to tract the bomb's development. With the information, the USSR was able to build a bomb of their own. By the end of the 1940s, the USSR had control over much of eastern Europe and Asia. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviets, refused to keep his promise of allowing free elections.

Fear overtook the two countries. The Soviet Union had been invaded twice, and with the US's rapid development of both the Atomic Bomb and later the Hydrogen Bomb, they feared a third invasion that could potentially destroy them. During the early fifties, the United States and the Soviet Union began building a mass amount of Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The Nuclear Arms Race was underway and the Cold War began.

The Cold War
In more ways than one, the Cold War was unlike any war the US has ever been in. Without any real battles or fighting, the War tore many countries apart and with one problem, could have ended the war. This link explains how it all got started.

The A-Bomb and H-Bomb

One of the biggest fears of Americans in the 1950s was that a war could be brought to American ground. With the development of the Atomic bomb and the improvements of missiles, the Soviet Union and the US began building a large number of ICBMs. With a successful launch, the Soviet Union could destroy major American cities without an aerial attack. This meant that cities could potentially be destroyed without any warning. After two Atomic Bombs were dropped in Japan, US citizens saw the complete destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. All it took was one bomb and each city disappeared.

In 1952, the United States successfully detonated the first Hydrogen bomb. This bomb could have an explosion over a thousand times the size of the Atomic bomb. One year later, the Soviet Union was able to build a H-Bomb of their own. Americans no longer feared the destruction of major cities, they now feared the destruction of entire states and even the end of the United States. All it took was one problem and a potential Armageddon attack would begin. In most of the US wars, the battles were fought with only US soldiers overseas. The only exposure American citizens would get would be over the radio or from stories from soldiers returning home. World War I and II were fought in Europe. European cities were attacked, but American's were far from the danger. With the creation of the ICBMs, this changed. Anyone in the US could be killed. American ground could be under attack with little warning. The war was brought home.
In 1957, The Soviet Union launched a missile to put a satellite into space. This put the US behind the USSR in the Arms Race. The Soviets had beaten the Americans to space. With the launch of "Sputnik", American's realized that not only was the Soviet Union as technologically advanced as them, they might even be ahead. The USSR could now take satellite pictures of the US and even in time, control missiles. One year later, the US launched "Explorer I" into orbit. The Americans were finally in space.

More about the bombs

The development of these two bombs changed the way we look at war. To learn more about these bombs, click the link.

Why did both the US and USSR feel the need to building so many large and destructive bombs?

Federal Civil Defense

In 1951, the Federal Civil Defense Administration was created in the growing fear of a Nuclear war. The FCDA mainly created public service announcements about the dangers of a nuclear attack. It warned citizens to always be prepared. With a small budget, there was not much the FCDA could really do to protect citizens from a nuclear attack. They were able to build a few fallout shelters for citizens to hide from an atomic explosion. However, in 1958 with the USSR building more and more ICBMs, the Federal Civil Defense Administration became a top priority for American safety. Increased spending led to a larger quantity and an increase of quality of fallout shelters.

Civil Defense Video
This Video was a public service announcement in the 1950s. It was created by the Federal Civil Defense Administration to teach citizens how to protect themselves from a Nuclear attack. The video attempts to put a fun and optimistic spin on a Nuclear explosion in the US