"After September 2, 1949, both the United States and the Soviet Union had atomic weapons that they could use in a war against ea
ch other. In a paragraph, analyze how this fact shaped the progress of the Cold War and the relationship between the two countries. In your response, you may want to include the following terms: arms race, mutually assured destruction, massive retaliation, and brinkmanship."
<span>Describe how this fact shaped the progress of the Cold War and the relationship between the two countries.
Answer: The fact that both the United States and the Soviet Union had atomic weapons made the cold war more dangerous, deadly, and urgent. The arms race between both of them meant that they had so many weapons that all-out war was more than likely guaranteed to wipe out both countries. Brinkmanship and Mutual Assured Destruction were used to try and avert either side from being the first to start a conflict.
When the United States and the Soviet Union developed atomic weapons, they were constantly worried about when the other country would attack. As a result of the constant fear of attack, they were on edge of a war. The arms race was almost a guarantee that most of everybody would be dead.
