3.1 Origins of the Cold War - The Nuclear Issue
In this section, you read about the origins of the Cold War. Use this paragraph below to help you answer the following question:
Why didn't the US follow through on a disarmament plan, and what might have happened if they had chosen that course of action?
Compose your answer as a properly formatted paragraph. Be sure to make specific reference to the reading below. Lookup any words you are not certain of ("fissionable" comes to mind).
"During World War Two, Roosevelt and Churchill followed a policy that would ensure a nuclear arms race at war's end. Still, Stalin found out about the Manhattan Project and by 1943 had already begun development of a Soviet bomb. After the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the subsequent surrender of Japan, the United States developed a disarmament plan based on turning over all fissionable materials, plants, and bombs to an international regulatory agency. The Soviets responded quickly with their own plan which stipulated nothing less than a total ban on the production of all fissionable material. They further added that all existing bombs would be destroyed. Wishing to preserve its monopoly on nuclear weapons, the United States continued to stress regulation and inspection by an independent agency. But the Soviets, in the hopes of neutralizing any United States advantage, insisted on immediate disarmament. Eventually, an agreement was reached and the two sides agreed to disagree." —from The History Guide "The Origins of the Cold War"