“[Communism] has never come to power in a country that was not disrupted by war or internal corruption or both.”
John F. Kennedy, July 1963
John F. Kennedy, July 1963
The 1980s Arms Race
•The USSR had a 3:2 advantage in sheer numbers
•New issue is how to deliver them
•Cruise missiles are placed in Europe by NATO
•‘Smart Weapons’ - planes, weapons and even tanks begin to be controlled by computer and are ‘guided’
•New issue is how to deliver them
•Cruise missiles are placed in Europe by NATO
•‘Smart Weapons’ - planes, weapons and even tanks begin to be controlled by computer and are ‘guided’
Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI)
“Star Wars”
•The Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) - Also known as “Star Wars”; wanted to have a defensive umbrella over the U.S. to shoot down incoming missiles from space
•Soviets could not afford to keep up with this kind of science
•The arms race would not fizzle out until Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR in 1985
•Soviets could not afford to keep up with this kind of science
•The arms race would not fizzle out until Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR in 1985
Summary
This idea was created by Reagan and turned out to be brilliant. This idea was about wanting a defensive umbrella over the US in space to shoot down incoming missiles. The Soviets couldn't afford to keep up with these advances due to their struggling/crippling economy. The Soviets knew they needed to keep on making progress like the US but just couldn't afford to do so.