The antinuclear movement emerged as a social movement in 1961 at the height of the Cold War. Many Americans became concerned about the health and environmental effects of nuclear fallout-the radiation left in the environment after a nuclear blast-in the wake of World War II and after extensive nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific during the 1940s and 1950s.
Kennedy enacted a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the United States was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize the perceived threat.ĭisaster was avoided when the United States agreed to an offer made by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the United States promising not to invade Cuba. This resulted in a 13-day military and political standoff known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. To many observers, the world appeared on the brink of nuclear war in October of 1962. Other countries, including Great Britain, France, and China developed nuclear weapons during this time, too. Over the next few decades, each world superpower would stockpile tens of thousands of nuclear warheads. Read More: How The Hiroshima Bombing Kick-Started The Cold War Cuban Missile Crisis The Cold War arms race had begun, and nuclear testing and research became high-profile goals for several countries, especially the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States responded by launching a program in 1950 to develop more advanced thermonuclear weapons.
On August 29, 1949, the Soviets tested their first nuclear bomb. had obtained-through a network of spies engaging in international espionage-blueprints of a fission-style bomb and discovered regional sources of uranium in Eastern Europe. Within just a few years, however, the U.S.S.R. The Soviets initially lacked the knowledge and raw materials to build nuclear warheads. The United States was the only country with nuclear weaponry in the years immediately following World War II.
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