International Relations Today, 2nd Edition

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Security and Nuclear Issues After the Second World War

The use of nuclear technology for warfare was unknown to the world before the Second World War. With the use of hydrogen bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during this war, the devastating effects of nuclear weapons came to light. It became evident that nuclear weapons had far more destructive powers than conventional weapons, and a nation’s ability to produce nuclear weapons would give it an advantage over others in terms of national security and international importance. The United States was the first nation to acquire and use nuclear weapons, but was soon followed by the Soviet Union that produced its own nuclear device in 1949. Soon a race for acquiring nuclear weapons started around ...