What was a consequence of both superpowers having nuclear weapons?

Both countries, therefore, would be destroyed. Some viewed this doctrine as a deterrent to war because both countries would be less likely to launch missiles knowing that it would only result in mutual destruction. The nuclear arms race resulted in widespread anxiety for both the American and Soviet peoples.

What is the aftermath of a nuclear bomb called?

Nuclear fallout
Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it “falls out” of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes.

What was the outcome of the nuclear arms race?

For the most part, the Arms Race came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War in 1991. The Manhattan Project was top secret, even Vice President Truman didn’t learn about it until he became president.

Would humanity survive a full scale nuclear war?

Even if lethally radioactive fallout from ground bursts covered all population centers, many humans would still survive in shelters. The risks of extinction from nuclear-weapon-induced-radiation wouldn’t be complete without discussing two factors: nuclear power plants and radiological weapons.

What are the long-term effects of nuclear warfare?

Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can produce destruction in a much shorter time and can have a long-lasting radiological warfare result. A major nuclear exchange would have long-term effects, primarily from the fallout released,…

What would happen if there was a global nuclear war?

However, such predictions, assuming total war with nuclear arsenals at Cold War highs, have not been without criticism. Such a horrific catastrophe as global nuclear warfare would almost certainly cause permanent damage to most complex life on the planet, its ecosystems, and the global climate.

How many people would be killed by a nuclear war?

In a regional nuclear conflict scenario in which two opposing nations in the subtropics each used 50 Hiroshima-sized nuclear weapons (c. 15 kiloton each) on major population centers, the researchers predicted fatalities ranging from 2.6 million to 16.7 million per country.

What would life be like after a nuclear war?

Advertisement Life after a nuclear war revealed: Computer models reveal Earth would suffer a 20-year-long winter and worldwide famine Researchers from Colorado studied the effects of nuclear conflict on Earth They used climate models to predict what would become of the planet Their research looked at the detonation of 100 ‘small’ nuclear warheads