Arms Race

Competition for military superiority involving the development and stockpiling of weapons. There have been a number of arms races throughout history as technology has advanced and states have felt pressured to remain competitive with their adversaries. One of the primary causes of World War I was an arms race, or buildup of munitions, that took place among Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom during the decades leading up to the war. As a result of that arms race, Europe became a powder keg that required only a minor incident—the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo—to explode.

Mobilizing for World War I

The outbreak of World War I is a cautionary tale that illustrates the potentially disastrous outcome of an unchecked increase in munitions. The issue of mobilization, the rate at which states could actually prepare their militaries for combat, was also an important factor. Although speedier mobilization implies greater vigilance and preparedness, it also undermines possibilities for the peaceful resolution of misunderstandings.

Before World War I, the ability to move quickly in response to a perceived threat was considered vital, and states prepared elaborate plans to respond. Czar Nicholas II of Russia, defending Slavic nationalism in the face of Austrian demands on Serbia, decided on a partial mobilization against Austria-Hungary. However, the war plan developed by the Russian military was premised on a war with both Germany and Austria-Hungary. Afraid to deviate from the circumstances for which that had prepared, the Russians opted for full mobilization against both powers.

Meanwhile, Germany mobilized under the Schlieffen Plan, which envisioned a two-front war against Russia and France. Thus, according to plan, Germany responded to Russia's aggression by declaring war on France as well. In addition, part of the Schlieffen Plan involved marching through Belgium, and the subsequent violation of Belgian neutrality brought Great Britain into the war. The best-laid plans brought a disaster exacerbated by the arms race that had preceded it.

Beginning of the Nuclear Arms Race

Though the arms race leading up to World War I serves as a prime example of how weapons help to create conflict, the nuclear arms race that began after World War II vividly demonstrates how weapons buildup may become self-rationalizing and self-perpetuating.

[Page 41]The arms race for nuclear weapons was structured by different arguments during different periods. Until the early 1960s, U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union was based on the idea of massive retaliation, otherwise known as nuclear utilization theory. However, once it became conceivable that a nuclear arsenal could survive a first strike and still deliver a devastating counterstrike, the balance of power was maintained according to the doctrine of mutually assured destruction.

The Cold War

Fears concerning a nuclear arms race date back to the end of the Manhattan Project in 1945. For several decades following the end of World War II, international relations were defined by the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the Soviet Union was well behind the United States in developing nuclear weapons, the necessity of securing the Soviet Union against a first strike by the United States led to a massive buildup of nuclear arms by the 1950s.

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