The arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union began in 1949 when the Soviet Union tested its own _________,a weapon on which the United States had a monopoly until that time.

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The United States had a monopoly on the atomic bomb until the Soviet Union tested its own in 1949. The hydrogen bomb (choice B) was first tested by the United States in 1952, and the neutron bomb (choice C) was not developed until the 1970s. The "star wars" defense system (choice D) refers to the Strategic Defense Initiative proposed by the United States in the 1980s, which was focused on developing a missile defense system rather than weapons. The cobalt bomb (choice E) is a theoretical type of "salted" nuclear bomb that has never been tested or used in real life.

The Arms Race Between the United States and the Soviet