Year 11 - Religious education
Nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence
Religion, peace and conflict
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils examine ideas of violence and how some religions justify war in terms of holy or just war. They will move on to examine specific ideas such as nuclear war and terrorism. Finally they will examine the role of religion in finding and making peace.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain what nuclear weapons are and give different views on their use and disarmament.
Key Notes
- Nuclear weapons use nuclear reactions to unleash vast energy, leading to large-scale death and environmental damage.
- Countries like the UK keep them as a deterrent, using the threat of retaliation to discourage attacks.
- Ethical issues include civilian deaths and casualties, environmental impact and reliance on fear to maintain peace.
- Disarmament can be done together through multilateral agreements or independently through unilateral action.
- Opinions differ, with some supporting deterrence and others arguing for disarmament.
Vocabulary To Learn
- disarmament: reducing or eliminating weapons
- nuclear weapons: a weapon of mass destruction which uses a nuclear reaction to cause widespread damage and loss of life
- nuclear deterrence: having nuclear weapons with the aim of deterring/preventing other states attacking for fear of retaliation and nuclear war (possibly leading to Mutually Assured Destruction)
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Nuclear weapons are designed to be used in war like other weapons.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Nuclear weapons use nuclear reactions to unleash vast energy, leading to large-scale death and environmental damage. Countries like the UK keep them as a deterrent, using the threat of retaliation to discourage attacks.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'disarmament'
reducing or eliminating weapons.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Nuclear weapons are designed to be used in war like other weapons. Correction: Nuclear weapons are kept mainly for deterrence, not for use in battle. Their purpose is to prevent war, not to fight one. They have not been used since 1945.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Contrasting religious views about violence Study Guide
- Different religious views about pacifism Study Guide
- Different religious views about weapons of mass destruction Study Guide
- Pacifism Study Guide
- Reasons for war Study Guide
- Religion and peace-making Study Guide
- Religion as a cause of war and Holy War Study Guide
- Religious responses to victims of war Study Guide
- Terrorism Study Guide
- The Just War theory Study Guide
- The meaning and significance of peace, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation Study Guide
- The work of Christian Aid for victims of war Study Guide
- Violence, including violent protest Study Guide
- Weapons of mass destruction Study Guide
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