Становлення ядерного потенціалу та його вплив на військово-стратегічні концепції провідних держав (1930-ті – 1945 рр.)

The article analyzes the early nuclear programs of Germany, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, showing that their development occurred under unequal resource conditions, differing political decisions, and distinct governance mechanisms. It emphasizes the role of leading scientists whose work in nuclear fission, chain reactions, and fissile material production shaped the scientific foundations of initial atomic projects and influenced their further evolution. The study highlights the interaction between scientific communities and government institutions, demonstrating how these relationships affected the pace, dynamics, and effectiveness of nuclear program implementation, as well as the role of political and military leaders in defining priorities, organizing research, maintaining secrecy, and shaping the first strategic concepts related to the emergence of a new type of weapon. It is shown that the organizational model adopted in the United States and Great Britain‑built on coordination between scientific expertise and military-state administration‑proved most effective. In contrast, the German program suffered from personnel fragmentation, resource shortages, and inconsistent state support, while the Soviet project evolved under the influence of intensive intelligence efforts and growing foreign-policy pressures, accelerating its transformation into a centralized, security-oriented initiative. The article also demonstrates that cooperation among the United States, Great Britain, and Canada was a key factor in advancing Western nuclear programs through the exchange of knowledge, materials, and technological capacities. Finally, it concludes that the creation of nuclear weapons reshaped military-strategic doctrines and laid the foundations for the postwar international security architecture.