How could a new battleship be built in the 1950s, and which path is most plausible?
Short answerThe Soviet Union would have to build first; Western navies already had modern ships and would most likely construct new battleships only in response.
NotesThe United States, France, and Britain already possessed surviving modern battleships after the Second World War, so none had an independent requirement to start another class. A Soviet decision to build would change that calculation by creating a new opponent that existing ships might have to counter. Stalin's death matters because it removed the leader most likely to demand such a fleet and trigger reciprocal construction.