The two policies of brinkmanship and Mutual Assured Destruction, or M.A.D. were utilized during the nuclear arms race of the Cold War. These at time ethical polices were used as ways to deter war and prevent nations from launching the first strike. Although the policies of brinkmanship and M.A.D could have taken a turn for the worse with one miss calculation, these policies were necessary because they were successful in maintaining the safety of both the U.S. and Soviet Union. One aspect of the policies of brinkmanship and M.A.D that should be considered ethical and necessary, are the ways in which it deterred a first strike. With brinkmanship, the U.S. was always prepared and on their toes to start war even at a time where there was little …show more content…
could have taken a turn for the worse with one small miss calculation. Although it all worked out in the end, the risks that these polices proposed were extremely frightening to both nations. With brinkmanship, the U.S. was always on the verge of war and in a state of extreme tensions. These tensions frightened many citizens who were forced to live in fear on a daily basis. Although this policy brought down human moral, it was worth it to keep people safe. Also, with each nation always ready to retaliate, one instant of mistrust or skepticism could launch an attack from a false alarm. This was a major risk that was always possible with both of these policies. With M.A.D., if one nation were not up to date or equal to the other nations nuclear capabilities, the other nation would be outmatched and overpowered. This would give one of the nations an advantage, resulting in a possible first strike because of unequal amounts of arsenal. To add, the continued mass production of these nuclear weapons was very expensive, but essential in order to maintain the policy of M.A.D and the safety of each nation. As stated in the Syllabus, “Because of this rationale, both sides ended up with such an immense number of nuclear weapons, that any nuclear exchange, whether one side was slightly ahead of the other or not, would essentially spell the end for mankind…” (Syllabus, 45). With the entire human race at risk,
The Cold War was a period of dark and melancholic times when the entire world lived in fear that the boiling pot may spill. The protectionist measures taken by Eisenhower kept the communists in check to suspend the progression of USSR’s radical ambitions and programs. From the suspenseful delirium from the Cold War, the United States often engaged in a dangerous policy of brinksmanship through the mid-1950s. Fortunately, these actions did not lead to a global nuclear disaster as both the US and USSR fully understood what the weapons of mass destruction were capable of.
... In America, people practiced air-raid drills and built bomb shelters in preparation for possible nuclear warfare. The U.S. also built up its army and its air force, just to be prepared. Overseas, the U.S. enforced the Eisenhower Doctrine, which was a threat warning communist countries not to attack the Middle East, lest they wanted to begin all out war. The United States also engaged in an Arms Race with the Soviet Union to see who could build the most powerful and destructive weapons and technologies.
This investigation assesses the success of the policies of Henry Kissinger during the tense period of the Cold War and the sequential years, specifically pertaining to the peace summits with Russian officials in 1972 and 1973 with regard to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties. This investigation evaluates Kissinger’s impact during the period of the SALT treaties on the reduction of nuclear arms and the implementation of détente. Specifically, how Kissinger got what he wanted, the risks involved, and the outcome of the treaties. The sources used, Détente and the Nixon Doctrine, by Robert S. Litwak and Kissinger: 1973, The Crucial Year, by Alistair Horne, will then be evaluated for their origins, purposes, values, and limitations.
After thirteen days of conflict, both superpowers agreed to withdraw their missiles. Although it was a stalemate, in the US this was presented as a major victory. Nuclear war was avoided without any loss of life or destruction. Just as in the Berlin Crisis, Kennedy used diplomacy to resolve conflicts with the Soviet Union. For Kennedy, “his readiness to offer negotiations was in part based on a politician’s belief
...Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) during the Cold War Era. In order to keep the violence from escalating, both sides had to withdraw, and neither side would have an advantage.
To start off, one of the key ideas behind the tense, yet somewhat stable peace between the Soviet Union and United States during the second half of the 20th century was the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD. As both of the world’s superpowers attempted to outstrip each other in a nuclear arms race, it grew increasingly apparent that should one nation attempt to strike the other or its allies with nuclear weapons, the consequences from the secondary strike would cause an unacceptable loss of life and likely the extinction of the human race. Consider the Cuban Missile Crisis, for instance. There were multiple times where all out nuclear war between the East and the West ca...
Scott D. Sagan, the author of chapter two of “More Will Be Worse”, looks back on the deep political hostilities, numerous crises, and a prolonged arms race in of the cold war, and questions “Why should we expect that the experience of future nuclear powers will be any different?” The author talks about counter arguments among scholars on the subject that the world is better off without nuclear weapons. In this chapter a scholar named Kenneth Waltz argues that “The further spread of nuclear weapons may well be a stabilizing factor in international relations.” He believes that the spread of nuclear weapons will have a positive implications in which the likely-hood of war decreases and deterrent and defensive capabilities increase. Although there
In addition to the prevention of communism, President Truman’s decision was also influenced by the apprehensive environment during The Cold War. The Soviet Union was able to ruin the United States as the monopoly of nuclear bombs in 1949 when they successfully detonated their firs...
In the 1950’s, the United States "announced a policy of massive retaliation - a doctrine whereby the United States might respond with nuclear weapons to any Soviet challenge anywhere in the world," (Weapons and Arms Control) Despite America's doctrine and huge lead in the arms race, it achieved little success and did not threaten or suppress the Soviets from continuing to create nuclear weapons.
In today’s society many countries and even citizens of the United States question the U.S. government’s decision to get in involved in nuclear warfare. These people deemed it unnecessary and state that the U.S. is a hypocrite that preaches peace, but causes destruction and death. Before and during World War II the U.S. was presented with a difficult decision on whether or not to develop and use the atomic bomb.
From the creation of nuclear weapons at the start of the Cold War to today, the world has experienced struggles fueled by the want of nuclear power. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Iran’s nuclear weapon program are some of the most important conflicts over nuclear weapons. Thanks to the use of nuclear weapons in 1945 to end World War II, the world has come extremely close to a nuclear war, and more countries have began developing nuclear power. Unmistakably, many conflicts since the start of the Cold War have been caused by nuclear weapons, and there are many more to come.
The tensions in the Cold War were caused by a lot of things, these things ranging from competition to political differences. One main tension between the two countries was their economic systems. Both thought the others were evil, both had some facts to back up their claims. Yes there is social class division in pure capitalism and yes there is less motivation to work hard in pure communism, but that does not make the entire system inherently evil. The differences in communism and capitalism caused the tensions seen in the Cold War because America and Soviet Union were locked in a competition to see whose society was better, ranging from scientific advancement, arms race, and through the dominance of their economic system.
In 1962 nuclear war seemed inevitable to the world, it was the first time nuclear war was hanging on a thread. The Cuban Missile Crisis presented a threat to the world, in which the USSR planted nuclear missiles on Cuba. America’s response was to threaten launching nuclear missiles at the Russians. This incident launched the world into a new time, which presented nuclear weapons as a source of power.
This is the concept behind the arms race between America and the Soviet Union, anything America did, the Soviets thought they could do better. Deliberately, once the Americans had played their hand with Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union's started to gather a hoard of nuclear bombs. This was part of the tension that was in the air, it was fuelled on by the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction. Mutually Assured Destruction, or more commonly called; M.A.D was a major point in the time period of the Cold War, as it was where both the Soviet Union and America were on equal playing fields and could wipe out each other and the world with their nuclear arsenal. It was keenly hanging over everyone’s head, not a single soul was safe. As one of the Soviet’s prominent leaders Nikita Khrushchev
The Cold War (1945-1991) was a substantial war that was fought on an. economic, philosophical, cultural, social and political level. This impacted globally and changed the majority of the world’s societies to a. liberated fashion, rather than the archaic and conservative ways. Global war is a war engaged in by all if not most of the principle nations of the world, a prime example of such would be of the two great wars. Therefore the cold war can’t be classified as a global war in terms of the military and actual warfare’s, as the two superpowers (Soviet Union and USA) fought indirectly with each other, however to an extent the cold war can be said it’s a global war in terms of its politics and economics. The The effects of the Cold War were definitely felt globally and had an aftermath.