The Role Of Deterrence In The Cold War

517 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of the Arms Race after the Cold War

The practice of deterrence was successful in its major aim; the prevention of nuclear hostilities between the USA and the USSR. The former Secretary General Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev stated: “It is my firm belief that the infinite and uncontrollable fury of nuclear weapons should never be held in the hands of any mere mortal ever again, for any reason. Govrbachev is referring to ‘deterrence’. Deterrence in the Cold War context was a military doctrine that prevented an enemy from using nuclear weapons, since they could be destroyed as a consequence. It was used to intimidate a foe from initiating attack as they would fear the destruction of their own nation. The concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD) constrained the Soviet Union …show more content…

Although both nations acknowledged the role of deterrence in maintaining the status quo, nevertheless both nations attempted to create a stockpile of weapons in excess of the other in order to gain ‘the upper hand”. In this way, deterrence gave a specific shape to the cold war characterized by the term “the arms race”. In 1957 the USSR created the ICBM (Intercontinental ballistic missile) then America also constructed their own ICBM 1959 hereby creating a cycle of the creation of weaponry, or accelerating a nuclear arms race as the term became. The role of deterrence in this case was to create WMD (weapons of mass destruction) to intimidate the opposition until they backed down. However the Soviet Union did not back down, so the nuclear arms race just continued. Classical theorists believe that the US created SNMF (shortage nuclear missiles fighters) with NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization) because they thought the Soviet Union would not have the capability to copy them. This was thought to then slow down the escalation ladder of nuclear weapon and the arms race, because this weaponry would outgun them. Deterrence prevented a hot war during the Cuban Missile crisis – an event that came close to initiating MAD. Therefore, the practice of deterrence was responsible for preventing a hot war, and in doing so created “the arms race” a feature of the Cold War. Furthermore, the need to maintain and expand zones of influence, which could not be achieved by open conflict, led to conflict through proxy wars, yet another feature of the Cold

Show More
Related

  • DBQ: Cold War

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union began with mutual distrust in World War II, intense rivalry, and conflicting ideologies. Cold War was fought with four major weapons. The weapons were propaganda, economic and military aid to devastated nations after World War II, arms race, and the alliances. Propagandas were used for containment and to raise the people’s morale and patriotism. Economic aid of the devastated nations was also used as a method of containment, as it prevented the desperate nations from falling under communism. Arms race was one way of representing the nation’s military pride and the ability to retaliate when attacked, although the arms were not developed to dominate world power. Finally, alliances were created and its scale was compared to verify the superior side of the Cold War.

    Read More

  • Cold War Dbq Essay

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • How The United States Contained Communism in the Cold War

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ills 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 and 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. Brinkmanship was effective in preventing war because neither the United States or the Soviet Union was really prepared to fight yet another war.

    Read More

  • The Civil Liberties in Relation to the Cold War in the United States

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Cold War in 1945 to 1953 brought about a period of tension and hostility due to the feud between the United States and the Soviet Union. The period began with the end of the Second World War. The situation acquired the title for there was no physical active war between the two rivals. The probability of the tension got to be the fear of the then rise in nuclear ammunition. Things began to roll when a US based U2 sky plane got to take photos of some USSR intermediate ballistic missiles with the capability of transporting nuclear heads.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Cold War

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States had bought Alaska from Russia partly so that the tsar would not be offended by a refusal. This kind of relation between the two became a rarity later on, especially in the twentieth century. The tense ambiance of this period gave no room for a civil affiliation between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. After World War II, the two nations battled it out in a conceptual war known as the Cold War. It was characterized by a competition between the nations’ political philosophies- the USSR wanted communism to dominate the world, while the US wanted democracy to prevail. However, the war did not come about suddenly- it was congealed over a period of time by multiple factors. As World War II ended, the

    Read More

  • Containment and the Cold War

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    Containment and the Cold War In February 1946, George F. Kennan, an American diplomat in Moscow, proposed a policy of containment. Containment is the blocking of another nation’s attempts to spread its influence. During the late 1940s and early 1950s the United States used this policy against the Soviets. The United States wanted to take measures to prevent any extension of communist rule to other countries.

    Read More

  • Cold War

    555 Words  | 2 Pages

    The USA built and tested a new type of weapon called the Hydrogen Bomb. The Soviet Union became concerned as to whether the USA would actually use such a weapon. Because of this, the Soviet Union began designing a similar weapon. The war became an argument about who had the biggest weapon. However, neither country fired a single missile thus making this a cold war instead of a hot war (200 Years).

    Read More

  • COLD War and the Arms Race

    1673 Words  | 4 Pages

    After the Korean War, it was believed that the United States’ nuclear build-up had played a key role in achieving armistice. At this time, early in President Eisenhower's term in office, he had announced his policy of nuclear superiority. During this time period of nuclear build up, the Soviet Union began to find ways to overcome deficiencies in their strategic technologies2. Not soon after Eisenhower made his policy known, Russia became the first country to successfully test ICBMs, or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. These tactical nuclear weapons are land based rocket propelled vehicles capable of intercontinental range in excess of 4000 nautical miles....

    Read More

  • Détente And The Cold War

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    Détente is the name recognised for a period of improved relations and relaxed tensions between nations, specifically the United States and the Soviet Union, which began somewhat unwillingly in 1971. The détente, which President Richard Nixon and his advisor Henry Kissinger had launched, was believed to be a kickback to the perceived decline in U.S. power, the rise of Soviet power, and the growing dangers of uncontrolled competition between the two superpowers. It was made clear that the policy was significant to the two nations when President Richard Nixon of the United States visited the cold war enemies’ secretary-general of the Soviet Communist Party, Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow, May 1972.

    Read More

  • Iron Curtain Essay

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1945 when America was able to create and use the atomic bomb, the USSR felt insecure and was determined to create one of its own. After that, Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) were built up into huge arsenals by the USSR and America. Both sides soon had the power to wipe out the not only the enemy, but the rest of the world as well. The United States exploded a hydrogen bomb in 1952, and the Soviets tested on year later. Both nations rushed to develop missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

    Read More

  • The Cuban Missile Crisis

    1916 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major event in U.S History that almost led to nuclear destruction. It was over a period of thirteen days in which diplomats from the U.S and the Soviet Union were trying to reach a peaceful resolution so that they wouldn’t have to engage in physical warfare. The crisis was the hallmark of the Cold War era which lasted from the 1950’s to the late 1980’s. The Cold War was a power struggle between the U.S and Soviet Union in which the two nations had a massive arms race to become the strongest military force. The U.S considered Communism to be an opposing political entity, and therefore branded them as enemies. Khrushchev’s antagonistic view of Americans also played a big role in the conflict. The Cold War tensions, coupled with a political shift in Cuba eventually lead to the military struggle known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the point of most tension and near collapse causing the Cold War to almost shift from a passive and underground struggle to a violent and catastrophic one.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Deterrence

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    If it is society’s goal of the prison system is to preserve life and keep suffering to a minimum, then the death penalty is a justifiable cause. Many would argue that this is in itself a contradiction, however, this assumption is wrong. Studies show that the death penalty saves between 4-18 lives on average. What this means is that although the death penalty may kill one human, this action can deter up to 18 potential murders. Those against the death penalty argue that this deterrence is no greater than the deterrence of life in prison. However, this only seems to be the case in states that do not normally enforce the death penalty. States such as Texas that have condemn more than 5 people a year to the death penalty have a higher rate of deterrence than those

    Read More

  • The Cold War: A Global War

    1702 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • War: Nuclear Power

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Cold War was a time of great tension all over the world. From 1945 to 1989, the United States was the leader and nuclear power and was competing with the Soviet Union to create huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. However, even though the Cold War ended, nuclear weapons are still a threat. Countries around the world strive to create nuclear power, and they do not promise to use it for peaceful purposes. Some examples of the struggles caused by nuclear weapons include the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Iran’s recent nuclear weapon program. Surely, nuclear weapons have created conflict all over the world since the Cold War era.

    Read More

  • Deterence in International Politics

    2929 Words  | 6 Pages

    Deterrence is a theory of International relations based in Realism. Essentially, it tries to explain the situation of when two or more states threaten retaliation if attacked, in order to deter the attack. It is therefore possible to very simply state deterrence as "You hit me, I hit you." For this essay, two main questions have to be addressed, ‘Has it worked?’ and ‘Does it make sense?’ To answer these questions, I will firstly define what deterrence is, I will then examine some of the main arguments for and against it, in theory and in reality; finally, I will show some of the consequences of states following such a policy. Deterrence, as already stated, can concern itself with any form of threatened counter-attack, however, for this essay, I shall be concentrating on Nuclear deterrence, using examples from the cold war, therefore, when the word ‘deterrence’ is used, it should be taken as ‘nuclear deterrence’. Hedley Bull describes deterrence as follows: "To say that country A deters country B from doing something is to imply the following: (i) That Country A conveys to Country B a threat to inflict punishment or deprivation of values if it embarks on a certain course of action; (ii) That Country B might otherwise embark on that course of action; (iii) That Country B believes that Country A has the capacity and the will to carry out the threat, and decides for this reason that the course of action is not worthwhile." Therefore, for deterrence to occur, a state must convey a message to another state, usually "these will be the public an authoritative utterances of government officials." Secondly, to use Hedley Bulls’ language, country B would consider following a course of action which Country A does not wish and does not because of the threat - not because it has no interest to. Thirdly, Country A must be able to convince Country B that it is capable of carrying out its deterrence threat and is prepared to use it. Mutual deterrence is where two or more states deter each other from following a set of actions - effectively a stand off or a stalemate between the actors. The concept of deterrence can be seen easily in public statements, for example, Churchill told Parliament on Britains hydrogen bomb was, "the deterrent upon the Soviet union by putting her....on an equality or near equality of vulnerability," a soviet ...

    Read More

More about The Role Of Deterrence In The Cold War

Open Document