Mutual Assured Destruction (M.A.D.) is a concept related to the Cold War and the nuclear arms race of the Cold War. World War II ended in Europe in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Allied Powers, but the war did not officially end in the Pacific Theatre until the atomic bombing of Japan in August of 1945. The United States had developed its atomic weaponry through its secretive program called the Manhattan Project. With the atomic bombing of Japan, the United States had begun the era of nuclear weapons and the nuclear arms race.
WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR?
The Cold War was a major world event that took place from approximately 1945 until 1990. In general, the Cold War was a period of increased tensions and hostility between the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR). It was characterized by a global struggle between capitalism and communism, with both sides competing for influence around the world. Although it never escalated into direct war between the superpowers, it involved proxy wars, nuclear arms races, and ideological confrontations. Many of the major events of the Cold War increased the tensions between the two nations, including: Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, Korean War and the nuclear arms race.
MUTUAL ASSURED DESTRUCTION – SUMMARY
At the outset of the Cold War, the United States was the only nation in the world to have atomic weapons, such as those used against Japan in 1945. As such, the Soviet Union was not able to militaristically challenge the United States and worked to develop their own atomic weapons. However, on August 29th, 1949, the Soviet Union performed a test of their first atomic bomb codenamed ‘First Lighting’.
Throughout the remaining years of the Cold War, each superpower worked to develop an ever larger arsenal of atomic weapons including bombs and missiles. For example, the United States had created over 30,000 weapons while the Soviet Union had created 40,000. As well, both superpowers amassed vast stockpiles of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and strategic bombers. These methods were capable of delivering nuclear warheads across continents.
Having established such large stockpiles of weapons, the two countries had essentially created the means of totally destroying each other and the rest of the planet. Neither side could hope to win a nuclear war, so the best deterrent was to ensure both had the capability to destroy each other completely. As such, historians refer to the nuclear arms race of the Cold War as an example of ‘Mutual Assured Destruction’ since it was clear to both the United States and the Soviet Union that if either attacked the other, then it would ultimately lead to total destruction for both. As such, it is generally argued that the superpowers both avoided engaging in direct warfare out of fear that it would lead to total destruction for both the United States and the Soviet Union. This can be seen in the proxy wars of the Cold War, such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In both of these instances, the United States and the Soviet Union avoided direct warfare and instead fought through a third nation.
MUTUAL ASSURED DESTRUCTION – SIGNIFICANCE
As stated above, Mutual Assured Destruction was a strategy during the Cold War, based on the idea that if either the United States or the Soviet Union launched a nuclear attack, the other would retaliate with equal or greater force, resulting in total destruction for both. This concept was built on the development of the concept of ‘second-strike capability’. In short, this was the ability of a country to respond to a nuclear attack with its own devastating retaliation, even after being hit first.
Furthermore, the strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction impacted American and Soviet military planning, foreign policy, and disarmament negotiations, such as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. For instance, the nuclear arms race had caused both the United States and the Soviet Union to build massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons. As such, this eventually resulted in both nations seeking ways to limit or reduce the proliferation of atomic weapons.
Overall, the concept of Mutual Assured Destruction was controversial. Some have criticized it for being morally and ethically troubling since it caused widespread fear among the general public. This was due to the fear of atomic warfare, which was common during the timeframe of the Cold War. With that said, some have also credited the strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction with preventing direct conflict between nuclear-armed superpowers. It remained a key feature of the Cold War until the late 1980s, when improved relations, detente, disarmament agreements, and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union began to shift foreign policy strategies.
