Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
Mutually assured destruction (MAD) is the theory that if one nuclear-armed superpower attacks another nuclear superpower, both countries will use their nuclear weapons against each other, destroying both powers—and possibly all human civilization. The theory further argues that nuclear-armed superpowers avoid direct conflict out of fear of unwinnable nuclear war. During the Cold War, this […]
Cold War Proxy Wars
Proxy wars allowed the United States and the Soviet Union to compete for worldwide influence during the Cold War without having to fight each other directly, possibly leading to the use of nuclear weapons. When American-backed fighters won, American influence and capitalist systems spread into a region. A Soviet victory led to the expansion of […]
Cold War Alliances
The two main alliances during the Cold War were the American-led alliance of capitalist countries and the Russian-led alliance of communist countries. The American alliance The United States NATO nations (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Turkey, and the United Kingdom) Australia New Zealand Japan South Korea The Russian alliance […]