c. 1945 CE–c. 1991 CE
Nuclear deterrence and the mutual-assured-destruction debate
War & military technology · Armas nucleares · Disuasión · Control de armamentos · Guerra Fría
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union organized nuclear forces to retain retaliatory capacity and deter a first strike. The term “mutual assured destruction” (MAD) described a family of ideas about reciprocal vulnerability and force survivability, not an identical doctrine accepted in the same way by both governments or a guarantee of peace. Crises, accidents, command arrangements, incomplete information, and arms control exposed its limits and risks.
Precision, calendar, and review
- Start
- year · approximate
- End
- year · approximate
- Calendar and convention
- Historical-era years; the source calendar is not identified. No conversion of days is assumed.
- Year zero
- The scale goes from 1 BCE to 1 CE without year zero. Changing era names changes labels only.
- Documentary review
- Date not recorded
Reading the date: duration of a process.
Sources
- history.state.gov (opens in a new tab)
Source provenance and scope
- Publication date
- Not identified in metadata; document review pending
- Bibliographic date checked
- 2026-09-23
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