History glossary
Mutually assured destruction
the Cold War logic that neither nuclear superpower should attack first because both could still destroy the other in retaliation.
- Category
- Nuclear strategy
- Region
- Global
- Date range
- Cold War
What it means
Mutually assured destruction described the grim stability created when both sides possessed survivable nuclear forces. If either side launched a first strike, the other could retaliate with catastrophic force, making victory in nuclear war impossible to define.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Cold War
Rivalry between East and West shapes global politics - through proxy wars, propaganda, and nuclear tension.
Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleon turned revolutionary opportunity into continental empire, then lost it in total war that still transformed European politics, states, and nationalism.
