How did nuclear deterrence aim to prevent war during the Cold War?

During the Cold War, nuclear deterrence aimed to prevent conflict by establishing a credible threat of overwhelming retaliation, ensuring that any nuclear attack would result in the total destruction of both the aggressor and the defender. This principle, known as mutual assured destruction (MAD), relied on the premise that neither superpower would initiate a nuclear exchange if it meant their own certain annihilation.123

To maintain this balance, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed a nuclear triad—comprising land-based missiles, bombers, and nuclear-armed submarines—to ensure second-strike capability, meaning a nation could still launch a devastating counterattack even after suffering a surprise strike.12

While this strategy created a "nervous balance" of power, it also fueled a continuous arms race as both sides sought to maintain parity or gain a strategic advantage. Ultimately, the goal was to make the cost of aggression so high that it became irrational, effectively precluding an initial attack through the constant, visible threat of reprisal.1324