Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

Definition

The Cold War doctrine that both superpowers had enough nuclear weapons to destroy civilization multiple times over, so nobody dared start a war. Terror as a peace strategy—surprisingly effective.

Example Usage

Cold War strategists relied on the MAD doctrine to prevent Soviet-American conflict escalation.

Origin

Strategic concept that emerged during 1950s-60s nuclear weapons development

Fun Fact

The acronym being literally 'MAD' was intentional—strategists wanted to emphasize how insane the doctrine was.

Source: Cold War Strategic Theory Archives

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