Which is the more satisfactory explanation of peace between the USSR and the USA during the Cold War: bipolarity or nuclear deterrence?
Which is the more satisfactory explanation of peace between the USSR and the USA during the Cold War: bipolarity or nuclear deterrence?
Introduction
The Cold War was 'fought' between the United States of America and the Soviet Union over a six decade period from the 1940s - 1990s. The war remained 'cold' due to a number of factors. One of the main factors was that of bipolarity. However this is not a factor which stands alone. Bipolarity was reinforced by nuclear deterrence which kept the peace between the two superpowers over the Cold War period.
Bipolarity
Bipolarity is a system whereby two individual or groups of states compete against each other for power and supremacy. The two main antagonists in the Cold War were the United States of America and the Soviet Union. They competed against each other on a multitude of things including economic systems, political systems, and military strategies. However this competition never escalated into direct war between the two due to the tight bipolarity which existed between the United States and the Soviet Union. They were inextricably linked together. Kenneth Waltz suggested that multipolar systems are less stable than bipolar systems. This went against conventional wisdom that the opposite was true. The reasoning he gave for such a bold statement was the fact that the barriers to acquire superpower status were to large to be bridged. He and other academics never foresaw the ending of the Cold War. They thought that the Soviet Union's continued survival seemed assured, and that the bipolar system was not only stable but was likely to persist.
The bipolar system was able to ensure peace through the Cold War period due to three factors. The first of these factors was the fact that the United States and Soviet Union both had clear policies on their security and survival. Both these factors stood out as the main threats to the two superpowers. Thus both were able to make some sort of sense of each others policies. Secrecy would have hindered this process and could have lead to increasing hostilities between the two. The second point takes a lead from the first. The superpowers expressed caution in their foreign policy. They sensed the dangers of overreaction that could occur through the dangerous rhetoric which could antagonise the opponent, therefore caution was used. The last point regard the unequal military capabilities between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States were always ahead since from the beginning. However there was growing parity of the respective military capabilities. The unequalness allowed the two superpowers to concentrate on preserving the central strategic balance. Since the United States had a small advantage the arms race didn't escalate exponentially. If they were on equal terms there could be the chance that there could have been a massive arms race since each one wanted to be military superior. The United States however held the upper hand, and the Soviets didn't have enough resources to be able to gain level let alone surpass the United States military superiority. If the United States had glaring strategic superiority than the Soviet Union could well have increased it's military programmes in a propaganda stunt to show that it is keeping pace with the United States. This would have meant an escalation in the arms race even further.
Introduction
The Cold War was 'fought' between the United States of America and the Soviet Union over a six decade period from the 1940s - 1990s. The war remained 'cold' due to a number of factors. One of the main factors was that of bipolarity. However this is not a factor which stands alone. Bipolarity was reinforced by nuclear deterrence which kept the peace between the two superpowers over the Cold War period.
Bipolarity
Bipolarity is a system whereby two individual or groups of states compete against each other for power and supremacy. The two main antagonists in the Cold War were the United States of America and the Soviet Union. They competed against each other on a multitude of things including economic systems, political systems, and military strategies. However this competition never escalated into direct war between the two due to the tight bipolarity which existed between the United States and the Soviet Union. They were inextricably linked together. Kenneth Waltz suggested that multipolar systems are less stable than bipolar systems. This went against conventional wisdom that the opposite was true. The reasoning he gave for such a bold statement was the fact that the barriers to acquire superpower status were to large to be bridged. He and other academics never foresaw the ending of the Cold War. They thought that the Soviet Union's continued survival seemed assured, and that the bipolar system was not only stable but was likely to persist.
The bipolar system was able to ensure peace through the Cold War period due to three factors. The first of these factors was the fact that the United States and Soviet Union both had clear policies on their security and survival. Both these factors stood out as the main threats to the two superpowers. Thus both were able to make some sort of sense of each others policies. Secrecy would have hindered this process and could have lead to increasing hostilities between the two. The second point takes a lead from the first. The superpowers expressed caution in their foreign policy. They sensed the dangers of overreaction that could occur through the dangerous rhetoric which could antagonise the opponent, therefore caution was used. The last point regard the unequal military capabilities between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States were always ahead since from the beginning. However there was growing parity of the respective military capabilities. The unequalness allowed the two superpowers to concentrate on preserving the central strategic balance. Since the United States had a small advantage the arms race didn't escalate exponentially. If they were on equal terms there could be the chance that there could have been a massive arms race since each one wanted to be military superior. The United States however held the upper hand, and the Soviets didn't have enough resources to be able to gain level let alone surpass the United States military superiority. If the United States had glaring strategic superiority than the Soviet Union could well have increased it's military programmes in a propaganda stunt to show that it is keeping pace with the United States. This would have meant an escalation in the arms race even further.
