The Destroyer of Worlds: An Understanding of Nuclear Strategy in the Twentieth Century

Throughout the twentieth and into the twenty first century the threat of nuclear warfare has been the preeminent danger in geopolitical relations. The most notable contributors to the nuclear threat were the United States and the Soviet Union. In the intervening years between the creation of the atomic bomb and the end of the Cold War these two states developed strategies on how to use, deter, and combat nuclear weapons against each other. However, since the end of the Cold War non-traditional nuclear states have arisen, specifically North Korea and Iran, whose nuclear capabilities present new challenges. Dealing with these threats requires knowledge of the nuclear strategies, such as the escalation ladder and massive retaliation that were developed to deal with challenges the United States and the Soviet Union presented to each other. This presentation will educate the viewers on these strategies