Pax Atomica

Pax Atomica(Latinfor “Atomic Peace” ) is one of the terms that has sometimes been used to describe the period of severe tensions without a major military conflict between theUnited Statesand theSoviet Unionduring theCold War.The term is also at times used to describe the entire postWorld War II/ post-atomic-bomb era.In the phrase's narrower application, applying only to the Cold War era, the phrase refers to the argument that the stability between the two superpowers was caused by each side's largenuclear arsenalswhich led to a state ofMutually Assured Destruction(MAD).That is, if one of the superpowers would have launched a nuclear attack, the other would have responded in the same way. This threatened the complete destruction of both countries and probably the entire northern hemisphere.John Lewis Gaddishas described the period as theLong Peace.

In the phrase's broader application, applying to the entire post World War II era, the phrase refers to the argument that the possession of nuclear arms by several of the world's larger powers has tended to act to prevent the outbreak of full-scale warfare between any of these several powers, also due to the probability of MAD.

The phrase Pax Atomica is derived from the more popular termPax Romana,which describes the period of stability under Roman hegemony during theRoman Age.

See also

• Deterrence theory
• Nuclear arms race
• Balance of power (international relations)
• Nuclear peace