Which Cold War policy depended on relying on vast nuclear arsenals to deter Soviet aggression?

• A. Massive retaliation
• B. Containment
• C. Flexible response
• D. Deterrence by conventional strength

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is a strategy that bases deterrence on the promise of overwhelming nuclear retaliation. In the 1950s, the United States adopted a view that if the Soviets or their allies attacked, the response would be a massive, destructive nuclear blow. The logic was that such a credible, all-or-nothing threat would make any aggression too costly for an opponent to risk, so the vast arsenal of nuclear weapons would deter.

That’s why this option is the best fit: it centers on relying on enormous nuclear forces as the primary means of deterring Soviet aggression. The other concepts describe different approaches. Containment is a broad strategy to stop the spread of communism, not limited to nuclear threats. Flexible response later broadened options to include conventional forces, nuclear forces, and special forces to match the situation, rather than relying solely on nuclear retaliation. Deterrence by conventional strength focuses on building up non-nuclear, conventional forces to deter through battlefield credibility, not on nuclear arsenals.