Asked by Ashley Carchi on Apr 29, 2024
Verified
Why did the Eisenhower administration embrace the doctrine of "massive retaliation"?
A) The doctrine provided Eisenhower with the necessary flexibility to fight communism in Central America and Southeast Asia.
B) The doctrine prevented not only large but small military conflicts as well.
C) The constant threat of mutually assured destruction under the doctrine made for more cautious diplomacy.
D) The doctrine reduced national anxiety over the threat of nuclear annihilation.
E) As a man with mostly military experience, he did not know how else to address the Cold War crisis.
Massive Retaliation
A military strategy that involves the threat of using full-scale nuclear force in response to aggression, adopted during the Cold War.
Communism
A political and economic ideology proposing common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money, and the state.
Nuclear Annihilation
The complete destruction or obliteration of an area, population, or country through the use of nuclear weapons, a global threat especially during the Cold War era.
- Explore the nature of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during Eisenhower's presidency, considering the global political consequences of the Cold War.
Verified Answer
YA
Yusuf AbdirahmanApr 29, 2024
Final Answer :
C
Explanation :
The doctrine of massive retaliation involved the threat of using nuclear weapons in response to any act of aggression by a potential enemy, which theoretically made for more cautious diplomacy by raising the stakes of any conflict, thus encouraging nations to avoid direct military confrontations that could escalate into nuclear war.
Learning Objectives
- Explore the nature of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during Eisenhower's presidency, considering the global political consequences of the Cold War.