What does deterrence mean in the Cold War?

In the Cold War, deterrence referred to the strategy employed by the United States and the Soviet Union to prevent each other from engaging in direct military conflict, primarily through the threat of mutually assured destruction (MAD). Both superpowers maintained large arsenals of nuclear weapons, ensuring that any attack would lead to devastating retaliation. This balance of power aimed to discourage aggression by making the costs of war unacceptably high. Deterrence was central to maintaining a tense peace during this period of ideological and geopolitical rivalry.