MAD theory and attempts at arms limitation

MAD theory and attempts at arms limitation.

MAD theory:

1. The Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) theory was the theory that two countries use of nuclear weapons against each other would inevitably bring complete destruction to both sides.
2. It also believes that if one side is equipped with a nuclear arsenal, the threat of this will be enough to prevent the enemy from ever using nuclear weapons themselves. Neither side, once armed, will have any motivation to launch an attack against one another due to the fact that it will mean destruction for both the opponent and themselves.
3. This is what sparked the arms race, as both sides attempted to have a more powerful collection of nuclear weapons. Both the USA and USSR were constantly one-upping each other in case one of them slipped behind in the race and didn't seem threatening enough to the other side

Attempts at arms limitation:

1. The Soviet Union and the USA signed a treaty in 1963 to stop further nuclear weapons testing.
2. In 1972, both the US and USSR agreed to limit their nuclear weapons when they signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement (SALT 1)
3. SALT 2, designed to even further limit the nuclear arsenals of both nations, was never ratified in 1979 due to the timing of the Soviet-Afghanistan invasion and political dismissals.
4. In 1987, a disarmament treaty called the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) was signed. The USA and USSR agreed to remove medium-range nuclear missiles from Europe within three years. 
5. In 1988, General Secretary of the Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev, announced the immediate reduction of the weapons stockpile.