The Cold War

By Cornelis van Houte

The weapon that ended the Cold War was never fired. Its entire effect took place inside the enemy's head.
For four decades, the United States and the Soviet Union built tens of thousands of nuclear warheads, engineered military systems of unimaginable complexity, and spent trillions of dollars on a conflict where the front line in Europe never moved. Yet, no nuclear weapon was ever used.

The Cold War: In 100 Facts by Cornelis van Houte is a rigorous, eye-opening examination of the mechanics of deterrence. Stripping away political moralizing and hindsight bias, this book explores the cold logic of a world held together by mutual terror, proxy wars, and near-miss accidents that came closer to catastrophe than the public ever knew.
Inside, discover the unvarnished history behind the headlines: The Psychology of Deterrence: Why a weapon that cannot be used must be believed, and why survivability mattered far more than raw destructive power.The Intelligence Gaps: How false alarms, phantom "bomber and missile gaps," and misread data consistently drove the arms race.The Hidden Crises: The secret half of the Cuban Missile Crisis deal regarding Turkey, and the Soviet submarine officer who prevented a nuclear strike by refusing to follow protocol.The True Cost of Stability: How a "cold" war in Europe was paid for by millions of dead in proxy conflicts across Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.The Unplanned Collapse: How an economic crisis, an oil price shock, and a shifting belief system dismantled an empire without a shot being fired.Sharply analytical and rich with historical detail, this book reframes how we look at strategy, technology, and the fragile architecture of global peace. Perfect for history buffs, political science readers, and anyone fascinated by the hidden machinery of the twentieth century.

Cornelis van Houte

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HJ5P54HQ
• ISBN13: 9798172735974
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"