Missiles
Nuclear warheads epitomise what the Cold War was all about, technology that was so devastating in effect that neither side dared use them for fear of annihilation. Both the Americans and the Soviets had enough missiles at there disposal to wipe out mankind many times over. This standoff is often referred to as MAD, Mutually Assured Destruction. Many countries developed nuclear power stations during this period of history, but the main reason they did this was to have an environment where nuclear weapons could be produced easily. The weapons became more powerful as well as more numerous, much more so than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The nuclear missiles in the Cold War were cruise missiles, which could fly without support from aircraft, unlike the ones that ended World War 2. However, not all missiles during this period had nuclear warheads, many were conventional. These had more tactical value than nuclear missiles, as they affected a smaller area. Unlike missiles with nuclear warheads, these were used, not just a deterrent.
