The nuclear arms race escalated during the Cold War between
East and West in the wake of World War II , and the possession of nuclear weapons
came to be looked upon as a deterrent to nuclear war. Nuclear weapons were deployed
every time relations between the superpowers became tense, but civilian groups
always organized powerful movements to prevent their use. The confrontation between
the United States and the Soviet Union came to an end in 1990, but new fears
have emerged about the proliferation and possible use of nuclear weapons in regional
conflicts.