Deterrence - GCSE History Definition

In GCSE History, deterrence means trying to stop someone from doing something bad by threatening serious consequences. During the Cold War, the USA and the Soviet Union both built up huge numbers of nuclear weapons. The idea was that if one country attacked, the other would hit back just as hard — leading to mutually assured destruction. This fear was meant to deter either side from starting a war. Deterrence worked by making the enemy believe that any attack would lead to disaster for both sides, so it was better not to attack at all.

In the topic Crime and Punishment in Britain, deterrence means punishing criminals in a way that scares others from committing the same crime. For example, in early modern England, the Bloody Code meant that people could be hanged for over 200 different crimes — even small ones like stealing.

The idea was that if people saw how badly criminals were punished, they would be too afraid to commit crimes themselves. Over time, this approach was challenged, especially in the 19th century, when people began to focus more on rehabilitation rather than just using fear to control behaviour.