Question

why did cold war remained a cold war and did not escalate into a hot war​

Answer 1

Answer:USSR and USA both knew that if they would engage in a full scale nuclear war, it would simply lead to annihilation of human life. Such an event was termed as “MAD” or “Mutually Assured Destruction” Both USSR & USA didn’t want this catastrophe to happen. So they didn’t allow it to turn it into a ‘hot war.’ But both superpowers participated in proxy wars like in Vietnam, Korea & Afghanistan to prove their might. In these wars they were not engaged directly but were helping local rebels or the ruling body with weapons and technical assistance

Explanation:

Answer 2

Cold war remain cold and did not turn hot due to "LOGIC OF DETERRENCE". It prevents countries from mutual destruction that causes war. As a result of logic of deterrence, countries became rational and responsible actors.