How effective was the nuclear arms race in restraining the aggression of the superpowers in the years 1955 to 1963?

This is a common A2 exam question for those studying the Cold War. When tutoring a student, I would identify their course and study the mark scheme for the board they are being examined with and frame their tutoring around this. First, identify exactly what the question is asking by highlighting the key words: ‘how effective’ means that the student needs to acknowledge both sides of the argument and then argue the side that they think is most persuasive. Place the question into simpler terms: it is asking how the arms race affected the policies and actions of the USA and USSR between 1955-1963.
Start planning: write a 1955-1963 timeline to work from. Look at the timeline and decide whether each event did or did not restrain superpower aggression, and how you can link this to the nuclear arms race. The Cuban Missile Crisis is key here, as it is the one example where nuclear war looked likely, and both powers ultimately backed down. Now, construct a straw man argument to ensure the essay is argumentative : 1) The arms race was effective in restraining aggression (both sides were aware of the dangers of nuclear war and so largely kept out of each other’s spheres of interest eg: USA not interfering in 1956 Hungary; Khrushchev’s policies indicate preference for peace). 2) BUT the nuclear arms race was not effective in restraining aggression (1955 Warsaw Pact; powers were aggressive due to fear of each other’s growing stockpiles (include stats); space race was a way of demonstrating military technological advancement; Khrushchev’s dealing of 1956 Hungarian Uprising - fear of losing satellite states due to US nuclear stronghold; aggression of USA in 1961 Bay of Pigs; aggressive USSR 1961 building of Berlin Wall). 3) HOWEVER 1962 Cuban missile crisis ultimately indicates how the superpowers acted when nuclear war was on the line. After this, the USA and USSR acknowledged that nuclear war equaled MAD and launched peaceful measures eg: direct phone-line. 4) Conclusion: the nuclear arms race was effective to a strong extent - whilst it did not entirely curb aggressive behaviour from the superpowers, when the realities of the nuclear arms race came to fruition it restrained the full aggression of the USA and USSR. I would help the student learn how to plan efficiently, and embed key analytical terms into their answers to ensure high marks.