Counterrevolution

In Poul Anderson's "Cold Victory," the anti-Humanist counterrevolutionary forces control Earth apart from a score of fortresses sheltering Dictator Carnarvon and his loyalists. However, the orbiting Terrestrial space navy, comprising commandeered Solar Guard units, remains pro-Humanist and Admiral K'ung threatens nuclear bombardment which would kill maybe a hundred million civilians, destroy factories and poison sea ranches.

I find it unbelievable first that an interplanetary war like this could happen after the years of peace under the UN, then the Solar Union, secondly that a man trying to save Earth from psychotechnic rule could threaten such a bombardment of Earth and thirdly that anyone would obey his orders.

In Asimov's future history, a single Admiral who suggested deliberately causing nuclear explosions as an act of war was immediately killed by his own men.