Cold War Era

Unit 2

SS310: 3 Exploring the 1960s: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Instructor: Bettie Ware
Lisa D Rowe
12/17/2011
 There is some dispute among historians on the exact year the Cold War began and

ended. Some historians say the Cold War era began with the dropping of the atomic bomb in

August 1945. Other historians felt it began in late 1945, at the end of World War II, when Stalin

did not let the Eastern European nations go. Still other historians believe it began in May 1946,

when Churchill used the term "Iron Curtain”, when he referred to the power of the Soviet Union.

Some historians feel the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The

majority of historians believe the Cold War ended in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and

many countries split from USSR. (End of the Cold War, 2011)

The Cold War received the name because of the fact that no war took place between the

United States and the Soviet Union. The threat of a nuclear war existed due to the existence of

nuclear weapons and the United States refusing to divulge the technology. No war took place

due to mutual assured destruction if nuclear weapons were launched by either side. This

knowledge kept both super powers from engaging in war since mass destruction would result on

both sides. (Basic Cold War, 2011)

Many actions were taken by both sides during this time. The American Truman Doctrine

of containment was designed to watch the Soviet military for any attempts to launch a nuclear

strike against the United States. Harry Truman outlined the differences between the two super

powers and causing more tension within political circles. (Truman Document, 2011) Over the

course of the Cold War the American government portrayed the Soviet Union as evil and the

Soviet government portrayed Americans as evil. For Americans the issue was the survival of

their freedom, and Soviet communism became the main threat to this freedom. The fear of a

nuclear attack from both sides, America’s dislike of communism and the fear of the it’s spread
and the Soviet Union’s stance against capitalism were some of the major reasons the Cold War

continued to exist.

During the 1940’s through 1960’s nuclear air raid drills where common among school

children as well as everyday society in America. “Duck and cover” was a common term that

many school children routinely practiced. During this time to help protect their families

Americans built bomb shelters in their backyards. Many believed during this time there was an

inevitable nuclear attack from the Soviets.

The government printed booklets and created films that offered suggestions on how to

survive nuclear attack. The comic book industry even created comics to urge children to “duck

and cover” and metal tags, similar to dog tags issued in the military, were also issued to school

children for identification purposes in case of a nuclear catastrophe. (Detroit News, 2011)

In the 1970’s and beyond there was less emphasis on protecting the family against a

nuclear attack and more emphasis on gaining political insight and knowledge. America was

fighting its’ own battle with the economy and a comfortable way of life. This timeframe also

marked many movements for rights among minorities, women and the disabled. The threat of a

nuclear attack was no longer important to most Americans. Families no longer built or had

fallout shelters.

One thing that Americans should have done during the Cold War and still should do

today in case of a natural disaster is have at least a year’s supply of food and water for their

family members. They should have a contingency plan for other living arrangements as well and

an emergency preparedness kit. (LDS survival kits, 2011)

A question to ponder and answer in order to learn from the past is; how does the Cold War era

affect politics and the world’s way of life today?

References

Basic Cold War, retrieved on 12/17/2011 from http://www.johndclare.net/Basics_ColdWar.htm

Detroit News, retrieved on 12/17/2011 from http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?

id=48#ixzz1gk7CIpFp

End of the Cold War, retrieved on 12/17/2011 from http://hir.harvard.edu/disease/the-end-of-

the-cold-war

Faber, D. (21994). The age of great dreams: America in the 1960's. New York, NY: Hill and

Wang.

LDS Survival Kits, retrieved on 12/17/2011 from http://familysurvivors.com/lds-food-

storage.htm

Truman Document, retrieved on 12/17/2011 from http://trumandoctrine.8m.com/