Dr. Strangelove And The Cold War

After World War II, only two world superpowers remained: the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The contradictory political regimes of the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union were believed to be mutually exclusive which increased bitterness between them. Inevitably, the apparent tension between the two superpowers led to the Cold War which lasted about 45 years. It was war without bloodshed or battle, instead it was a metaphorical war where the U.S and the Soviet Union increased their weapons and fought for political influence, one always wanting to excel or maintain within the range of the other. The United States’ desperate need to contain the communist political ideology from spreading any further and meet the Soviet Union’s increased development of nuclear weapons led to the their involvement in the Cold War. The impact the Cold War had on life during the 1950’s and 1960’s can be measured through the creation of the House Un-American

With little knowledge of the Cold War I started to read “The Cold War, A New History” by John Lewis Gaddis. As an upcoming student of the Cold War, this book helped me to fully understand what the Cold War actually was. Furthermore, Gaddis was appraised as the “Dean of Cold War Historians” by The New York Times. Still today, Gaddis is a leading

The film delves into some of the difficult options leaders have to choose from in cases involving nuclear weapons. Nuclear conflicts are extraordinarily complex, with many potential unpredictable outcomes. After General Ripper directs his plane to bomb the enemy, he describes his thought process to one of his officers, “...when [the president’s advisors] realize there is no possibility in recalling the wing there will be only one course of action: open, total commitment”. Here, a “total commitment” consists of the U.S. supporting General Ripper’s plan by utilizing their full arsenal of nuclear weapons to attack Russia. General “Buck” Turgidson, one of the President’s top advisors, echoes this exact idea in the war room and proposes to the U.S. President a full commitment. This was a possible solution that could have neutralized all of Russia in one wave of nuclear missiles; however, this strategy is frowned upon and dismissed by the President as it would reflect poorly on the U.S.’ diplomatic reputation in the long-run.

Stanley Kubrick’s sexual parody, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, illustrates an unfathomed nuclear catastrophe. Released in the midst of the Cold War, this 1964 film satirizes the heightened tensions between America and Russia. Many sexual insinuations are implemented to ridicule the serious issue of a global nuclear holocaust, in an effort to countervail the terror that plagued America at that time. Organizing principles, such as Kubrick’s blunt political attitudes about the absurdity of war and the satirical genre, are echoed by the film style of his anti-war black comedy, Dr. Strangelove.

Even though Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb screened in the midst of the sobering Cold War, critics were keen on praising the film for its mastery of humor applied to such a sensitive matter. The film is exceedingly loaded with metaphors, innuendos, and allusions that nothing can be left undissected or taken for face value; the resulting effect is understood to be part of Kubrick’s multifarious theme. Kubrick has stated that what began as a “the basis for a serious film about accidental war ” eventually birthed an absurd and farcical classic comedy. The director fuses together irony, satire, and black humor to create a waggish piece but most of all the situation of the times and its

The Cold War was a pivotal time in American history. To a greater degree than most other wars, the Cold War affected American society in unfathomable and profound ways. More specifically, American culture transformed immensely during this time. From a constant state of anxiety, to changes in media and the arts, to McCarthyism; the Cold War fervently affected the quality of life, personal expression, and American politics. Predominantly, the Cold War inflicted fear and apprehension within the American people that was so overpowering that it affected every aspect of their lives and overall American culture.

The cold war in conjunction with the nuclear arms race raised a countless number of dangers that were new to Americans. One of the most obvious risks raised by the nuclear arms race was the blast of the bomb itself. The bombs that were emerging were only getting colossal, and the effects were reaching potential world destruction. For example, the atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were minuscule compared to the Hydrogen bomb, which the U.S built to stay ahead of the Soviet Union. But as history has shown itself, the Soviet Union came kept up with the competition and created a Hydrogen bomb as well. Now both countries possessed bombs that could decimate out entire countries.

This can be compared to the game of chicken, the credibility of either side is very high and the intentions are clear since alternatives are limited. Credibility has three facets; capabilities, commitment, and communication. In the film, the U.S. has both the capabilities and the commitment, since it is almost impossible to call off the air attack. However, both the U.S. and the USSR are lacking in the communication component. This could led to a perceived lack of credibility on the soviets side; since the first time they speak of the doomsday device is when they are under

The film opens with President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell speech at the end of World War 2. Eisenhower’s speech is significant because he warns Americans about the seemingly permanent presence of the arm industry, that had taken root in America. Moreover Eisenhower is not stating this from a liberal point of view, signifying that the concern of the military industrial complex is not a party issue or an ideology issue, but rather an universal one. This piece of

The forty-five years from the dropping of the atom bombs to the end of the Soviet Union, can be seen as the era of the new conflict between two major states: United States of America (USA) and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). According to Hobsbawm, ‘cold war’ was the constant confrontation of the two super powers which emerged from the Second World War. At that time the entire generation was under constant fear of global nuclear battles. It was widely believed that it could break out at any moment. (Hobsbawm, 1994) The consequences of the ‘power vacuum’ in central Europe, created by the defeat of Germany, gave rise to these two super powers (Dunbabin, 1994). The world was divided into

In this essay I will analyze two Cold War American Films, War Games and Dr.Strangelove. Both of these films portray the cold war era, where it was uncertain when and if nuclear fallout would happen. I will start off by giving a brief summary of both films. Then talk about some cold war culture such as posters, TV shows, and historical events discussed in class, as well as some aspects of plot in the films, such as the leaders in power in each film and finally compare both films to the culture shown and argue that they both accurately portrayed it.

Charles Maland’s argument for the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove is that it was one of the most “fascinating and important American films of the 1960s.” He backs up his argument with evidence of the films rejection of the Ideology of Liberal Consensus, its attack on “crackpot realism” and critique of life in the 1960s Cold War era, and finally its paradoxical revolution that sets an example for other films to come after.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is a dark comedy film by Stanley Kubrick. The film deals with nuclear war which was a hot topic during the 50 's and 60 's. Americans were very paranoid about communists and nuclear war at this time. This film shows how ridiculous the paranoia about nuclear war through a sexual relationship allegory. The allegory deals with the masculine and the feminine. The masculine is an important part of the nuclear war efforts while the feminine takes a backseat. The feminine is displayed in men as a negative. The sexual allegory becomes funny through

The “Cold War” was a unique time period were paranoia ran high and the world was at a stalemate as it watch the competition between the two world superpowers,(U.S. and the U.S.S.R.).

“Dr.Strangelove” is an 1964 film based on the argument of rational; deterrence theory by Kenneth Waltz. Many of the events that occurred during the film also complimented many of the critiques of rational deterrence theory later made by Scott Sagan. Nuclear weapons have been an important issue for debate for years. The spotlight of nuclear weapons was an important factor during the cold war nevertheless the question of nuclear weapons remains afterwards. The question of both the spread and contraction of nuclear weapons remains a strong issue because of the opposing theories that argue against the question of the spread, contraction furthermore the total dissolution of nuclear weapons.