The Social and Cultural Life of Americans during the Cold War

The rise of the Soviet Union (USSR) as a new world superpower brought tension between the USSR and the United States. Although the 1950’s was generally nonviolent, confined to only minor conflicts, there was a threatening, looming tension between the two world superpowers. The tension reached its peak when the US completed its first successful hydrogen bomb test. A second, more powerful bomb was successfully detonated in 1954 by the US. Public fallout shelters were established in major cities, and bomb drills were practiced as frequently as fire drills today. The nuclear war that Lord of the Flies suggested was not out of the realm of possibility at its time of publication

The Cold War, which was considered the “years of maximum danger,” lasted from 1949-1962. This period brought an increasing sense of danger to America because the Soviet Union came into possession of an atomic bomb in 1949; an idea many Americans thought to be impossible unless the Soviet Union had a spy in the United States, which they did. Because the Soviet Union had an atomic bomb, a nuclear war became a reality. In Kenneth Rose’s “One Nation Underground” he told of rising issues associated with the Cold War and the threat of nuclear bombings. The Cold War, in conjunction with the inventions of (total destructive) bombs, generated new dangers, fears, and morality issues among Americans, which led to further increased fears.

After World War II, especially in the aftermath of the deployment of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people were irrationally fearful of the deadly and destructive forces of nuclear warfare. In a section of the book Technology entitled “The Race for Space”, the author examines the psychological effects of fear of nuclear weapons.

American fears in the Cold War originated not only from Communism, but what it represented in American culture. After World War II, the popular culture demonizing the fascist regimes, the built-up aggression surrounding the system, began to move against Communism as tension between the USSR and America rose. Communism became viewed as a corruption; an infection that ruined the rugged individualism that Americans defined themselves by. Communism also, though its declaration of the evils of capitalism, decried Americans as living in an unequal society, that the United States lived in hypocrisy through its statements of liberty for all while it existed in a capitalist and segregated society. Americans saw the Soviet Union as the evil its heroic

By September, 1944, before Roosevelt’s death, the threat of a nuclear arms race and possible retaliation for the use of this weapon is already a point of concern. The Office of Scientific Research and Development’s memorandum to Secretary of War Henry Stimson outlines some of the dangers the United States and Great Britain face in continuing the secret development of this “art”. Realizing this technology in the hands of the Soviet Union or other countries, especially defeated enemies, would make highly populated cities especially vulnerable. They also concluded that there was a high possibility of a “major power, or former major power undertaking this development.” The threat of the Soviet Union or Germany developing this weapon was a

The Effect on American Society During the Cold War The Cold War propelled the United States of America into a seat of previously unattained power in the world . American citizens spearheaded the push toward advancement in their search for the epitome of happiness: the “American Dream”. Post-war paranoia was driven by the supposed threat of the spread of communism, which Americans feared could interfere with the freedoms and liberties the founding fathers fought to achieve. This paranoia eventually controlled the thoughts and actions of citizens everywhere. The Second Red Scare spread across America like a virus, leaving a trail of dread and despair in its wake. The fear of the growing communist regime, a lack of trust between citizens and the government, and a zealous streak of American pride drove the U.S. toward internal conflict and potential devastation.

The Cold War created a certain desire for security, which led to conformity during the immediate years after WWII. This desire for security was brought about by McCarthyism, a theory based on the claim that Senator McCarthy had a list of hundreds of communist that had perpetrated the United States government. People became terrified that they too may be singled out, or identified as different, therefore their only response was to fit in, to conform. Americans conformed every aspect of their daily lives to fit the standards of those around them.

The Culture of the Cold War After world war one peace looked inevitable. Everyone was wrong about this because a few years later world war two erupted. This great war was supposed to be the war to end all wars. In this war it was crystal clear who was the good side and who was the bad side. Almost everyone figured that if the bad side was defeated then peace couldn’t possibly escape us again. We defeated the evil Axis powers, but of course another serpent would rear its ugly head from behind the curtains. This period of a “cold war” after world war two has become one of the most complex and studied eras since America’s birth. This state of paradoxes, paranoia, and public disorientation has only ended a few years ago, but its

Nuclear Weapons Ever since World War two we have feared destruction and what could be the aftermath of nuclear bombs. We had a whole era in history to dedicate being terrified of weapons of mass destruction. We had bomb drills, duck and cover drills. The United States had TV drills if an attack were to happen on United States soil. For many Americans this was not hysteria, but a reality that could happen.

The Cold War was one of the most influential wars of time. It affected areas all over the world. One of the places where its impact was the strongest was in the United States. The Cold War affected America in many ways. Their culture overall took a turn. Movies, music,

Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union have always been complicated. Over the entire 20th century they have been close allies to bitter rivals. The stark differences in each of their political systems prevented the USA and the USSR from maintaining a close political friendship and understanding, and

The future generations were effected most of all as the thought of death and propaganda of the red scary drove their parents into a fear life they began to raise paranoid children. These children were forced to practice air raid drills and many others terrifying thing. Other thing the parent’s paranoia leads to was how so city and family would have bomb shelter at the ready a great example giving by Alice L. George as she talks about how the American began to panic so badly they began to build bomb shelters in their homes and how they were prepared to stay within these shelters for “days or weeks” (George 22). As this shows the parents paranoia the children were just pass these skill of panicking and living in fear all the time as they would practice these drills at home and school and vice versa this end turn would cause fear to anyone. These thought of nuclear wasteland where spreading threw out the youth fast as most kid within the 1960’s believe that the end of the world or nuclear end was on the way as no one could stop it. These future kids and people of these nations weren’t just the only thing that the countries had to deal with when it affected their counties but also the world and it mass chaos to this new news of coming so close to war.

Concern over nuclear war and nuclear fallout was no longer a disaster risk. Terrorist attacks were on the rise around the world and even on the United States.

Nuclear Terrorism Introduction Before 9/11 Americans thought that the United States was one of the biggest powers in the world. They thought that they were untouchable. However as the towers were falling and the pentagon was hit they realized that America was like every other country. The United States citizens have become aware of the fact that the world is a dangerous place, and the United States was not immune to attacks from foreigners. This created something known as the fear of terrorism which had a mental affect among many of the United States citizens. According to study done by the University of Albany in 2007.

is exactly sure. In the last 52 years there has been enough nuclear warheads made to destroy every city in the world and still have thousands left over.(Church 40) This all happened during the Cold War, a period of 45 years (1947-1991), between mainly the two superpowers (United States and the Soviet Union). Other nations were involved, and 2 wars were fought over it (Korea and Vietnam) and a In 1953 the Russians did it too (thanks to the Rosenberg's). In 1958 the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union stopped testing but in 1961 France started. Then the Cuban Missile Crisis happened. This event was the closest we have ever come to a nuclear war. This event it really kind of woke the United States and