Tension During The Cold War

In 1945, the two superpowers--the United States and the USSR--became enemies because their beliefs and objectives were completely at odds, this was known as the Cold War. An aspect of the Cold War was the race for nuclear superiority. As tension grew between the USSR and America, Americans were engulfed in great anxiety and fear towards the atomic bomb. During the atomic era and since then, the atomic bomb had predominantly been portrayed as the cause of great fear and anxiety.

As fears intensed, atomic survival became a top priority. “Atomic survival, yet another theme, had become an everyday dimension of American life”(Scheibach 212), many Americans were wary of the nuclear threat that loomed over them and as a result invested large amounts of time and resources into atomic survival procedures. Even the government, “did its
part by sponsoring the annual Operation Alert”(Scheibach 212). In Snow, Julia Alvarez recalls that, “At school, we had air-raid drills: an ominous bell would go off and we'd file into the hall, fall to the floor, cover our heads with our coats, and imagine our hair falling out, the bones in our arms going soft”(Alvarez 166). This excerpt from Snow reflects the emphasis on atomic survival procedures that was present during the atomic age. Many ads and posters worked to inform people on how to survive a nuclear attack. Duck and Cover, was film made by the Office of Civil Defense. Its promotional poster informed children, telling them to find shelter when and atomic threat is present while being light hearted to ease children's fear of the atomic bomb. The fear of the bomb led to the emphasis in atomic survival procedures.

During the atomic age, many works of literature expressed the people’s fears of a nuclear threat. Since many people during the atomic age became increasingly scared. Many of these people took to pen and paper to express the growing fears of a nuclear threat. Snow, by Julia Alvarez takes place around the Cuban Missile Crisis. While still being in the process of learning english, Alvarez picked up on the growing fear of the atomic bomb. ”Soon I picked up enough English to understand that Holocaust was in the air”(Alvarez 166), fear of the bomb was circulating through most Americans’ minds and so Alvarez was able to pick up on that fear. Alvarez “heard new vocabulary: nuclear bomb, radioactive fallout, bomb shelter”(Alvarez 167), which further reflected the people’s fears and also connects to emphasis on atomic survival procedures during the atomic age. By the end of the story, Alvarez become totally engulfed in fear of the atomic bomb as she mistakens something as harmless as a snowflake for a bomb.

The fear of the bomb was also heightened due to the many people the bomb could fall into the hands of.
During the atomic age, there was great tension between America and Russia. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the tension was extremely heightened. In his Cuban Missile Crisis speech, JFK states that the russian weapons in cuba constituted, “an explicit threat to the peace and security of all the Americas”(JFK par.3). As Americans heard things such as the, fears of foreign threats increased exponentially. Even long after the atomic age, fear of the bomb falling into the wrong hands lingered, “ … in the 21st century fear of terrorists with nuclear bombs stood on the shelf along with other nuclear fears.”(Weart). With tragedies such as 9/11, the idea that these terrorists could possibly get their hands on nuclear weapons crossed many people’s minds, “...a poll in 1998 found that half of all Americans believed that terrorists would explode a nuclear bomb in the United States within the next ten years. During the atomic age, images such as Atomic War comic book cover only added on the intense fears with its presentation of America in
ruins.

After the use of the atomic bomb in Japan during the World War 2, its catastrophic destruction power sent a chill down the world’s spine. Soon after Russia got their hands on the bomb. As tension intensified between America and Russia, Americans began to fear the atomic bomb. Even after the atomic age, the fear of a nuclear threat lingered on as more foreign powers began to access to the atomic bomb. Many forms of pop culture express the fear and anxiety Americans felt during the atomic age and still do feel in the 21st century.