In the middle of the 20th century, after the World War II, all countries were highly disturbed and scared of a new war which could appear. United States, being a powerful country, the influence and power of which helped to end the WWII, were a kind of an enemy for the other countries, who lost at the war.
After World War II United States and its enemies and Soviet Union were in the state of a Cold War. According to John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum “Soldiers of the Soviet Union and the United States did not do battle directly during the Cold War. But the two superpowers continually antagonized each other through political maneuvering, military coalitions, espionage, propaganda, arms buildups, economic aid, and proxy wars between other nations”. The main goal of the Cold War was to demonstrate military power and the ability to resist in case of an attack. Some countries, for example the Soviet Union, made their best and accumulated all the resources for the improvement of their military sphere while the population suffered from famine and lack of products of the first necessity. That shows the selfish approach and the desire to show off with no regard to humans’ lives and no respect to them. The situation on the global arena after the World War II was highly intense and that’s why all countries tried to beat one another in showing off and the desire to present the fact, that they would win, in case of a new war.
With the fast tempo of military development there appeared the danger of the nuclear weapon attack. Nuclear bomb was invented during the World War II and its influence was already known. According to NobelPrize.Org “on July 16, 1945, in the Alamogordo desert, which is situated in New Mexico, the first experiment with the usage of a nuclear bomb was held. Its power astonished even the men and women who had constructed it. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientists who is believed to be a father of the atomic bomb, was highly astonished by the impact a nuclear bomb creates and he even compared its influence with the Armageddon” . That was just the experiment, but in August 1945 the world witnessed the influence of the nuclear weapon in its actual work. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, its destructive impact was obvious. That was the only case of the usage of the nuclear weapon in the history of the world.
Knowing about the potential of nuclear bomb, different countries tried to make the biggest provision of atomic weapon and this way to become the most powerful country in the world, and the scariest contestant in the case of war as well.
As well as the influence of the atomic bomb was known, the Government of the United States found it necessary to inform the population about the way of acting and protecting themselves in case of nuclear bomb attack. In 1951 Archer Production created a short motion movie, for pupils and children mostly, to teach them how to act in case of an atomic bomb emergency. Zim states “The film created was part of the government’s “duck and cover” campaign that reiterated the fact that nuclear war could happen at any moment and people needed to prepare themselves – especially children. The campaign (as well as other civil defense public awareness programs) began shortly after the Soviet Union began nuclear testing” . As the threat of nuclear war was quite realistic, the Government tried to inform the society how to act in such situations. In the motion movie, the duck Bert suffers from an unexpected bomb attack by a monkey. Bert quickly hides in his shell and this way stays alive. The monkey on the tree was destroyed by the explosion which it created. I suppose, that this small epilogue could be a sarcastic picture where monkey represented the Soviet Union and Bert was a symbol of the United States. Trying to hurt Bert, the monkey was destroyed by own unawareness and stupidity. This shows the image of the Soviet Union and other countries which, perhaps, did not realize the whole power of nuclear weapon and its influence upon the whole world, not just one country attacked.
The main body of the motion movie shows different situations and teaches pupils how to protect themselves in case of nuclear bomb emergency. Wherever they are the most important is to remember about a simple rule of protection – duck and cover. Reynolds states “An atomic explosion can blind you, burn you, crush you with explosive power, or poison you with radiation. The "duck and cover" advice, based in no small part on the experience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors, was designed to do what could be done to minimize that” . It’s highly necessary to cover oneself with any kind of clothes or even newspaper in order to avoid burnings. Also, head and face must be covered with hands so that to prevent harsh injuries. This simple algorithm was believed helpful in order to save the lives of children.
Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) was aimed at creating and distributing various programs connected with protection of the population in case of a war. The government of the United States started a great campaign so that to make the population aware of the action plan when the emergency happens. A great number of shelters and underground vaults were built, where the population would gather if it was necessary. According to US History “A fallout shelter is a civil defense measure intended to reduce casualties in a nuclear war. It is designed to allow those inside it to avoid exposure to harmful fallout from a nuclear blast and its likely aftermath of radiation until radioactivity has dropped to a safer level” .
I suppose that at the time when a weapon and war danger are so close and seem inevitable, it is very important to do everything possible in order to inform population about the course of actions and this way to give them a chance to stay alive when the destruction dominates all around. Children are special age category and it’s quite hard to explain them what to do in case of emergency, they may be frightened and frustrated, but the motion movie like Duck and Cover is a great means to show what is necessary to do in order to stay alive and minimize the impact of destructive elements. Some people may claim that this movie was a kind of political propaganda, but I am sure that this was a good manual for pupils and it would help them to stay alive, if the situation of nuclear attack appeared.
The influence and destruction which an atomic bomb brings can’t be exaggerated. It ruins everything around and hardly leaves the chance to survive. Presidents, politicians, military generals have to remember about the significance of people and value humans’ lives and never use the atomic or other weapon. War brings only mourning and sadness, children become fatherless, mothers become childless, women become widows. Peace is the thing which all people need and we have to do our best in order to save peace and never see a war again. The slogan “make love not war” fits perfectly and shows what is really important and what we should appreciate in this world.
Bibliography
“Duck and Cover (1951)”, History By Zim. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.historybyzim.com/2013/07/duck-and-cover-1951/
“Fallout Shelters”, USHistory.Com. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3706.html
Reynolds, Glenn, Harlan, The Unexpected Return of “Duck and Cover”. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/01/the-unexpected-return-of-duck-and-cover/68776/
“The Cold War”, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/The-Cold-War.aspx
“The Development and Proliferation of Nuclear Weapon”, NpberPrize.Org. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/nuclear_weapons/readmore.html
