9781422285954

The Cold War

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He did what we all must learn to do, You and you and you and you: Duck and cover.

Imagining the Unimaginable The film Duck and Cover was supposed to reinforce safety drills that kids practiced in school. Obviously, no one was really worried about monkeys with explosives. The actual concern was an atomic bomb attack. Such an attack might come without warning. The first sign would be an intense flash of light, brighter than the sun. If you saw that flash, you were taught to drop to the ground immediately. You were taught to cover your head with your hands and forearms. That might save you from being killed by flying debris. For the detonation of the bomb would produce a massive shock wave. Tornado-speed winds would follow. Whipped through the air by these forces, broken glass, rubble, and all kinds of everyday objects would become lethal projectiles. Duck and Cover assured its viewers that if they stayed down until this danger had passed, they might live through an attack with atomic weapons.

Words to UNDERSTAND IN THIS CHAPTER capitalism —an economic system that permits the ownership of private property and allows individuals and companies to compete for their own economic gain. communism —a political and economic system that cham- pions the elimination of private property, promotes the common ownership of goods, and typically insists that the Communist Party has sole authority to govern. Kremlin —the top leadership of the Soviet Union. superpower —an extremely powerful state; one of a few states that dominate an era.