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Origins of the Cold War

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Chapter 1: Origins of the Cold War I f you were a student during the 1950s, your school might have shown you a short film featuring Bert the Turtle. In the opening sequence, the cartoon character—walking upright and wearing a bowtie and round hat—strolls down a tree-lined lane. A monkey in a tree soon dangles a lit stick of dynamite above Bert. An explosion occurs. But Bert emerges unhurt. That’s because, as a catchy song explains:

When the Soviet Union developed atomic weapons, Americans worried about the possi- bility of nuclear war. In many communities, fallout shelters like the one pictured above were constructed in the basements of public buildings during the 1950s. These were places where people could go to protect themselves in case of a nuclear attack.