"Duck and cover" are unforgettable words for a generation of Americans, who listened throughout the Cold War to the unescapable propaganda of civil defence. Yet it would have been impossible to protect Americans from a real nuclear attack, and, as Guy Oakes shows in The Imaginary War, national security officials knew it. The real purpose of 1950's civil defence programs, Oakes contends, was not to protect Americans from the bomb, but to ingrain in them the moral resolve needed to face the hazards of the Cold War. Uncovering the links between national security, civil defence, and civic ethics, Oakes reveals three sides to the civil defence program: a system of emotional management designed to control fear; the fictional construction of a managable world of nuclear attack; and the production of a Cold War ethic rooted in the mythology of the home, the ultimate sanctuary of American values. This fascinating analysis of the culture of civil defence is a strong indictment of the official mythmaking of the Cold War. It will essential reading for all those interested in American history, politics, and culture.

About the Author
Guy Oakes is Professor of Philosophy and Social Policy at Monmouth College and author of Weber and Rickert (1988).

Reviews
Oakes has told his tale well, avoiding the jargon which is common among social scientists, and not promising more than he delivers. The author has utilized a wide range of sources. * Gary B. Ostrower, Alfred University, The Historian *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195090277
Author Guy Oakes
Format Hardback
Page Count 208
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 399g
Dimensions(mm) 161mm * 244mm * 20mm