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The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture
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The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture Hardcover - 1995

by Guy Oakes


From the publisher

"Duck and cover" are unforgettable words for a generation of Americans, who listened throughout the Cold War to the unescapable propaganda of civil defense. 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 defense 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 defense, and civic ethics, Oakes reveals three sides to the civil defense program: a system of emotional management designed to control fear; the fictional construction of a manageable 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 defense and the official mythmaking of the Cold War will be essential reading for all those interested in American history, politics, and culture.

From the rear cover

"Duck and cover" are unforgettable words for a generation of Americans who listened throughout the Cold War to the unescapable propaganda of civil defense. 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. Oakes contends that the real purpose of 1950s civil defense programs 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 defense, and civic ethics, Oakes reveals three sides to the civil defense program: a system of emotional management designed to control fear; the fictional construction of a manageable 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 defense is a strong indictment of the official mythmaking of the Cold War. It will be essential reading for all those interested in American history, politics, and cultural studies.

Details

  • Title The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture
  • Author Guy Oakes
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 208
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Oxford University Press, USA, Cary, North Carolina, U.S.A.
  • Date 1995-01-05
  • ISBN 9780195090277 / 0195090276
  • Weight 0.88 lbs (0.40 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.59 x 6.35 x 0.77 in (24.36 x 16.13 x 1.96 cm)
  • Reading level 1440
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1940's
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Chronological Period: 1950-1999
  • Library of Congress subjects United States - Military policy, Cold War
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 93046098
  • Dewey Decimal Code 363.350

About the author


Guy Oakes is Professor of Philosophy and Social Policy at Monmouth College and author of Weber and Rickert (1988).
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The Imaginary War : Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture

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Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 1995. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture

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Oxford University Press:, 1994. 194 pages, illustrated in b&w. The author" offers much new material that illuminates the strategic thinking and operational planning underlying this civil-defense operation." FINE HARDCOVER, FINE DUST JACKET.. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
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The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture
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The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture

by Oakes, Guy

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NY: Oxford Univ Pr on Demand, 1994. Bound in yellow cloth, stamped in black in a matching dust jacket. This is the scarce first edition of this title (with number line ending in "1"). Will bring back memories from those in schools in the 1950's. 194 pp. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
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The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture

by Guy Oakes

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The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture

by Guy Oakes

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Hardback. New. This book is a provocative account of the ties between civil defence, national security, and public support for nuclear deterrence in the early Cold War. Oakes argues that while civil defence films and drills told Americans it was possible to survive a nuclear attack, the primary purpose of civil defence was to provide a moral foundation for nuclear deterrence.
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The Imaginary War : Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture

by Oakes, Guy

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The Imaginary War; Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture
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The Imaginary War; Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture

by Oakes, Guy

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New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. [8], 194, [6] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Index. DJ has sticker residue at the back. The author was the Jack T. Kvernland Professor of Philosophy and Social Policy at Monmouth College and the author of The Soul of the Salesman and Weber and Rickert. He has published on classical German sociology, especially Georg Simmel and Max Weber, and most recently on the sociology of ethics. "Duck and cover" are unforgettable words for a generation of Americans, who listened throughout the Cold War to the unescapable propaganda of civil defense. 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 defense 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… Read More
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