From the end of the Second World War to the collapse of the Soviet Union, Britain lived under the shadow of nuclear war. This was not a historical accident, but the result of a policy of belligerence. In short, between 1945 and 1991, Britain fought the cold war. This module examines the history of the Britain's engagement with the cold war, concentrating on its domestic consequences. In particular, it will focus on several key themes: how politicians dealt with the cold war against a backdrop of declining British power; the importance of nuclear weapons in the cold war, and the anxiety they caused; the history and legacy of the ideological battles over communism; and the importance of the cold war for notions of citizenship and public participation.
In studying this subject, we will discuss the aims and hopes of British politicians, and the alternative plans of a range of oppositional groups. We will also study key cold war texts ranging from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four to James Bond films, and diverse sources discussing the nuclear threat. Specific topics to be covered include: the origins of the cold war; nuclear deterrence; nuclear anxiety; public participation; anti-communism; the disarmament movement; the intellectual new left; Thatcher and the second cold war; and public responses to the cold war in the 1980s.
In studying this subject, we will discuss the aims and hopes of British politicians, and the alternative plans of a range of oppositional groups. We will also study key cold war texts ranging from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four to James Bond films, and diverse sources discussing the nuclear threat. Specific topics to be covered include: the origins of the cold war; nuclear deterrence; nuclear anxiety; public participation; anti-communism; the disarmament movement; the intellectual new left; Thatcher and the second cold war; and public responses to the cold war in the 1980s.