Cold War Culture: The Nuclear Fear of the 1950s and 1960s

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Topic spans: 1955 - 1975

Cold War Culture: The Nuclear Fear of the 1950s and 1960s

With superpowers in the east and west testing powerful new weapons, the Canadian race for self-preservation took off in the early 1950s. The rising of the Iron Curtain intensified the threat of mass destruction, as communication between the Americans and Soviets came to a screeching halt. In this volatile new world, Canadians fretted about fallout shelters and the government prepared to go underground.

Photo of Diefenbunker nuclear fallout shelter near Ottawa courtesy of Chris Iwanowski

8 television clips

11 radio clips

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Civil Defence College

Broadcast Date: July 21, 1960

These teenagers are preparing to save the country from nuclear disaster. Selected on a merit system, youths from across the country have come to Arnprior, Ont. to learn the basics of civil defence. Armed with Geiger counters, first aid kits and search and rescue tools, the teenagers will complete eight courses over a two-week period.

Civil Defence College

• Students used Geiger counters to find traces of cobalt 60 hidden in a field. Live radiation sources were phased out in the 1960s when new technology became available.

Civil Defence College

Medium: Television

Program: CBC Television News

Broadcast Date: July 21, 1960

Guest(s):

Duration: 1:20

Last updated:
April 12, 2004

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