Did America learn to stop worrying and love the bomb?

Dr Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is one of history’s most iconic films and seen by many as the greatest political satire of all time. Yet did millions of ordinary Americans learn to love the bomb? And to what extent did popular culture and the media play a role in forming public opinion on nuclear weapons? Many see the nuclear arms race of the Cold War as a period characterised by fear and panic about nuclear annihilation, but was this actually the case? Throughout the Cold War the public perception of nuclear weapons fluctuated significantly during various points of the conflict. This thesis concentrates on key events throughout the Cold War in order to track the development of nuclear weapons and their reception by the American public. Focusing firstly on Cuba in 1962, then on Détente throughout the 1970s, followed finally by the airing of the TV-movie The Day After in 1983. The aim of the thesis is to use these events to track the reception of nuclear weapons by the American public throughout this roughly twenty-year period. The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) and the Able Archer Crisis (1983) are seen as the two most dangerous moments of the Cold War, this thesis will track the development of public opinion between and including these two events. This thesis has found that America never learned to stop worrying about the bomb, yet they did learn to live with it. Public fear and concern never developed into widespread calls for disarmament, as fear of the Soviet Union often prevented such a thing. Specific events altered this outlook massively; at a time of good relations, such as Détente, more Americans supported limitations. However, during a period of hostilities such as the late seventies, the arms race was supported due to the mistrust of Soviet intentions. Ultimately, the outlook of Americans covered over time, based on world events and expectations of war.