Introduction
The 1950s was no doubt a decade of change and progress. Besides the baby boom, rock and roll, rise of suburbs, and television, however, Americans also experienced a state of fear. "Across the globe the Eisenhower administration sought ways to prevent the Soviet Union from capturing national independence movements. To do so, it sometimes used the threat of nuclear war to block Communist expansion in Europe or Asia" [2]. "In an attempt to get or maintain an advantage in the power and numbers of nuclear weapons, both nations embarked on an arms race while at the same time preparing their citizens in the event that nuclear weapons were deployed. In effect, a Cold War was being waged, and civilian populations could no longer be shielded from the violence of war" [3]. The 1950s erupted a discord between the two current superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, with threats of nuclear force, which forced Americans to build fallout shelters to survive such danger.
[1] http://www.historywiz.com/armsrace.htm
[2] Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. (2006). Nation of Nations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. pg. 841
[3] http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fallout-docs/
