Stages of Emergency

Davis Tracy C. Davis

Description

In an era defined by the threat of nuclear annihilation, Western nations attempted to prepare civilian populations for atomic attack through staged drills, evacuations, and field exercises. In Stages of Emergency the distinguished performance historian Tracy C. Davis investigates the fundamentally theatrical nature of these Cold War civil defense exercises. Asking what it meant for civilians to be rehearsing nuclear war, she provides a comparative study of the civil defense maneuvers conducted by three NATO allies-the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom-during the 1950s and 1960s. Delving deep into the three countries' archives, she analyzes public exercises involving private citizens-Boy Scouts serving as mock casualties, housewives arranging home protection, clergy training to be shelter managers-as well as covert exercises undertaken by civil servants.Stages of Emergency covers public education campaigns and school programs-such as the ubiquitous "duck and cover" drills-meant to heighten awareness of the dangers of a possible attack, the occupancy tests in which people stayed sequestered for up to two weeks to simulate post-attack living conditions as well as the effects of confinement on interpersonal dynamics, and the British first-aid training in which participants acted out psychological and physical trauma requiring immediate treatment. Davis also brings to light unpublicized government exercises aimed at anticipating the global effects of nuclear war. Her comparative analysis shows how the differing priorities, contingencies, and social policies of the three countries influenced their rehearsals of nuclear catastrophe. When the Cold War ended, so did these exercises, but, as Davis points out in her perceptive afterword, they have been revived-with strikingly similar recommendations-in response to twenty-first-century fears of terrorists, dirty bombs, and rogue states.

Sujets

• Histoire
• USA
• Nuclear weapon
• History of the Americas
• Civil defense
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 27 juin 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822389637
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

S T A G E S E M E R G E N C Y O F

S T A G E S

O F

E M E R G E N C Y

C O L D W A R N U C L E A R C I V I L D E F E N S E

T R A C Y C . D A V I S

D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S

D U R H A M A N D L O N D O N

2007

©  Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper  Designed by Heather Hensley Typeset in Adobe Garamond by Tseng Information Systems Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data appear on the last printed page of this book.

  all the white space on these pages is my thanks for this, and so much else

C O N T E N T S

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

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xiii

ix

Part I: Directing Apocalypse . Civil Defense Concepts and Planning . Rehearsals for Nuclear War 



Part II: Act Your Part: The Private Citizen on the Public Stage . The Psychology of Vulnerability  . Sheltering  . Get Out of Town!  . Communications  . Acting Out Injury 

Part III: Covert Stages: The ‘‘Public Sector’’ Rehearses in Private . Crisis Play  . International Play  . Disaster Welfare  . Continuity of Government  . Computer Play 

Afterword: Dismantling Civil Defense



Appendix: Cold War and Civil Defense Time Line

Notes



Works Cited

Index

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

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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

The intellectual and gustatory debts that accrue in researching an international study such as this are daunting. I start with my late colleague Dwight Conquergood, who listened, was intrigued, and encouraged this work from its inception; Beverly Wright, who asked zinger questions at crucial moments; and exceptional col- leagues—Peter Glazer, Baz Kershaw, and Tom Postlewait—who took a great deal time from their own work in order to substan- tially improve mine. Richard Schechner and Paul Boyer are also singled out for particular thanks. Special thanks also to Stefka Mihaylova, Sheila Moeschen, and Natalie Hanemann who helped prepare the final manuscript. Many Northwestern colleagues, stu- dents, and connections put information in my hands or smoothed the road in myriad ways, including Kamran Afary, Henry Bin- ford, Steve Caruso, Beth E. Clausen, Paul Edwards, Gary Fine, Cindy Gold, Marva Golden, Virgil Johnson, Jacob Juntunen, Liz Luby, Bill McHugh, Russell Maylone, Sara Monoson, Barbara O’Keefe, Patrick Quinn, Celeste Pietrusza, Sally Roberts, Jim Schwoch, Daniel Smith Jr., Claire Stewart, Harvey Young, and Dan Zellner. Colleagues near and far have contributed instrumen- tally, including Aaron Anderson, Scott Bennett, Carol Burbank, Gay Gibson Cima, Mary Croarken, Jim Davis, Lesley Delmenico, Jody Enders, John Emigh, Penny Farfan, Dennis Kennedy, David Krasner, Ric Knowles, David Krugler, Michael McKinnie, Rose- mary Mariner, Lisa Merrill, Kurt Piehler, Lionel Pilkington, Della Pollock, Joseph Roach, Laurence Senelick, Rose Whyman, and Jutta Wildes. I am also grateful to some of their students who