ia_2011_b_oldfield

=B. Summary of Evidence (500-600 words) Tips]=

= The Cold War - An Intro = =Cold War = The Cold War was a period from the end of WW2 – Sep. 2 1945 - to the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union – Dec. 26 19911 in which there was a very precarious state of economical, political and military tension between the USA and Russia - two of the biggest nuclear powers in the world. In America, due to this tension and the nature of their standoff: in essence Democracy vs. Communism, a “witch-hunt” mentality swept the nation. In 1954, President Eisenhower’s state of the union address proposed depriving American Communists of their citizenship.2 Shortly after, a national poll administered by Harvard’s Samuel A. Stouffer suggested that 80 percent of the populace agreed with the president’s proposal, while a further 52 percent wanted all American communists jailed.3 This may not come as a surprise, however, when we look at the potential threat that this standoff held and therefore what America’s “enemies” were perceived to stand for: in the words of political scientist Michael Paul Rogin communism became a form of “political demonology”4.

 Both sides were very prepared to use Nuclear force. During WW2; the USA had dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, followed shortly by a similar nuclear attack on Nagasaki, both of which were mainly civilian targets.5 Furthermore, during the USA’s truce negotiations with Korea in 1951 one Senator Margaret Chase Smith (R-Me.) suggested that if the peace talks were unsuccessful, the USA should “drop the atomic bomb on those barbarians”6 While Francis P. Matthews (who had chaired the Chamber of Commerce’s Committee on socialism and Communism) declared he “would be willing to pay any price to achieve a world at peace, even the price of instituting a war.”7 Then in 1962, Russia showed its nuclear capabilities to the world in the terrifying Cuban Missile Crisis. On October 22, President John F. Kennedy declared that Russia was building secret missile bases in Cuba, only 90 miles from the US coast. Kennedy consequently ordered a naval quarantine of Cuba to which Premier Khrushchev responded by authorizing his Soviet field commanders in Cuba to launch their tactical nuclear weapons if invaded by U.S. forces.8

= Zombie Movies - An Intro = =Zombie Movies = Zombie Movies are a phenomenon that have developed and risen into Western popular culture within the last decade. Some of the earliest Zombie movies ever created: White Zombie (1932) and Revenge of the Zombies (1943), depicted Zombies as corpses removed from the grave and turned into mindless slaves by a human master.9 This idea was built upon elements of Haitian Vodou mythology in which these same “resurrected” Zombies existed. However, in 1968 (a mere 6 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis) a young director, George A. Romero changed the face of Zombie movies forever with his film “Night of the Living Dead”.10 The film depicts a handful of American protagonists holed up in a farmhouse under attack from a horde of mindless zombies – this time depicted as dead brought back to life by unexpected radiation. As opposed to pre 1968 zombie movies, these Zombies are autonomous and focused entirely on killing the living. In the years following its release, Night of the Living Dead claimed much favorable acclaim and by 1979 had grossed over 12 million.11 10 years later, Zombies had evolved even further, Romero’s new release “Dawn of the Dead” adding to some of the key Zombie movie elements we see in current day films: a desolate, deserted urban landscape and the feature of killed survivors coming back as Zombies.12 By the early 1990s and the end of the Cold War, the Zombie Movie genre was a well developed and growing part of Western Culture.

(The apocalyptic scenario of a planet overrun by murderous zombies in movies like //The Last Man on Earth// and //Invisible Invaders// (and, to an extent, the Red Scare-inspired //Invasion of the Body Snatchers// and the dreamy //Carnival of Souls//) helped inspire a young filmmaker named George A. Romero. In 1968, Romero released his directorial debut, //Night of the Living Dead//, which would go on to revolutionize zombie movies as we knew them.)


 * 1****According to U.S. Federal Law, it lasted officially from September 2, 1945 (the date the Japanese formally surrendered thus marking the end of World War II) to December 26, 1991 (the date of the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union). http://www.coldwarveterans.com/dates_in_cold_war_history.htm** 5 september 2010

2Eisenhower’s 1954 state of the union address had even proposed depriving Communists of their citizenship. P.14 The culture of the Cold War - Stephen J. Whitfield

3According to a national poll that Harvard’s Samuel A. Stouffer administered, 80 percent of the populace agreed with the president’s suggestion; 52 percent wanted all communists jailed; 77 percent wanted them banned from the radio; 42 percent polled that no member of press should be able to criticize the “American form of government” P.14 The culture of the Cold War - Stephen J. Whitfield

4political scientist Michael Paul Rogin, described communism being seen in the usa as a form of “political demonology” P.15 The culture of the Cold War - Stephen J. Whitfield

5On August 6, 1945, the United States used a massive, atomic weapon against Hiroshima, Japan. This atomic bomb, the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT, flattened the city, killing tens of thousands of civilians. http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/hiroshima.htm 5 september 2010

6 After truce negotiations in Korea had begun in the summer of 1951, Senator Margaret Chase Smith (R-Me.) expressed hopes for the success of the talks. If not, she suggested that her country “drop the atomic bomb on those barbarians”. (p.6)

7Francis P. Matthews (had chaired the Chamber of Commerce’s Committee on socialism and Communism) In a Boston speech declared he “would be willing to pay any price to achieve a world at peace, even the price of instituting a war.” (P.5)

8On October 22, 1962, after reviewing newly acquired intelligence, President John F. Kennedy informed the world that the Soviet Union was building secret missile bases in Cuba, a mere 90 miles off the shores of Florida. Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine (blockade) of Cuba Premier Khrushchev authorized his Soviet field commanders in Cuba to launch their tactical nuclear weapons if invaded by U.S. forces. Deadlocked in this manner, the two leaders of the world's greatest nuclear superpowers stared each other down for seven days On October 28, thinking better of prolonging his challenge to the United States, the Russian Premier conceded to President Kennedy's demands by ordering all Soviet supply ships away from Cuban waters and agreeing to remove the missiles from Cuba's mainland. http://www.hpol.org/jfk/cuban/ 05 September 2010

9 Pre-1968 zombies were something entirely different. These animated corpses were a product of voodoo and the movies portrayed them as such. In films such as [|//White Zombie//] (1932) and //[|Revenge of the Zombies] //(1943), lifeless bodies were removed from the grave right after burial and turned into living mindless slaves obeying the biddings of a human master. September 5 2010

10 A small budget black and white film titled [|//Night of the Living Dead//], written and directed by George A. Romero, hit theaters and drive-ins in 1968. The effects of Romero's ground-breaking treatment of the theme are still being felt today. [|http://www.best-horror-movies.com/zombie-movie-history.html] September 5 2010

11 [] September 5 2010 <span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">12 <span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077402/synopsis <span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">September 5 2010