America: Confronting the Soviet Threat from Home

Tensions between the United States and Soviet Union were given an opportunity to flourish following the end of the Second World War. Allies during the conflict, the war left much of Europe ravaged and the world witnessed the birth of a new rivaled, dual-hegemony relationship of the US and USSR. As each was convinced that its political system was the right way and would provide for the world community's greatest good, it was only natural that they would take up the arms of propaganda against each other in a political grudge match; not only for new supporters in foreign lands, but also for the hearts and minds of their own citizens.

For some time, Soviet propaganda had focused on Western decadence and capitalism, facism and imperialism. This was evident both in Soviet film and cartoons, as well as the posters which have since become well-known around the world. The US learned a good lesson from such propaganda, employing many of the same tactics, albeit from the opposite perspective, in defense of the American system and the American way of life. The realities of the American society's perspective of Russia and Russians even today speaks volumes about the strength of this propaganda beginning the mid-1940s. Once seen as the "Red Menace" or the "Communist Threat," Russia is still viewed by many on this side of the Atlantic with suspicion or even outright hostility. Most notable are the stereotypes both employed and propagated among American's most prominent media; television and film. 

In the Soviet Union, children grew up being warned of the capitalist threat to all that was right with their world by way of their favorite cartoon characters. The youth in America, on the other hand, read about "villainy" of Communist spies, dictator-like Party leaders, and the Soviet government itself. Supposedly these comic strips were intended to make "free" Americans "think," but little did the population at large know that they were under the powerful forces of the American government's propaganda machine, seeing in comics the chance to influence an impressionable American youth. Two of the most famous examples were The Saint and Is This Tomorrow? The latter used powerful imagery, such as an American flag in flames and Americans being overcome by men dressed in Soviet military garb, to further its message.

As comic book heroes were intended to be model citizens whom everyday individuals could emulate, the American propagandists realized this was also a channel for portraying the perfection of their political system in contrast to the "tyranny" of Soviet-style Communism. Comics were also meant to inpire "free citizens" of Western democracy to fight the communist threat - both at home and abroad. While some comic book artists were sincerely interested in promoting anti-communist and anti-Soviet sentiment, there are documented instances when the American government actually subsidized such artistic expression. Several novels from this period, such as Red Rape and Purgatory of the Conquered, even went as far as to envision the coming communist invasion of American and ensure the destruction of the Western world. This issue would also find its way into the favorite medium of American self-expresion - film. 

In the 1960s, a film called The Russians are Coming was released. It was a comedy, but both its title and plot highlighted a strong popular sentiment which still existed twenty long years after Soviet troops occupied East Berlin. At the height of the Cold War, Americans were being entertained by the very prospects, which, in real life, would be nothing less than terrifying. In the film, a Soviet submarine came ashore in New England, leading to an international incident; however, in the end World War III is averted. During the same decade, two of the scariest, most realistic thrillers about the Cold War  were released: The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and The Bedford Incident (1965). However, the most famous example of the "Russian threat" was witnessed in a series which continues to set revenue records to this day: that of 007, James Bond. 

The premise of the Bond films was always meant for an American audience. Although the main character is British, his allies in several of the films and many of his female accomplices (and lovers) were Americans. The films cannot really be classified as propaganda, but rather a popular image of the Soviet Union, and of Russians, which has persisted well over fifty years. This is a world of espionage and deceit, where friends can more often be bought, and where power politics often enter the lives of global governments' best-kept secrets. Despite having collapsed two decades ago, Russian characters and Russian locations still play a major role in the Bond films today. Russian are portrayed as either powerful mafia or menacing arms dealers instead of communist spies. 

The topic of American perception and misconception of Russia and the Soviet Union is still valid today. An exhibit call The Life Atomic, premiered last month at Penn State Berks. This exhibit discusses the impact of atomic power on popular culture following World War II. Its  goal is to have visitors understand the popular perception of the Soviet threat. This fear that the USSR could and would eventually declare war on the US, by way of images and objects; the most stunning of which is a full-size re-creation of a typical American fallout shelter.

~ Mike Bobrin, Regina Kozakiewicz, Daniel Morales, Brittany Specht

Photo Credits: www.talkandroid.com, www.squidoo.com, www.designerdaily.com

Posted in: Democracy, Media, PSU Berks