The History of Preparing for Nuclear War
Angry Planet5 Apr 2019

The History of Preparing for Nuclear War

Civil Defense! From the dawn of World War II and throughout the 1960s, America had a plan to keep its civilians safe and fit to fight in case of invasion or, god forbid, nuclear armageddon. From duck and cover to the aesthetic of the Fallout video games, American popular culture is enmeshed in the history of its Civil Defense. But what, exactly, is Civil Defense. Where did it come from and do we still practice it today?


Here to help with this history is Alex Wellerstein. Wellerstein is a historian of science, secrecy, and nuclear weapons. He lectures on this and more at Stevens Institute of Technology. You may know him as the guy who created the nuke map, a website that allows you to simulate the effect of various nuclear weapons on an interactive map.


You can listen to War College on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or follow our RSS directly. Our website is warcollegepodcast.com. You can reach us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/warcollegepodcast/; and on Twitter: @War_College.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(493)

America’s Favorite Gunfighters and the Birth of the Old West

America’s Favorite Gunfighters and the Birth of the Old West

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comAmerica loves the Western. Stories about frontier towns, outlaws and lawmen, and—most of all—killing. How did the myth and legend of...

7 Jun 202558min

The Horror of AI Generals Making Command Decisions

The Horror of AI Generals Making Command Decisions

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comPalantir, Anduril and a suite of other Tolkien-inspired tech nightmares want to integrate artificial intelligence into every aspect ...

28 Mai 202556min

America’s Pivot to the Pacific

America’s Pivot to the Pacific

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comThe Pentagon has been trying to pivot to the Pacific for years now. Under President Donald Trump 2.0, who is focused on China, it ju...

23 Mai 20251h 15min

India and Pakistan: Nuclear Neighbors on the Brink

India and Pakistan: Nuclear Neighbors on the Brink

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comRecorded 5/7/25India and Pakistan have been unhappy neighbors since 1947 and Britain’s decolonization of the subcontinent. They’ve f...

10 Mai 202559min

Donald Trump Wants to Divide Up the World With His ‘Friends’

Donald Trump Wants to Divide Up the World With His ‘Friends’

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comGreat power competition has gotten old for President Donald Trump—never one for a fair fight. He’s looking for a little great power ...

2 Mai 202556min

Why An Empire Eats

Why An Empire Eats

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comConquest is back baby! Eastern Europe, Taiwan, Greenland, Canada? It’s all on the table—and maybe up for grabs. Here to help us sort...

25 Apr 202559min

Erdogan’s Path to Pure Authoritarianism

Erdogan’s Path to Pure Authoritarianism

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comTurkey’s president has grabbed a bit more power for himself with the recent arrest of the mayor of Istanbul. The mayor was thought t...

15 Apr 20251h 1min

Immigration Policy As Defense Policy

Immigration Policy As Defense Policy

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comSpecial for our international listeners, did you know you can now buy a pathway to U.S. citizenship for the low, low price of $5 mil...

11 Apr 202558min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
i-retten
stopp-verden
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
nokon-ma-ga
popradet
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
fotballpodden-2
aftenbla-bla
rss-ness
rss-gukild-johaug
hanna-de-heldige
rss-dannet-uten-piano
frokostshowet-pa-p5
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
grasoner-den-nye-kalde-krigen