Master's Theses

Department

History

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Abstract

This thesis evaluates the history of the Civil Defense programs from World War II through the Kennedy Administration. There were various government agencies tasked with Civil Defense, preparing the civilian department for war activities. The urban, suburban, and rural populations received different messages from these various agencies. There were specific marketing campaigns aimed at the rural and agricultural groups to convince them to prepare to survive a nuclear attack. The government needed this key demographic to survive and continue to provide food to the survivors of any nuclear attack. Rural populations and agricultural producers were important due to their ability to provide the crucial food supply necessary to the surviving populace. Without a reliable and safe food supply, the remaining people would not be able to rebuild all that had been destroyed during the nuclear attack. In addition, the rural population needed to survive to play host to those who survived the initial nuclear attacks. Survival plans for urban and suburban populations focused on separate messages than those for rural and agricultural areas because the latter had to factor livestock and crop protection into their survival plans. For those in urban or suburban locals, their only concern was to protect themselves and their families.

Keywords

rural civil defense, agricultural civil defense, nuclear attack survival, nuclear fallout and livestock, USDA and civil defense

Advisor

Dr. Kim Perez

Date of Award

Spring 2014

Document Type

Thesis

Rights

© The Author(s)

Comments

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