Introduction: From World War to Cold War (0.00–4.05)

It is not the aim of this programme to analyse the origins of the Cold War. This section briefly documents the end of the Second World War, which was followed by a rapid deterioration of relations between the superpowers resulting in the Cold War. Dating the Cold War is notoriously difficult, but the programme opts for Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech in 1946.

The programme then moves to its central theme – nuclear weapons. There is an analysis of the impact of the bombs dropped on Japan. It is worth pointing out to students that the allies were breathtakingly unaware of the full power and effects of these weapons, and remained uninformed until well into the 1950s and 1960s after so many of their own service men and women were harmed by atomic tests.

This section concludes by chronicling the escalation of the arms race to build new weapons, particularly missiles.

CND to Cuban Missile Crisis (4.06–8.00)

This section deals with the potential implications of nuclear war for the main victims – civilians – as well as some of the tensest moments of the Cold War. CND is given a passing mention, but more time is devoted to remarkable American Civil Defence footage. This should be especially powerful for students, since students are the main focus of the footage.

The U2 incident is used to describe to students the importance of improving reconnaissance technology and its outcome in the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The familiar figure of Kennedy is certain to attract student interest and attention. However, it is worth dwelling on Cuba and how far both sides stared closely at the reality of nuclear conflict. Teachers should stress the ‘positive’ outcomes of the Cuban Missile Crisis in terms of the movements towards arms limitation that Cuba initiated.

Technology gone mad – 1? (8.01–9.55)

The emphasis of this section is on the rapid development of technology in the 1960s and after, and the uses made of this technology by the superpowers. Spy technology and the awesome power of Polaris and later submarine-based systems can be used to raise the question of whether humans were in charge of the technology or the other way round.

Vietnam (9.56–14.20)

As with previous sequences, this is not a comprehensive history. The essence of this section is to address the overwhelming firepower and technological superiority of US forces in Vietnam and assess why it was unable to bring a US victory.

Technology gone mad – 2? (14.21–end)

This section returns to the issue of weapons technology and its impact on the human frame. The NATO sequences highlight the increasing hazards facing modern soldiers. It may be profitable to discuss the rights and wrongs of the use of such weapons, or even whether such a discussion is worth having. The even less fortunate civilian’s plight is raised with the horrific images from Iraq.

The programme concludes with a section on Star Wars. The US promotional film on Star Wars is well worth a deep and searching analysis (see the activity section). The animations are also worthy sources for deconstruction.