Innocent Weapons: The Soviet and American Politics of Childhood in the Cold War

300 Pages·2014·3.854 MB·English

by  Margaret E. Peacock

Innocent Weapons
the new cold war history
Odd Arne Westad, editor
m a r g a r e t p e a c o c k

Innocent
weapons
The Soviet and American Politics
of Childhood in the Cold War
the university of north carolina press
Chapel Hill
© 2014 the university of north carolina press
Publication of this book was supported in part by a generous
gift from Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse.
All rights reserved. Set in Minion and Scala Sans by codeMantra.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence
and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for
Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
The University of North Carolina Press has been
a member of the Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Peacock, Margaret.
Innocent weapons : the Soviet and American politics of
childhood in the Cold War / Margaret Peacock.
pages cm. — (The new Cold War history)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-1-4696-1857-9 (cloth : alkaline paper) —
isbn 978-1-4696-1858-6 (ebook)
1. Children and politics—Soviet Union—History. 2. Children and politics—
United States—History—20th century. 3. Children in popular culture—Soviet Union—
History. 4. Children in popular culture—United States—History—20th century.
5. Cold War—Social aspects—Soviet Union. 6. Cold War—Social aspects—
United States. 7. Cold War—Political aspects—Soviet Union. 8. Cold War—Political
aspects—United States. 9. Soviet Union—Politics and government—1945–1991.
10. United States—Politics and government—1945–1989. I. Title.
hq784.p5p43 2014
305.230947—dc23
2014017084
for my children
Amelia, Sylvia, and Mira
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Contents
Introduction 1
I. building an image, building a consensus
1. The Contained Child on the Cusp of a New Era 17
2. The “Other” Child 42
3. Victims, Hooligans, and the Importance of Threat 71
4. Mobilized Childhood Responds to the Threat 94
II. revising an ideal
5. Soviet Childhood in Film during the Thaw 123
6. American Childhood and the Bomb 160
7. Vietnam and the Fall of an Image 193
Conclusion 215
Notes 227
Bibliography 255
Acknowledgments 273
Index 275
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Figures
1.1. Nina Vatolina, “Thank You, Comrade Stalin,
for Our Happy Childhood,” 1950 23
1.2. The playground at the American Exhibition in
Sokolniki Park, Moscow, 1959 33
2.1. “Papa and Mama! Come out, I am done playing!” 1949 45
2.2. “Another Mouth,” 1956 47
2.3. “School,” 1956 48
2.4. “American Childhood,” 1966, and “Soviet Childhood,” 1960 49
2.5. “I Don’t Want My Children to Grow Up in Soviet Russia,” 1947 54
2.6. “Soviet Children Wait for the Capitalists,” 1957 59
2.7. “Can Russia Bury Our Children thru Education?” 1950s 61
2.8. “In the USSR: In the USA,” 1957 68
3.1. “This Godless Communism,” 1961 75
3.2. “Busy Hands,” 1958 83
4.1. Khrushchev with DOSAAF members, 1958 98
4.2. “Your Welfare Is Being Overshadowed,” 1956 107
4.3. Norman Rockwell, “Breakthrough for Freedom,” 1967 116
5.1. Ivan’s Childhood, 1962 133
5.2. Ordinary Fascism, 1965 138
5.3. Serezha, 1960 142
5.4. Someone Is Ringing, Open the Door, 1965 145
5.5. “Corn,” 1956 153
5.6. Welcome, or No Trespassing, 1964 157