After World War II, the process of political and ideological bipolarization between the nations of the world created a scenario marked by strong tensions. Capitalists and communists made public appearances which, from time to time, affirmed the supremacy of their regimes and the military might of their allied nations. In this last aspect, the famous nuclear race showed the world that, for the first time, humanity had created the conditions to determine the end of the world.
The first plot of this game took place in 1945, when US troops destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Four years later, the Soviets responded to this feat by organizing a series of nuclear tests in the Kazakhstan Desert. Shortly thereafter, in 1952, the Americans made an appalling response with the development of the hydrogen bomb. A few years later, the Soviets announced knowledge of this same technology.
The mastery of these weapons made the threat of World War III plausible for many civilians, military and rulers of the time. Only today, the release of files from those times reveals how the nuclear dispute interfered in the actions of governments around the world. In this regard, historians have recently revealed unprecedented information about the precautions taken by England should a nuclear conflict occur.
Through a top-secret manual called the “War Book,” senior officials were regularly trained in the procedures to be followed in this extreme situation. According to the work, comprising sixteen chapters, England would be divided into twelve regions coordinated by a local government. So that the administration was not affected, a series of bunkers were built to house the main leaders of the nation.
Foreseeing a series of details about nuclear war, this macabre work projected the attack strategies that would be organized by socialist nations. Not limited to these guidelines, the BBC state radio produced several broadcasts that would announce to the entire population that the country was the target of a nuclear attack. In addition to urging civilians to calm down, the same message directed families to stay at home and stock up on food.
If these containment measures did not have the expected effect, the British government would turn to the execution of "R Hour". This would be the moment when the British would deploy their nuclear arsenal against enemy troops in a desperate action to contain the imminent defeat. To get a sense of how this plan was taken seriously, sources attest that the guidelines of the "War Book" were trained and analyzed until the 1990s.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Brazil School Team
20th century - wars - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/os-ensaios-para-fim-mundo.htm