Publication Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Caspersen, Randy

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Communication

Abstract

This thesis explores nuclear war–related media (i.e., media involving “the Bomb”) from the late twentieth century, beginning in the early 1950s and ending in the late 1990s, although media from the 2000s and beyond are briefly touched on. Unlike other studies of nuclear war narratives, this analysis intends to explore this media through a rhetorical framework of an “eroding” society, and the “erosion” concepts of the 50s–70s paved the way for cumulative “erosion” storylines in the 80s (the height of the Cold War), and then “restoration” storylines in the 90s (after the end of the Cold War). This framework is complemented by historical facts to show these films were influenced by (or even helped influence) the culture they were released in. These texts are analyzed for their plots and characters specifically to demonstrate that, despite being rooted in the twentieth century, they still effectively represent fears about “the Bomb” in the present day, and exemplify a through line of eroding trust from a historical perspective. The goal of this analysis is to show how audiences came to distrust the Bomb as a weapon, and the men in charge of it, through Bomb films and television shows of various genres and decades.

Extent

128 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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