3.3.3.4 Modern Conflicts: Post-1945 to 2010 — War c.1750–c.2010 — OCR History A J410 | GradeGen.AI

Modern Conflicts: Post-1945 to 2010

OCR GCSE History A (J410) — British Thematic Studies

Imagine preparing your home for a nuclear strike using only doors, sandbags, and white paint.
This was the reality of British civil defence in 1980, when the government published the 'Protect and Survive' pamphlet advising citizens to stockpile 14 days of food and paint windows white to reflect thermal radiation.
Following the 1946 McMahon Act, which cut off US nuclear cooperation, Britain independently developed its own atomic bomb (1952) and hydrogen bomb (1957).
The government relied on a Nuclear Deterrent to maintain security and global status, driven by the Cold War theory of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD).
Over time, Britain shifted from using its own V-bombers to relying on US-supplied delivery systems, such as Polaris submarines secured under the 1962 Nassau Agreement.
While the state viewed these weapons as essential, the public was often terrified; the 1984 BBC film Threads graphically depicted a nuclear strike on Sheffield, heavily influencing civilian fears.

You might think of mass protests as a modern internet phenomenon, but in 1960, up to 100,000 people marched on Trafalgar Square without a single smartphone.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was formed in 1958 by figures like Canon John Collins and Bertrand Russell to demand Unilateral Nuclear Disarmament.
Tactics evolved rapidly; while early Aldermaston Marches were peaceful walks, a splinter group called the Committee of 100 used non-violent direct action, such as staging a 4,000-person sit-down outside the Ministry of Defence in 1961.
The anti-nuclear movement saw a massive revival in the 1980s when the US stationed cruise missiles in the UK, leading to the creation of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp (1981–2000).
This tradition of mass mobilisation continued into the 21st century when the Stop the War Coalition organised the largest protest in British history, with 1–2 million people marching against the 2003 Iraq War.

Feature	The World Wars (Total War)	Post-1945 (Cold War & Modern Terrorism)
Nature of Threat	Direct military invasion by a visible, hostile nation state.	Asymmetric Warfare, threat of sudden nuclear annihilation, and hidden terrorist cells.
Focus of State Control	Physical resources and labour (e.g., rationing, conscription).	Information, surveillance, and movement (e.g., CCTV, ANPR, Control Orders).
Legislation Pattern	Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) in WWI granted sweeping but temporary wartime powers.	Anti-terrorism Acts (e.g., 1974, 2000, 2006) frequently shifted from "temporary" measures to permanent laws.