Media and the Cold War in the 1980s : Between Star Wars and Glasnost

The Cold War was a media phenomenon. It was a daily cultural political struggle for the hearts and minds of ordinary people--and for government leaders, a struggle to undermine their enemies' ability to control the domestic public sphere. This collection examines how this struggle played out on screen, radio, and in print from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, a time when breaking news stories such as Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" program and Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of glasnost captured the world's attention. Ranging from the United States to the Soviet Union and China, these essays cover photojournalism on both sides of the Iron Curtain, Polish punk, Norwegian film, Soviet magazines, and more, concluding with a contribution from Stuart Franklin, one of the creators of the iconic "Tank Man" image during the Tiananmen Square protests. By investigating an array of media actors and networks, as well as narrative and visual frames on a local and transnational level, this volume lays the groundwork for writing media into the history of the late Cold War.--;Intro; Acknowledgements; Contents; Notes on Contributors; List of Figures; List of Tables; Abstract; Chapter 1 Introduction: Mapping the Role of the Media in the Late Cold War; References; Chapter 2 Selling "Star Wars" in American Mass Media; Reagan's Announcement; High Frontier's Media Campaign; The Union of Concerned Scientists' Anti-SDI Campaign; "Star Wars" Commercials; The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization: Redefining Reagan's Promise; Conclusion; Archival Sources; References Intro Acknowledgements Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures List of Tables Abstract Chapter 1 Introduction: Mapping the Role of the Media in the Late Cold War References Chapter 2 Selling "Star Wars" in American Mass Media Reagan's Announcement High Frontier's Media Campaign The Union of Concerned Scientists' Anti-SDI Campaign "Star Wars" Commercials The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization: Redefining Reagan's Promise Conclusion Archival Sources References Chapter 3 Interviewing the Enemy and Other Cold War Players: US Foreign Policy as Seen Through Playboy During the Reagan YearsInvoking the Misinformed President Analyzing Hostile Media Images Exiles and Enemies Voices Behind the Iron Curtain Conclusion Archival Source References Chapter 4 Going Atmospheric and Elemental: Roger Moore's and Timothy Dalton's James Bond and Cold War Geo-Politics Elemental Mr. Bond? Atmospheres, Bodies, and Elements Roger Moore's Bond: Geoengineering and the Late Cold War Timothy Dalton's Bond: Darker Moods and Worlds Conclusion References Chapter 5 Civil Cold War Aviation as Television Drama: The Popular Miniseries Treffpunkt Flughafen (GDR 1986)Aspirational East German Television Preproduction at Adlershof: Popular Appeal and Political Impact Competing with West German Television Programing Televisual Civic Aviation: Multicultural Locations and Socialist Citizenship Production at Babelsberg: A Prestigious Miniseries with International Flair A Transnational Cold War Television Series The Most Successful Fictional Miniseries for Years Archival Sources Chapter 6 Photojournalism East/West: The Cold War, the Iron Curtain, and the Trade of PhotographsPhotojournalism and Its Institutions in the German Democratic Republic Eastern Photojournalists' Work in Western Publications Personal Contacts Between Photojournalists East/West Conclusion Archival Sources References Chapter 7 Irony in Polish Punk of the 1980s as a Form of Contestation Disturbing Similarities: Irony and Resistance Political Situation: Communism in 1980s Poland When Irony in Polish Punk Originated Where Irony Resided: The Names of Polish Punk Bands How Irony Worked: The LyricsHow Irony Was Performed: Punk Concerts Who Felt the Irony: Press Attacks Who Was Afraid of Irony? Censors Why Irony: No Irony Without Context References Chapter 8 Mediating Alternative Culture: Two Controversial Exhibitions in Hungary During the 1980s Making Art Visible Through Information, and Vice Versa Resistance Through Informality: Hungary Can Be Yours From Collaborative Publication to Exhibition An Unnoticed Event, Until Its Banning (Extra- )Official Reactions and International Impact Against Silencing: Public Disclosure-The Fighting City The Cold War was a media phenomenon. It was a daily cultural political struggle for the hearts and minds of ordinary people--and for government leaders, a struggle to undermine their enemies' ability to control the domestic public sphere. This collection examines how this struggle played out on screen, radio, and in print from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, a time when breaking news stories such as Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" program and Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of glasnost captured the world's attention. Ranging from the United States to the Soviet Union and China, these essays cover photojournalism on both sides of the Iron Curtain, Polish punk, Norwegian film, Soviet magazines, and more, concluding with a contribution from Stuart Franklin, one of the creators of the iconic "Tank Man" image during the Tiananmen Square protests. By investigating an array of media actors and networks, as well as narrative and visual frames on a local and transnational level, this volume lays the groundwork for writing media into the history of the late Cold War.-- Provided by publisher