Post WWII & The Cold War

After World War II, America was in a Cold War with the Soviet Union. This was not a direct physical conflict but rather a time of heightened tensions between the two most powerful nations in the world. The United State’s use of atomic weapons in WWII started an arms race, most notably between America and the Soviet Union. Much of the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union centered around the conflicting ideologies of Capitalism and Communism. Communism was spreading across Europe and had already taken hold of much of Asia. Many feared the similarities between communism and Adolf Hitler’s fascist rule over Germany, most notably, the use of censorship and the burning of books that featured life in non-communist western countries. This fear, known as the Red Scare, grew into a heightened paranoia of communism spreading across the United States.

The Atomic Age and Arms Race

“Every hour so many damned things in the sky! How in hell did those bombers get up there every single second of our lives! Why doesn’t someone want to talk about it! We’ve started and won two atomic wars since 1990!” (Bradbury 73)

The detonation of the first nuclear device, known as Trinity, on July 16, 1945, is generally considered the start of the Atomic Age. After America’s use of atomic bombs on Japan toward the end of WWII, countries worldwide began nuclear weapons programs. The tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War drove each country to compete for supremacy through the production and stockpiling of nuclear warheads.

Bradbury feared the threat of nuclear war and the consequences it would have for humanity. He published one of his most well-known short stories, “There Will Come Soft Rains,” in 1950 after the United States announced that it was beginning its development of a hydrogen bomb. Bradbury’s story centers around a technologically advanced home that continues to function through its daily routine even though the family that lived there, and everything else outside of the home, had been destroyed by a nuclear bomb.

The threat of nuclear war is a constant presence throughout Fahrenheit 451. Bomber jets are continuously flying overhead, filling the air with their loud shrieking and shaking the ground below. Society has become so used to the bombers that there is rarely ever a reaction to them. Montag informs the reader that this society has already seen two atomic wars pass. When the anticipated war finally occurs near the end of the novel, Bradbury captures the instant and destructive nature of nuclear warfare in one simple line: “And the war began and ended in that instant” (Bradbury 158).

Communism, McCarthyism, and Censorship

Despite being allies during WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union had a tense relationship. The United States had spent many years refusing to acknowledge the status of the Soviet Union as a global power due to its communist ideology and the authoritative leadership of Joseph Stalin. The spread of communism throughout Eastern Europe after WWII and anti-communist propaganda instilled fear among many Americans that the Soviet Union was trying to control the world. The government took action to expose communist and leftist sympathizers. Federal employees were required to undergo “loyalty tests,” a practice that is contrary to the American ideals of liberty and freedom. Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy set out on a mission to rid the government of suspected communists, leading to wide-scale censorship, black-listing of Hollywood celebrities, and the ousting of many government officials falsely accused of holding communist ideology.

This practice, known as McCarthyism, is paralleled in Fahrenheit 451 through the government’s strict laws against books, paranoia over secret groups hiding books, and the swift action of the Firemen to burn down homes suspected of housing secret caches of books. McCarthy’s use of “anonymous” reports to create suspicion of individuals is similar to the anonymous alarm cards seen in the novel when there is a report about possible hidden books. When the firemen report to the old woman’s home in part one of the novel, the alarm card states, “Have reason to suspect attic; 11 No. Elm City. E.B.” (Bradbury 36).

Economic & Technological Boom of the 40s and 50s

After World War II, the United States experienced a rapid increase in technological innovation that changed the way of life for Americans. Research in transportation, communication, and intelligence needed for the war efforts, coupled with an economic boom, created what was known as the Golden Age in Capitalism. This period saw the creation of the first microchip, the development of computer software, and transistors that shrank the size of machines and made work faster. Employment soared, and families were able to enjoy the luxuries of a disposable income.

The Changing Look of the American Family

As soldiers returned home from war, there was a sudden increase in housing needs. The population experienced a “Baby Boom” after the war, and families were growing larger. As cities grew more and more crowded, families began moving out, and the first suburbs were developed. Houses were being mass-produced to meet the needs of a growing middle-class population. By the mid-1950s, these baby boomers became a significant source of product development and marketing.

Parents that had lived through depression wanted to create a good life for their children, and advice from a well-known pediatrician and writer, Dr. Benjamin Spock, encouraged parents to dote on and spoil their children. His philosophy for developing individuality in children led to what some might call a generation of independent and rebellious adolescents.

Bradbury uses the change in family dynamics to illustrate how things have gone wrong in Fahrenheit 451’s society. In one of Montag’s conversations with Clarisse, she says, “I haven’t any friends. That’s supposed to prove I’m abnormal. But everyone I know is either shouting or dancing around like wild or beating up one another. Do you notice how people hurt each other nowadays?” (Bradbury 30). She goes on to say, “My uncle says his grandfather remembered when children didn’t kill each other. But that was a long time ago when they had things differently. They believed in responsibility, my uncle says.” Bradbury’s characterization of the youth in this society shows a generation that lacks concern or care for anything around them. 

His commentary on parenting goes a step further in his representation of Mildred’s friends, Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Phelps, as they discuss children:

“I plunk the children in school nine days out of ten. I put up with them when they come home three days a month; it’s not bad at all. You heave them into the ‘parlor’ and turn the switch. It’s like washing clothes: stuff laundry in and slam the lid… They’d just as soon kick as kiss me. Thank God, I can kick back!” (Bradbury 96).

Bradbury believed that the change in family dynamics would lead to a world where the children had no responsibility and no regard for anyone or anything around them and parents that cared only about pacifying their children rather than parenting them.

A Television in Every Home

One of Bradbury’s primary sources of contempt was society’s reliance on technology and obsession with television. Before World War II, there were less than 10,000 televisions in the country. By 1950, there were roughly 6 million televisions in homes, rapidly increasing to nearly 60 million by 1960 (Elert). Americans had an instant attraction to television, and it was one of the factors that played a role in the changing family dynamics. Instead of discussing everyone’s day, more and more families spent their evenings gathered around the television.

Televisions played an essential role in keeping the population up to date on major events, but increasing demand for entertainment became the driving force in broadcasting. People became reliant on their televisions as both a source of information and entertainment, propelling the development of mass media. The powerful role of mass media presented its own dangers. The population trusted what they were being told, and for most, the television became the only source people turned to.

In an interview with Bradbury published at the end of many editions of Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury is quoted as saying, “The main problem is the idiot TV. If you watch local news, your head will turn to mush” (Bradbury 184). Bradbury is commenting on the ability of television to warp the viewer’s perspective. He speaks about how the media bombards people with the sensation, never stopping to allow people to think. This idea is on full display throughout the novel, particularly in Mildred’s obsession with her television room. When Montag is burning down his own home, he saves the parlor for last, releasing his contempt for the “nothingness” that had poured across the screens for so long.

Conclusion

Understanding the historical context of Fahrenheit 451 is essential to appreciate the messages contained in the text fully. Bradbury wrote his iconic novel at a time of great transformation in society. The story was meant to warn readers of what could happen to society if the threat of mass media, censorship, and an over-reliance on technology was left unchecked. These warnings were based on what Bradbury saw happening all around him when the story was written. Understanding this history and recognizing the fruition of Bradbury’s predictions in today’s reality is what makes Fahrenheit 451 so powerful.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Simon and Schuster, 1950.

Elert, Glenn. “Number of Televisions in the US.” Number of Televisions in the US – The Physics Factbook, hypertextbook.com/facts/2007/TamaraTamazashvili.shtml.

“Ray Bradbury.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 10 July 2020, www.biography.com/writer/ray-bradbury.