I n social/political terms, the 1950s can be summarized as a period of half-war, halfpeace. In the Korean War, which began in 1950 and ended in 1953, the United States entered into military engagement not only with Communist North Korea but also with the far stronger People's Republic of China. More than 30,000 American servicemen died in this undeclared war. However, the Korean conflict was a faraway engagement that did not immediately threaten the stability of the United States or its European allies. A greater threat to the United States was the Cold War with the Soviet Union and its allies, with its complex issues of diplomatic and economic competition, border disputes (Berlin, Korea, Hungary), nuclear gamesmanship, espionage, and internal subversion. Competition with the Soviet Union led to a quick buildup of U.S. nuclear forces in the late 1940s and early 1950s, which was countered by the Soviet development of both atomic and hydrogen bombs.
Hollywood films responded to these sociopolitical tensions in a variety of ways. Korean War films were rushed into production, with the strong support of the Department of Defense. Among the first to reach the theaters were THE STEEL, HELMET(1951) and ONE MINUTE TO ZERO (1952).
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