Summary

Alternative Name(s): Button

This badge was designed by the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament around1980. The slogan is a play on 'Protect and Survive', a public information series produced by the British government during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The programme consisted of pamphlets, radio broadcasts and films and it was intended to inform citizens on how to protect themselves during a nuclear attack. However, organisations like the CND thought that encouraging the idea that a nuclear war could be survived only made such a war more likely. They also published their own material, one of the examples being the "Protest and Survive" brochure made by E P Thompson. Thompson was a writer, historian and activist that had supported the anti-nuclear campaign since the beginning and was one of the most prominent figures of the movement. His parody pamphlet was published by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament along with the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation. It describes the potentially destructive effects of nuclear weapons and tries to prove that the official stance will only lead to better weapons and eventually their actual use. This pamphlet was very popular and actually played a role in the revived strength of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Physical Description

Small badge. Background white with a red band in the c. Black printed text on white background and white printed text on red background. Black and white peace symbol in l. Pin on the back.

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