Between 1944 and 1949 a Cold War consciousness emerged in New Zealand in response to the ideological struggle which gripped the international world. During this period the New Zealand press came to visualise the world in stark terms, recognising that a collision between the West, led by the United States of America, and the Soviet Union and its allies, was likely. By the end of 1949 a Cold War consensus had developed in New Zealand based on the rhetoric of liberal anti-communism, the fear of the Soviet Union and domestic concern at the activities of the New Zealand Communist Party. This consensus became the dominant domestic motif of New Zealand foreign policy up until the Vietnam War.
This long essay argues that a dominant Cold War consciousness developed in the public domain as a result of New Zealand's confrontation with totalitarianism during the Second World War, the aggressive behaviour of the Soviet Union after the defeat of Hitler, Winston Churchill's 'iron curtain' speech, and the perceived disruptive activities and influences of the New Zealand Communist Party. Combined with these factors, the negative portrayal of the Soviet Union and communism in the major newspapers, helped to create a dominant 'take that, you dirty commie!' attitude in New Zealand by the end of 1949.
