Ye,s it was. Maybe you should talk to your parents and/or grandparents about this. Mine lived and grew up in what then was West Germany. When my parents talk about the nuclear drills at school, the fear still returns to their eyes and they gaze into nothingness. When my grandparents talk about the air raid siren tests the trembling in their voices is heartbreaking.
That shit was real and terrifying. And I personally think this constant, everoresent fear was what made stories about an optimistic future such a success.