The Anti-Nuclear Movement
The 1960s, 70s and 80s was a time of unrest in which many different social and political protest occurred. One of these being the protest movement against nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants.
In August 1945, America drop two nuclear bombs on Japan. This significant event would have ripple effects on the next 40 years of history.
Soon after the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered to the Allies and World War II ended. However, this did not end conflict in the world. During the next few decades the Soviet Union and the USA were engaged in a conflict known as the Cold War. A cold war is defined as a war that is waged against an enemy by ever means short of actually fighting (CWB 2015) however the Cold War did included 'hot' events such as the Vietnam War, the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Both superpowers also started developing and expanding their nuclear arsenal. There was intense fear that their would be a Third World War or a Nuclear War in which the world and everyone in it would be destroyed by nuclear bombs. Many pieces of literature written in the years after WW2 reflected this fear such as The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, On the Beach by Nevil Shute and Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle. American released numerous Civil Defence films in the hopes of preparing for what seemed to be an eminent attack. With the fate of a nuclear war looming over everyone's head, a protest movement against the development of nuclear weapons began. Major protest groups included the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) and Women Strike for Peace. These groups called for nuclear disarmament and voiced their concern about the threat of nuclear weapons. |
1951 Civil Defence Film (Mauer and Rizzo 1951)
A protest movement is where feelings of unrest among society boils over and people unite to fight, in an organised fashion, for their opinion in attempt to see change occur
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