Red Atom: Russias Nuclear Power Program From Stalin To Today

Description

In the 1950s, Soviet nuclear scientists and leaders imagined a stunning future when giant reactors would generate energy quickly and cheaply, nuclear engines would power cars, ships, and airplanes, and peaceful nuclear explosions would transform the landscape. Driven by the energy of the atom, the dream of communism would become a powerful reality. Thirty years later, that dream died in Chernobyl. What went wrong? Based on exhaustive archival research and interviews, Red Atom takes a behind-the-scenes look at the history of the Soviet Union's peaceful use of nuclear power. It explores both the projects and the technocratic and political elite who were dedicated to increasing state power through technology. And it describes the political, economic, and environmental fallout of Chernobyl. Contents Chronology Acknowledgment Prologue: Atomic-Powered Communism Chapter 1. The Reactor in the Garden Chapter 2. Nuclear Breeders: Technological Determinism Chapter 3. Nuclear Concrete Chapter 4. Nuclear Engines: Technology as Panacea Chapter 5. Nuclear Chickens: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Ionizing Radiation Chapter 6. A Stellar Promise: The Display Value of Fusion Power Chapter 7. Reactors for the Republics Chapter 8. Nuclear Explosions: Peaceful and Otherwise Epilogue: Atomic-Powered Communism Reconsidered Appendix: Table 1–24 About the Sources Notes Index