Intro -- 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.

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.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.