War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

12/07/1988

License Clip

This program cannot be made available on Open Vault.

More material may be available from this program at the GBH Archives. If you would like research access to the collection at GBH, please email archive_requests@wgbh.org.

Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

Europe Goes Nuclear

Program Number

104

Series Description

The first atomic explosion in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, changed the world forever. This series chronicles these changes and the history of a new era. It traces the development of nuclear weapons, the evolution of nuclear strategy, and the politics of a world with the power to destroy itself.

In thirteen one-hour programs that combine historic footage and recent interviews with key American, Soviet, and European participants, the nuclear age unfolds: the origin and evolution of nuclear weapons; the people of the past who have shaped the events of the present; the ideas and issues that political leaders, scientists, and the public at large must confront, and the prospects for the future. Nuclear Age highlights the profound changes in contemporary thinking imposed by the advent of nuclear weapons. Series release date: 1/1989

Program Description

France and England rush to acquire their own nuclear weapons, NATO worries about the threat from the East, and Europe becomes the most nuclear-saturated place on Earth.

British and American scientists worked side by side to build the first nuclear bombs. “There was a strong desire on the British side for that collaboration to continue into peacetime. There was no such desire on the part of the United States,” recalls British diplomat Roger Makins, Lord Sherfield. Britain decided to proceed on its own and in 1952 joined the US and the Soviets in what pundits would call “the nuclear club.” General Charles De Gaulle, president of France, wanted to join the club, too, and not rely on the US for nuclear protection. Prestige was also an issue. In 1960, France exploded its first atomic weapon. Since World War II the Soviet Union had had a superiority in conventional forces in Europe. NATO countered by deploying thousands of nuclear weapons. “They were accepted as being perfectly reasonable weapons to use in a tactical battle in continental Europe,” said Sir Richard Powell of the British Defense Ministry.

Duration

00:57:43

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Video

Genres

Topics

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear,” 12/07/1988, GBH Archives, accessed April 25, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_2271DD0951DE4D7EA0E4BE5D47535289.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear.” 12/07/1988. GBH Archives. Web. April 25, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_2271DD0951DE4D7EA0E4BE5D47535289>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_2271DD0951DE4D7EA0E4BE5D47535289

If you have more information about this item, we want to know! Please contact us, including the URL.

GBH Openvault

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear