Atomic Age America

This book examines nuclear science as a lens into 20^th-century America. Atomic Age America looks at the broad influence of atomic energy – a transformative technology – especially on the lives of Americans within a world context. The text examines the social, political, environmental and scientific consequences of atomic energy on the 20^th and 21^st centuries, with a look back to the origins of atomic theory.

Introduction: A Most Controversial Technology         

Chapter 1 A Community of Scientists: Atomic Theory over the Centuries                                 

Chapter 2 Government Mobilizes the Atom: War, Big Science, and the Manhattan Project

Chapter 3 Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Aftermath: From Total War to Cold War

Chapter 4 The Cold War and Atomic Diplomacy: Deterrence, Espionage, and the Super    

Chapter 5 Invincible to Vulnerable in the Age of Anxiety: Massive Retaliation, Fallout, and the Sputnik Crisis                    

Chapter 6 To the Brink: The Military-Industrial Complex, the Berlin and Cuban Crises, and the Lingering Arms Race

Chapter 7 Too Cheap to Meter, Too Tempting to Ignore: Peaceful Uses of the Atom                                                                                                  

Chapter 8 Nuclear Power v. The Environment: The Bandwagon Market, Reactor Safety, and the Energy Crisis

Chapter 9 The Post-TMI World, Chernobyl, and the Future of Nuclear Power        

Chapter 10 Pax Atomica—or Pox Atomica--at the End of the Cold War 

Chapter 11 Proliferation, Terrorism, and Climate Change: The Atom in the 21^st Century                                                           

Conclusion: From Hiroshima to Fukushima