Nuclear technology
The development of nuclear technology during the Silent War played a significant role in shaping the global political landscape, as both Britain and Russia raced to harness the potential of atomic energy for both civilian and military purposes.
History
Early Research in Russia
The concept of atomic theory can be traced back to the work of Russian physicists from the Imperial Academy of Sciences and Arts in the 1910s. However, due to a lack of support and public interest, compounded by the European Economic Crisis (1922-1928) and the Russian Revolution, research on nuclear science in Russia languished by the 1920s. Despite this, the literature published by the academy served as a foundation for the development of nuclear science by physicists worldwide.
Mabelle Taylor's Discovery
In 1941, Dutch-British physicist Mabelle Taylor discovered nuclear fission. News of this groundbreaking discovery spread rapidly, generating excitement and interest in the scientific community and beyond.
Commercial Applications
Throughout the 1940s, physicists worldwide sought to harness nuclear energy for commercial electricity generation as an alternative to traditional energy sources. The first commercial electricity-generating plant powered by nuclear energy opened in Bradwell-on-Sea, England, in 1946.
Weaponization of Nuclear Energy
Recognizing the potential for nuclear energy to be weaponized, the British military initiated a covert project in 1948 to develop new types of weapons based on nuclear energy. This effort culminated in 1952 with Britain's first public atomic bomb test in Georgia.
Despite their early theoretical understanding of atomic energy, the Russians had failed to recognize its strategic value, and consequently, they lagged behind Britain in terms of nuclear weapons development. In response to Britain's public atomic bomb test, Russia accelerated its own nuclear weapons program, leveraging the wealth of open literature and widespread knowledge of nuclear energy. By 1954, Russia had successfully tested its first atomic bomb, which was three times more powerful than Britain's test in Georgia.
Advancements in the field of rocketry, notably the development of transcontinental (TCR) and transatmospheric rockets (TAR), significantly extended the range of nuclear weapons delivery. This intensified global tensions and solidified the principle of mutually assured destruction throughout the Silent War.
The Great Nuclear Scare
By the 1950s, there have already been several nuclear power plants around the world. However, a string of minor nuclear incidents in the 1960s to 1970s contributed to growing apprehensions about nuclear energy's potential hazards, leading to protests around the world against the use of nuclear energy. The culmination of these events came to a head with the Kemo Nuclear Disaster of 1971, in Kemo, Corea (formerly known as Mukden). This disaster led to heightened global anxieties over nuclear power safety and dependability. Governments worldwide reacted by temporarily suspending operations at nuclear facilities for safety evaluations, leading to a surge in demand for conventional energy sources, most notably oil.
Impact
The development of nuclear weapons by both Britain and Russia during the Silent War led to a nuclear arms race and the principle of mutually assured destruction. This dynamic would come to dominate late 20th-century politics, as the potential for catastrophic consequences restrained direct military conflict between the two superpowers, instead giving rise to numerous proxy wars and covert operations.
