Better Active than Radioactive!: Anti-Nuclear Protest in 1970s France and West Germany (Oxford Historical Monographs)

During the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of people across Western Europe protested against civil nuclear energy. Nowhere were they more visible than in France and Germany-two countries where environmentalism seems to have diverged greatly since. This volume recovers the shared, transnational history of the early anti-nuclear movement, showing how low-level interactions among diverse activists led to far-reaching changes in both countries. Because nuclear energy was such a multivalent symbol, protest against it was simultaneously broad-based and highly fragmented. 'Concerned citizens' in communities near planned facilities felt that nuclear technology represented an outside intervention that potentially threatened their health, material existence, and way of life. In the decade after 1968, their concerns coalesced with more overtly 'political' criticisms of consumer society, the state, and militarism. Farmers, housewives, hippies, anarchists, and many more who defied categorization joined forces to oppose nuclear power, but the movement remained internally contradictory and outwardly unpredictable-not least with regard to violence at demonstrations. By analyzing the transnational dimensions, diverse outcomes, and internal divisions of anti-nuclear protest, Better Active than Radioactive! provides an encompassing and nuanced understanding of one of the largest 'New Social Movements' in post-war Western Europe and situates it within a decade of upheaval and protest. Drawing extensively on oral history interviews as well as police, media, and activist sources, this volume tells the story of the people behind the protests, showing how individuals at the grassroots built up a movement that transcended national borders as well as political and social differences. -- From publisher's website During the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of people across Western Europe protested against civil nuclear energy. Nowhere were they more visible than in France and Germany-two countries where environmentalism seems to have diverged greatly since. This volume recovers the shared, transnational history of the early anti-nuclear movement, showing how low-level interactions among diverse activists led to far-reaching changes in both countries.Because nuclear energy was such a multivalent symbol, protest against it was simultaneously broad-based and highly fragmented. 'Concerned citizens' in communities near planned facilities felt that nuclear technology represented an outside intervention that potentially threatened their health, material existence, and way of life. In the decade after 1968, their concerns coalesced with more overtly 'political' criticisms of consumer society, the state, and militarism. Farmers, housewives, hippies, anarchists, and many more who defied categorization joined forces to oppose nuclear power, but the movement remained internally contradictory and outwardly unpredictable-not least with regard to violence at demonstrations.By analyzing the transnational dimensions, diverse outcomes, and internal divisions of anti-nuclear protest, __Better Active than Radioactive!__ provides an encompassing and nuanced understanding of one of the largest 'New Social Movements' in post-war Western Europe and situates it within a decade of upheaval and protest. Drawing extensively on oral history interviews as well as police, media, and activist sources, this volume tells the story of the people behind the protests, showing how individuals at the grassroots built up a movement that transcended national borders as well as political and social differences. Cover 1 Better Active than Radioactive! Anti-Nuclear Protest in 1970s France and West Germany 4 Copyright 5 Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 List of Tables 12 List of Abbreviations 14 Note on Spelling and Translations 16 1: The Opposition to Nuclear Energy: A Transnational History of Protest in the 1970s 18 TRANSNATIONAL SOCIAL HISTORY 25 SITUATING ANTI-NUCLEAR PROTEST IN TIME AND SPACE 30 PROTEST IN HISTORICAL DEBATE 38 2: Anti-Nuclear Fusion: Protesters, Motivations, and Traditions 46 LOCAL PROTESTERS 48 OUTSIDERS 64 FLUID BOUNDARIES 80 3: ‘Radioactivity Doesn’t Stop at the Border—and Neither Do We!’ Transnational Networks, Protest, and People 84 A GLOBAL NETWORK OF LOCAL STRUGGLES 86 PATTERNS OF TRANSNATIONAL PROTEST 101 BORDER CROSSERS 117 CONCLUSION 127 4: ‘Power to the Bauer! ’Local Protest in the Rural World 129 IMAGINING THE RURAL AND THE LOCAL IN THE 1970S 131 INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TOWN AND COUNTRY 140 RURAL SPACE AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF PROTEST 154 CONCLUSION 163 5: ‘Peaceful but Offensive’ Protest: Violence and Non-Violence in the Anti-Nuclear Movement 164 THE DEBATE 167 ESCALATING (NON-)VIOLENCE 175 BEYOND DEMONSTRATIONS 190 LIVING WITH CONTRADICTION 202 CONCLUSION 210 6: Legacies: Trajectories of Activism and Activists since the 1980s 213 CHANGING THE WORLD 217 CHANGING THEMSELVES 236 CONCLUSION 249 Conclusion 252 Selected Bibliography 260 PRIMARY SOURCES 260 Principal Archive Collections 260 Activist Press 262 Interviews 263 Published Interview Material 265 Audiovisual Material 265 Published Primary Sources 265 Secondary Sources 268 Index 280 During The 1970s, Hundreds Of Thousands Of People Across Western Europe Protested Against Civil Nuclear Energy. This Volume Uses A Mix Of Oral And Archival History To Explore How Citizens From Disparate Walks Of Life In France And West Germany United To Oppose Nuclear Power, Transcending National Borders And Political And Social Differences. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. The Opposition To Nuclear Energy: A Transnational History Of Protest In The 1970s -- 2. Anti-nuclear Fusion: Protesters, Motivations, And Traditions -- 3. `radioactivity Doesn't Stop At The Border -- And Neither Do We!': Transnational Networks, Protest, And People -- 4. `power To The Bauer!': Local Protest In The Rural World -- 5. `peaceful But Offensive' Protest: Violence And Non-violence In The Anti-nuclear Movement -- 6. Legacies: Trajectories Of Activism And Activists Since The 1980s. Andrew S. Tompkins. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.