Taking on Technocracy : Nuclear Power in Germany, 1945 to the Present

The German abandonment of nuclear power represents one of the most successful popular revolts against technocratic thinking in modern times—the triumph of a dynamic social movement, encompassing a broad swath of West Germans as well as East German dissident circles, over political, economic, and scientific elites. __Taking on Technocracy__ gives a brisk account of this dramatic historical moment, showing how the popularization of scientific knowledge fostered new understandings of technological risk. Combining analyses of social history, popular culture, social movement theory, and histories of science and technology, it offers a compelling narrative of a key episode in the recent history of popular resistance. Contents Illustrations Acknowledgments Abbreviations and Acronyms/Glossary Introduction Chapter 1 Nuclear Dreams and Radioactive Nightmares Popular Culture and the Quest for Nuclear Consensus in East and West Germany, 1945–1970 Chapter 2 On the Brink of Disaster? Safety Regimes and Nuclear Accidents in the Two Germanys Chapter 3 Dissenting Voices The Emergence of Counterexperts in West Germany Chapter 4 From Local Roots to National Prominence The Struggle over Wyhl Chapter 5 Environmentalism as Civil War Brokdorf—and the Consequences Chapter 6 The Shock of Chernobyl and the Environmentalist Breakthrough in West Germany Chapter 7 Not Immune to Error Chernobyl’s Impact in the GDR Chapter 8 Abandoning Nuclear Power—Or Not? Conclusion Bibliography Index The German abandonment of nuclear power represents one of the most successful popular revolts against technocratic thinking in modern times-the triumph of a dynamic social movement, comprised of a broad swath of West Germans and select East German dissidents, over political, economic, and scientific elites. Taking on Technocracy gives a brisk account of this dramatic historical moment, showing how the popularization of scientific knowledge fostered new understandings of technological risk. Combining analyses of social history, popular culture, social movement theory, and histories of science and technology, it offers a compelling narrative of a key episode in the recent history of popular resistance Taking on Technocracy addresses changing attitudes towards nuclear energy in the age of global warming. The German decision to abandon nuclear power is placed in a historical context, including popularization of science, new social movements, media, policing, gender, and the history of emotions.