Critical Masses : Citizens, Nuclear Weapons Production, and Environmental Destruction in the United States and Russia

by Russell J. Dalton, Paula Garb, Nicholas P. Lovrich, John C. Pierce and John M. Whiteley

• ISBN13: 9780262541039
• ISBN10: 0262541033
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-10-22
• Publisher: Mit Pr

Summary

This book investigates how citizens in the United States and Russia have used the democratic process to force their governments to address the horrendous environmental damage caused by the nuclear arms race. It is the first in-depth comparative study of environmental activism and democracy in the two countries. Critical Massesfocuses on two crucial areas-the Hanford Reservation in Washington State and the Mayak Complex in Russia-that were at the heart of their nations' nuclear weapons programs, examining how the surrounding communities were affected. It explores nuclear weapons production, how both governments concealed environmental and health dangers from people living nearby, and how Russian and American citizens think about environmental issues. And it provides insights into the process of democratization in Russia and the limits of democracy in the United States, as well as the development of nuclear policy in the post-Cold War era.

Author Biography

Russell J. Dalton is Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California. Irvine. Paula Garb is Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine. Nicholas P. Lovrich is Professor of Political Science at Washington State University. John C. Pierce is Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. John M. Whiteley is Professor of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword	vii
List of Figures	ix
List of Tables	xi
Preface	xiii
I Introduction	1	(26)
Introduction	3	(24)
Russell J. Dalton
Paula Garb
Nicholas P. Lovrich
John C. Pierce
John M. Whiteley
II The Historical Legacy	27	(104)
The Hanford Nuclear Reservations: The Old Realities and the New	29	(30)
John M. Whiteley
The Compelling Realities of Mayak	59	(38)
John M. Whiteley
Public Perceptions of Environmental Conditions	97	(34)
John C. Pierce
Russell J. Dalton
Andrei Zaitsev
III The Environmental Movement	131	(62)
The Development of Interest Group Activism at Handford	133	(32)
William Schreckhise
A History of Environmental Activism in Chelyabinsk	165	(28)
Paula Garb
Galina Komarova
IV Citizens and the Environment	193	(92)
Environmental Attitudes and the New Environmental Paradigm	195	(36)
Russell J. Dalton
Yevgeny Gontmacher
Nicholas P. Lovrich
John C. Pierce
Environmental Thinking among Environmental Leaders in Russia	231	(20)
Paula Garb
The Mobilization of Public Support for Environmental Action	251	(34)
John C. Pierce
Russell J. Dalton
Ira Gluck
V The Governmental Response	285	(94)
The Governmental Response at Hanford	287	(46)
Nicholas P. Lovrich
John M. Whiteley
Still Tilting against the Environment: The Struggle over the Russian Governmental Response	333	(46)
John M. Whiteley
IV Conclusion	379	(38)
Conclusion: Legacies of the Nuclear Age	381	(36)
Russell J. Dalton
Paula Garb
Nicholas P. Lovrich
John C. Pierce
John M. Whiteley
Appendixes	417	(10)
A: Survey Methodology	417	(6)
B: Survey Index Construction	423	(4)
References	427	(22)
About the Authors	449	(2)
Index	451