History of the anti-nuclear movement

Anti-nuclear movement
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The application of nuclear technology, both as a source of energy and as an instrument of war, has been controversial.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Scientists and diplomats have debated nuclear weapons policy since before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.^[6] The public became concerned about nuclear weapons testing from about 1954, following extensive nuclear testing in the Pacific. In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, about 50,000 women brought together by Women Strike for Peace marched in 60 cities in the United States to demonstrate against nuclear weapons.^[7][8] In 1963, many countries ratified the Partial Test Ban Treaty which prohibited atmospheric nuclear testing.^[9]

Some local opposition to nuclear power emerged in the early 1960s,^[10] and in the late 1960s some members of the scientific community began to express their concerns.^[11] In the early 1970s, there were large protests about a proposed nuclear power plant in Wyhl, Germany. The project was cancelled in 1975 and anti-nuclear success at Wyhl inspired opposition to nuclear power in other parts of Europe and North America.^[12][13] Nuclear power became an issue of major public protest in the 1970s.^[14]