Nuclear Italy. An International History of Italian Nuclear Policies during the Cold War

Abstract

This book examines the history of Italy’s nuclear policies during the Cold War, by placing the Italian case in an international and comparative framework. It analyzes the ways in which international politics and economics, technological and scientific exchanges, as well as social and cultural movements, influenced Italian nuclear policies, both civilian and military. The essays – divided into four sections devoted to “Civilian Uses of Nuclear Energy”, “Military Aspects of Nuclear Power”, “Public Opinion and Anti-nuclear Movements”, and “The Role of Scientists and Scientific Research” – use new methodological tools and incorporate a variety of approaches coming from different disciplines, such as the history of science, Science and Technology Studies, international relations, business history, literature and media studies, and the history of social movements. By doing so, they contribute to the growing literature about the history of nuclear policies during the twentieth century, and allow for a new understanding of the specificities – and in some ways uniqueness – of Italy’s nuclear experience, a country characterized by a strong tradition in nuclear physics and research, which abandoned its nuclear program much earlier than other European countries.