Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Geoffrey Haywood
Abstract
Nuclear energy became an important part of the Soviet Union’s history with the creation of the first every nuclear plant to generate electricity in 1954: Obninsk. With its massive success, the Soviet Union had determined that nuclear energy would be an effective resource to power the nation. Due to this belief, the creation of a plant called Chernobyl was established. This plant was intended to be the largest source of power to date and was believed to put the Soviet Union back on the map, as they were afraid to appear as though they were falling behind the rest of the world. For such a crucially important project, they had worked to ensure that the design and safety precautions were thorough. However, both things would be tossed aside due to the involvement of the Communist party’s involvement in both its construction and day to day functioning. The building structure would be compromised, and the safety regulations forgotten as the workers rushed to complete the plant, all because the communist party had little patience. Those in charge were in fear of losing their jobs and standing, and because of this they were willing to falsify reports and use faulty or broken parts to accomplish the job which would factor into the meltdown of nuclear reactor four. The nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl was a preventable disaster, as the event transpired due to the involvement of a flawed political structure that favored loyalty and ability to follow orders over experience and knowledge. The involvement of the Communist Party brought a fear of denying your superiors and ultimately lead to the disregard of safety by the plant workers in order to complete the job tasked of them.
Recommended Citation
Keller, Morgan, "Chernobyl, 1986" (2020). Capstone Showcase. 4.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2020/hist_pol_studies/4
Chernobyl, 1986
Nuclear energy became an important part of the Soviet Union’s history with the creation of the first every nuclear plant to generate electricity in 1954: Obninsk. With its massive success, the Soviet Union had determined that nuclear energy would be an effective resource to power the nation. Due to this belief, the creation of a plant called Chernobyl was established. This plant was intended to be the largest source of power to date and was believed to put the Soviet Union back on the map, as they were afraid to appear as though they were falling behind the rest of the world. For such a crucially important project, they had worked to ensure that the design and safety precautions were thorough. However, both things would be tossed aside due to the involvement of the Communist party’s involvement in both its construction and day to day functioning. The building structure would be compromised, and the safety regulations forgotten as the workers rushed to complete the plant, all because the communist party had little patience. Those in charge were in fear of losing their jobs and standing, and because of this they were willing to falsify reports and use faulty or broken parts to accomplish the job which would factor into the meltdown of nuclear reactor four. The nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl was a preventable disaster, as the event transpired due to the involvement of a flawed political structure that favored loyalty and ability to follow orders over experience and knowledge. The involvement of the Communist Party brought a fear of denying your superiors and ultimately lead to the disregard of safety by the plant workers in order to complete the job tasked of them.