Austria, a small and neutral country in the heart of Europe, lies on the margins of global nuclear history. It has never possessed nuclear weapons, nor has it considered launching a nuclear weapons program. Austria is home to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), yet it has never produced a single kilowatt of electricity through nuclear power. However, Austria’s recent ambitions to intensify the global debate on nuclear disarmament, as well as the newly vibrant field of nuclear studies, give good reason to dedicate a themed issue of zeitgeschichte to nuclear history. This issue offers an introduction to Austria’s nuclear past and present and provides three case studies on the rise and fall of nuclear power optimism in Western Societies.

Aus dem Inhalt:

Elisabeth Röhrlich
Writing Nuclear History in Austria: An Introduction

Eugen Pfister
Nuclear Optimism in European Newsreels in the 1950s

Magdalena Reitbauer
The Origins, Formation, and Development of Euratom

J. Samuel Walker
Three Mile Island: The First Great Nuclear Power Crisis