Abstract

The German abandonment of nuclear power represents one of the most successful popular revolts against technocratic thinking in modern times—the triumph of a dynamic social movement, encompassing a broad swath of West Germans as well as East German dissident circles, over political, economic, and scientific elites. Taking on Technocracy gives a brisk account of this dramatic historical moment, showing how the popularization of scientific knowledge fostered new understandings of technological risk. Combining analyses of social history, popular culture, social movement theory, and histories of science and technology, it offers a compelling narrative of a key episode in the recent history of popular resistance.

“Impressively up-to-date, this volume’s attention to media and public opinion makes it a valuable analysis of the interrelationship between science and social protest.” • Timothy Scott Brown, Northeastern University

“This study of utopian visions, scientific expertise, state power, and public protest is a crucial contribution to the history of nuclear power – and public concerns about science generally. Focusing on a divided Germany after the war until unification and the present, Augustine explores surprising similarities in the embrace of nuclear power in capitalism and socialism, including transnational aspects of the two German programs under American and Soviet influence, and unquestioned state support. If at first state- and industry-supported notions of technological progress and a higher standard of living prevailed, then criticism burst forth over worries of catastrophic accidents, even before Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. In West Germany, many citizens rejected the nuclear alliance between the political authorities, the nuclear industry, and technical-scientific experts un-democratic and even authoritarian. They insisted that safety issues were not only technical but normative. Eventually, violent protest shook the nation. Even in the East, brave citizens also came to worry about nuclear power. Ultimately, Germany has rejected nuclear power, and readers will understand why.” • Paul Josephson, Colby College

Dolores L. Augustine is a Professor of History at St. John’s University, New York. She received her doctorate from the Free University of Berlin. Her publications include Patricians and Parvenus: Wealth and High Society in Wilhelmine Germany and Red Prometheus: Engineering and Dictatorship in East Germany, 1945-1990.