Introduction: The Pugwash Conferences and the Global Cold War: Scientists, Transnational Networks, and the Complexity of Nuclear Histories

Citation

Kraft A, Nehring H & Sachse C (2018) Introduction: The Pugwash Conferences and the Global Cold War: Scientists, Transnational Networks, and the Complexity of Nuclear Histories. Journal of Cold War Studies, 20 (1), pp. 4-30. https://doi.org/10.1162/jcws_e_00799

Abstract
This introductory essay elucidates the purpose and major themes of the special issue. The contributors to the issue provide an in-depth look at the Pugwash Conferences for Science and World Affairs (usually referred to as just Pugwash) to explore important themes in Cold War history. Among other topics covered in the issue are the impact of Pugwash in many countries, the nature of its organization, and the distinctive way in which it worked, as well as its importance for the relationship between scientists and the Cold War states and its role as a political actor and as a transnational actor. All of these issues and more make Pugwash a compelling subject for scholars of the Cold War.

Keywords
Pugwash; nuclear weapons; science; Cold War transnational history; nuclear history; peace movements; NGOs; INGOs

Journal
Journal of Cold War Studies: Volume 20, Issue 1

People

Professor Holger Nehring

Chair in Contemporary European History, History