School of Social and Political Sciences - Theses

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Opposition to nuclear weapons in Australia, 1949-1965

Carter, Barbara J. ( 1982)

This thesis aims to examine the importance and implications of the opposition expressed towards nuclear weapons in Australia between 1949 and 1965. Such opposition can be manifested in many different ways. At one level it may be seen in the unformed misgivings about the possible effects of nuclear weapons tests; it may be expressed as a fear for one's life and one’s children if a nuclear war were to break out. Opposition on this most general level may not be expressed outside a small circle of family and acquaintances. It helps to form a background against which a political culture is developed and in which more organised forms of opposition can emerge. The thesis is primarily concerned with these organised forms of opposition, with those who went beyond a vague feeling of unease and possibly of helplessness to form groups to study the issue, who devoted significant effort to working for the abolition of nuclear weapons and who tried to influence the political processes by joining protest marches, writing letters, or lobbying politicians. Throughout the thesis their activities are set within the general political climate of the time, both within Australia and internationally, and the varying influences of the period on anti-nuclear activists form an important aspect of this work.(From Introduction)