9c. Successes and Challenges

What were some successes and challenges of the anti-nuclear peace movement?

  • It was able to influence governments towards treaties and arms reduction agreements; some nations are now a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, such as New Zealand. Here is a graphic of the number of nuclear warheads in the world in 2019:

    2019 estimated global nuclear warhead inventories infographic
    2019 Estimated Global Nuclear Warhead Inventories Description
  • It had a significant educational impact, as scientists, physicians, and other researchers provided evidence of the dangers of nuclear weapons.
  • It spawned numerous peace-related organizations and networks.
  • It has slowed, but hasn’t stopped, the nuclear arms race.
  • It generated mass mobilization against a particular conflict to an extent not seen before and perhaps not since (though climate change activism is becoming comparable).
  • It had strength in the globally shared fear of the potential devastation caused by nuclear weapons; it was a universal movement.
  • It possessed a wide range of tactics: civil disobedience, diplomacy, symbolism, marches, lobbying, sabotage, and more.
  • It sometimes lacked unity, with diverse interest groups and political positions on disarmament.

Before you leave this module, take a few minutes to look at what happened this week in The Year in Peace and Justice History’. Are there any events profiled that link directly or indirectly to any of the themes and information in this module? 

 

Stop and Ask

What are the aims/goals, methods/tactics, ideology/philosophy, and symbols of this movement?

Illustration of peace symbol as a pie chart with four sections: aims/goals, methods/tactics, ideology/philosophy, and symbols
 

Image References

Arms Control Association, "Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance," Arms Control Association, July 2019, https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat.

Please return to Module 9 to complete this module.