Andrei Sakharov: A Nuclear Physicist from Russia - Essay Example

Andrei Sakharov was a nuclear physicist from Russia, who contributed optimally to the erstwhile Soviet Union’s Nuclear Weapons Program. However, in his later part of life, Sakharov became a human rights activist who campaigned against nuclear weapons. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sakharov researched cosmic rays and other nuclear-related technologies, thereby playing a prominent role in the development of the Soviet’s first megaton-range hydrogen bomb. 

In that later period only, Sakharov started writing many books, essays, and articles, which reflected on his life, the Soviet Union, politics, and importantly his views against nuclear weapons. Because of this anti-government stance, the essay was first circulated in ‘samizdat’ (rough copies, which were circulated manually). After getting some prominence inside the Soviet Union, that work was published outside in other countries as well. In the same year, the Dutch newspaper Het Parool published it, followed by The New York Times. “The New York Times published the full text of Sakharov’s “Reflections” under the headlines, “Text of Essay by Russian Nuclear Physicist Urging Soviet-American Cooperation,” “Joint Action by Two Nations Viewed as Essential to Avert Perils Facing Mankind,” “Basis for Hope Seen in Rapprochement between Socialist and Capitalist Systems.

” (“Reflections on Progress”). As the essay gained prominence worldwide, Sakharov was removed from all military-related works and was sent to an academic facility to study fundamental theoretical physics. However, his essay put him into the spotlight as a key anti-nuclear weapons crusader. In the essay, he further opposed any buildup of nuclear weapons and instead wanted peaceful relations between the two superpowers of the Soviet Union and the USA. Thus, his first and major work not only exhibited his changing of ideology but also strongly influenced the anti-nuclear weapons movement worldwide.

Following this work, Sakharov came up with a work in 1974 called, My Country and the World, which is actually a 20,000-word essay but was published as a book by Alfred A. Knopf in the USA. In that work, he delineates his vision for not only the Soviet Union but also for the world at that time. He mainly focused on the internal problems that were plaguing the Soviet Union at that time including poverty, alcoholism, economic inactivity, etc., and put the blame for it on the Communist Party elite. He further criticized the ruling Communists for allowing discrimination against the minorities particularly the Jews, Ukrainians, Volga Germans, etc.

He was particularly harsh against Soviet Union’s support to ‘certain’ totalitarian regimes like Gaddafi’s Libya, Idi Amin’s Uganda, Venezuela’s communist regime, and even radical organizations, although those regimes indulged in genocide and cruel human rights violations. Soviet support for these regimes for political and geo-strategic reasons was severely criticized by Sakharov in the book, bringing out a strong dissident note against the Soviet establishment. He also focused on how foreign policies need to be changed in line with the world, which is moving toward democracy.

After this book, many books which are a collection of his articles, statements, testaments, etc., were edited by other authors and published by many publishing houses as well. This included Trevoga I Nadezhda (Alarm and Hope) in 1979, which is a compilation of Sakharov's public statements with editing done by Efrem Yankelevich and Edward Kline, then On Sakharov in 1982, contained articles by and about Sakharov, with compiling done by Alexander Babyonyshev. (“Books by Andrei Sakharov”). However, Sakharov’s third major work was Memoirs, which is an autobiography of sorts as it details his growing up years, his scientific work, his opposition towards nuclear weapons, his campaign for human rights, opposition and persecution by the Soviet establishment, details about his marriage and family.

As stated in the foreword, it seems that he started to work on this book in 1978, and the book provided various aspects of his life like a ‘collage’. For example, in one part of the book, Sakharov describes seriously the persecution carried out by KGB on him, and in that same part, he suddenly breaks off and discusses quantum physics. This juxtaposition of various aspects of his life provides the book with an interesting and at the same time surreal reading.