| Description |
1 online resource. |
|
text file |
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PDF |
| Physical Medium |
polychrome |
| Series |
Histories of the sacred and secular, 1700-2000
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Histories of the sacred and secular, 1700-2000.
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| Summary |
This book offers a new and provocative interpretation of early Cold War history by demonstrating how Christian agency played a pivotal role in the creating of space for the logic of nuclear deterrence and nuclear war fighting in the years 1945-59. Cold War chroniclers have traditionally placed great emphasis on threats of mutually assured destruction to explain the puzzle of nuclear non-use since 1945. Here nuclear deterrence is conceived as a realm of absolute necessity with no room for morality. More recently the idea of 'nuclear taboo' has generated immense interest by challenging conventional wisdom with a compelling argument regarding the conceptual (normative rather than material) bases of nuclear restraint. These accounts narrate the emergence of a distinctive ethical order with a particular premium placed on the role of (Anglo-American) Christian activists in giving rise to anti-nuclear sentiment at a formative stage 1945-59. Yet such a reading elides or obfuscates the fact that Christians were deeply divided in their imaginings. Gorry invites a reassessment of assumptions by offering a balanced examination of Christians as enablers but, more provocatively, as resisters of nuclear prohibitions in the early years of Cold War. |
| Contents |
PART I: VISION AND ORDER -- Presumptions against War -- Prophecy and Diplomacy at a New Frontier -- PART II: FAITH AND FEAR -- Christians in an Atomic Age -- The Churches and the Thermonuclear Revolution -- PART III: POWER AND JUSTICE -- The Moral Aspects of Deterrence -- Strategies for Survival -- Redacting Just War -- Conclusion. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Antinuclear movement -- History.
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Antinuclear movement. |
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History. |
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Nuclear warfare -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.
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Nuclear warfare -- Religious aspects -- Christianity. |
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Christianity and international relations -- History -- 20th century.
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Christianity and international relations. |
| Chronological Term |
20th century |
| Subject |
Cold War.
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Cold War (1945-1989) |
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SOCIAL SCIENCE -- General. |
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Military history: post WW2 conflicts -- c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period) |
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Nuclear weapons -- c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period) |
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Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000 -- c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period) |
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The Cold War -- c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period) |
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History. |
| Chronological Term |
1900-1999 |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
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History.
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| Other Form: |
Print version: Gorry, Jonathan. Cold war Christians and the spectre of nuclear deterrence, 1945-1959. [Basingstoke] : Palgrave Macmillan, 2013 (DLC) 2013048279 |
| ISBN |
9781137334244 (electronic book) |
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113733424X (electronic book) |
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9781137334237 |
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1137334231 |
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