Abstract
During the last few decades, humans have developed and implemented the technology capable of causing self-destruction on a totally unprecedented global scale. The initial development and the dramatic use of nuclear weapons at the end of World War II startled the world into a new awareness: that a single weapon delivered by a single vehicle could instantaneously destroy most of the population and the physical structure of an urban area. The horror of such massive casualties was greatly enhanced by the terror of radiation as the unseen killer, striking down its victims not only quickly but also over subsequent weeks, years, and even across generations.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1984 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Harwell, M.A. (1984). Introduction. In: Nuclear Winter. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5288-7_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5288-7_1
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9771-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-5288-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive