An Analysis of the Antinuclear Movement as a Political Interest Group
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Authors
Counsman, Richard
Issue Date
1981
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
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Abstract
As the issue of nuclear energy has emerged in the
political arena, it seems only natural that organized
opposition is contesting nuclear advocates in this same
spectrum. Although the nuclear industry protests that the
antinuclear movement has unjustly singled the nuclear industry
as an evil threat to society, a retrospective look shows
that environmentalists have protested oil spills, coal
pollution, and other industrial contamination that threatens
the environment.
The antinuclear movement has succeeded in organizing
nation-wide opposition to nuclear energy through the use of
various tactics that publicize atomic energy dangers and
educate the public on the perils of that energy source. As
a group, the nuclear opponents have many traditional political
interest group qualities. Numerous practices of traditional
interest groups identified by David Truman in The Governmental
Process are noticeable in the movement against nuclear energy.
The group has centralized its plan of attack, albeit not a
totally unified effort, that has aided in the sharp decrease
in scheduled plant construction. The Atomic Industrial
Forum, a reputable publicist of pronuclear sentiments, predicts
that no new nuclear plants will be licensed in the 1980's.
The antinuclear movement has played a crucial role, although
many times not direct, in the projected moratorium on.
nuclear plants.
This paper will analyze the rise of antinuclear
activity and its effectiveness as a political interest
group. The nuclear question cannot singly be categorized
as a political, technical, social, or economic problem.
These facets mesh so closely that it takes people with
expertise in each field to sort the issues of nuclear
feasibility. Yet, each facet cannot be treated as equal.
It is politicians who implement
change in society, and it is these men that the country
looks toward to make decisions about energy strategies.
Description
80 p.
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