Past Event

Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters

kate brown

Kennan Institute U.S. Alumni Series //

Plutopia is the first history of Richland, Washington and Ozersk, Russia, two communities developed in parallel by opposing nations at the height of the Cold War. Using firsthand interviews and historical archives, Kate Brown traces the development of the twin sites, showing how the cover provided by the idyllic towns allowed plant managers to grow corrupt and freely pollute. The result, she discovers, was a twinned pair of environmental and medical disasters ranking among the worst that the world has ever seen.

Life in a Real Nuclear Wasteland : Recent article by Kate Brown in Slate about daily life in Muslumovo, Russia. 

Speaker

Hosted By

Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.   Read more

Kennan Institute

Nuclear Proliferation International History Project

The Nuclear Proliferation International History Project is a global network of individuals and institutions engaged in the study of international nuclear history through archival documents, oral history interviews, and other empirical sources.   Read more

Nuclear Proliferation International History Project

Cold War International History Project

The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War.   Read more

Cold War International History Project