Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Open Access)
Department
Colby College. History Dept.
Advisor(s)
Paul R. Josephson
Second Advisor
John P. Turner
Abstract
Since its first mass application in 1915, chemical weapons (CW) have tolled thousands of lives both on and off the battle field. The USSR, despite its weak industrial basis and a late-starter in the field of chemical weaponry, held the largest stockpile of CW by the conclusion of the twentieth century. While the military and political implications of the USSR CW stockpiles have been relatively well-studied, its domestic and internal effect also deserve thorough investigations. Through diaries, letters, and memoirs of the USSR civilians who had suffered from, worked for, and/or supported the CW program, this research looked into the reciprocal influence, both the positive and negative ones, between the CW program and the Soviet society.
Keywords
USSR, Chemical Weapons, Russia, Soviet Union, Non-proliferation
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Yun, "A Reciprocal Reaction: The USSR Chemical Weapons Program and Its Influence on Soviet Society through Three Civilian Groups" (2019). Honors Theses. Paper 939.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/939