LEADER 04689nam 22006735 450 001 9910495194803321 005 20240322043641.0 010 $a9783030704742 010 $a3030704742 024 7 $a10.1007/978-3-030-70474-2 035 $a(CKB)4100000012009037 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC6712953 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL6712953 035 $a(OCoLC)1265464595 035 $a(DE-He213)978-3-030-70474-2 035 $a(EXLCZ)994100000012009037 100 $a20210825d2021 u| 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcnu|||||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 10$aNerve Agents in Postwar Britain $eDeterrence, Publicity and Disarmament, 1945-1976 /$fby William King 205 $a1st ed. 2021. 210 1$aCham :$cSpringer International Publishing :$cImprint: Palgrave Macmillan,$d2021. 215 $a1 online resource (299 pages) 225 1 $aBritain and the World,$x2947-7190 311 08$a9783030704735 311 08$a3030704734 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $aChapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. British Defence Policy and the Nerve Agents in Postwar Britain, 1945-1950.-Chapter 3. A Step Too Far: The Nerve Agents and the Global Strategy Paper, 1951-1953 -- Chapter 4. Drift, Decline, and a Stubborn Prime Minister, 1954-1957 -- Chapter 5. Another Reverse Course: From Dependence to Acquisition, 1958-1963 -- Chapter 6. A 'Secret Deterrent' and a 'Campaign of Criticism', 1964-1969 -- Chapter 7. From the CS Debacle to the Rise of CW disarmament, 1970-1976 -- Chapter 8. Conclusion: From Discovery to Disarmament. 330 $a"Nerve agents in Postwar Britain presents a fascinating history of the twists and turns of the UK's policy on chemical weapons." -Hassan Elbahtimy, Senior Lecturer, War Studies Department, King's College London, UK "This is a compelling story. The archives King has analysed show British ministers and officials in frequent discomfort, torn between military secrecy and public scrutiny, never sure what nerve agent capabilities the other side held or how best to deter their use in war." -Nicholas Sims, Emeritus Reader in International Relations, The London School of Economics and Political Science, UK "King's thoroughly researched and ground-breaking account charts the development of nerve agent policy in the UK from 1945 to 1976. His work not only fills a significant gap in the history of chemical warfare, but will be invaluable for understanding UK Cold War defence policy more generally." -Brian Balmer, Professor of Science Policy Studies, Department of Science & Technology Studies, University College London, UK This book reveals the nature and level of British engagement with controversial and lethal nerve agent weapons from the end of the Second World War to Britain's submission of a draft Chemical Weapons Convention. At the very heart of this highly secretive aspect of British defence policy were fundamental questions over whether Britain should acquire nerve agent weapons for potential first-use against the Soviet Union, retain them purely for their deterrence value, or drive for either unilateral or international chemical weapons disarmament. These considerations and concerns over nerve agent weapons were not limited to low-level defence committees, nor were they consigned to the periphery, but featured prominently at the highest levels of the British government and defence planning. Importantly, and despite stringent secrecy, the book further uncovers how public scrutiny and protest movementsplayed a substantial and successful part in influencing policy and attitudes towards nerve agent weapons. William King is a Research Fellow at the German Historical Institute London, UK. . 410 0$aBritain and the World,$x2947-7190 606 $aGreat Britain$xHistory 606 $aMilitary history 606 $aHistory, Modern 606 $aWorld politics 606 $aHistory of Britain and Ireland 606 $aMilitary History 606 $aModern History 606 $aPolitical History 615 0$aGreat Britain$xHistory. 615 0$aMilitary history. 615 0$aHistory, Modern. 615 0$aWorld politics. 615 14$aHistory of Britain and Ireland. 615 24$aMilitary History. 615 24$aModern History. 615 24$aPolitical History. 676 $a355.0217 676 $a623.4592094109045 700 $aKing$b William$0103928 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910495194803321 996 $aNerve Agents in Postwar Britain$92084177 997 $aUNINA