Admiring a Disaster: The Cultural Effects of the Chernobyl Disaster

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to explain what effects the Chernobyl disaster had on the nation of Belarus. Bearing in mind that Belarus was still a part of the Soviet Union when the accident happened, it did indeed affect the population in a significant way. The trauma and crisis that followed the disaster fuelled the people’s need for a change in their government. The people of Belarus were effectively divided into two groups: those directly affected by Chernobyl (the victims) and those who were indirectly affected (the rest of the population). The first two chapters will focus on the victims of Chernobyl, comprised of the people living near the nuclear reactor, the soldiers and clean-up workers, the scientists, and the children. Their stories, explaining how their lives changed following the disaster, are told. The third chapter focuses on those who were indirectly affected and the way in which the formation of the nation was altered.The results chapter sets out how the consequences of Chernobyl affected the people of Belarus in a revolutionary way. The trauma and insecurity of the victims, which then spread out to the rest of the population, resulted in the fall of the Soviet Union with Belarus gaining independence and forming its own national identity. Today, although people are slowly healing from it, the consequences of the disaster still linger among the population.