This thesis explores the effects of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site from 1951-1962 on Washington County, Utah, specifically focusing on the effects of these detonations on the local population, the local flora and fauna, and the ensuing impact of political and economic forces. While some Americans readily concede that these tests were necessary for the survival of the United States in the face of Soviet nuclear aggression, other Americans (notably, those who were most closely affected) do not share such a patriotic view of the government’s conduct in performing such extensive and damaging experiments. Therefore, the historical philosophy behind the compulsion to treat the deserts of the American Southwest (and the populations that inhabit them and the surrounding areas) as expendable resources, valuable only insofar as they serve economic, militaristic, or propagandistic purposes for the Federal government is examined.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis explores the effects of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site from 1951-1962 on Washington County, Utah, specifically focusing on the effects of these detonations on the local population, the local flora and fauna, and the ensuing impact of political and economic forces. While some Americans readily concede that these tests were necessary for the survival of the United States in the face of Soviet nuclear aggression, other Americans (notably, those who were most closely affected) do not share such a patriotic view of the government’s conduct in performing such extensive and damaging experiments. Therefore, the historical philosophy behind the compulsion to treat the deserts of the American Southwest (and the populations that inhabit them and the surrounding areas) as expendable resources, valuable only insofar as they serve economic, militaristic, or propagandistic purposes for the Federal government is examined.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bridges, Paul W, II"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in History (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["William Thomas Allison","Cathy Skidmore-Hess"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z","subjects":["ETD","Radiation Poisoning","Nevada Test Site","Atomic Energy Commission","Downwinders","Cold War","American West","United States History"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1080","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["William Thomas Allison","Cathy Skidmore-Hess"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bridges, Paul W, II"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-04-05T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in History (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Radiation Poisoning","Nevada Test Site","Atomic Energy Commission","Downwinders","Cold War","American West","United States History"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1080"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis explores the effects of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site from 1951-1962 on Washington County, Utah, specifically focusing on the effects of these detonations on the local population, the local flora and fauna, and the ensuing impact of political and economic forces. While some Americans readily concede that these tests were necessary for the survival of the United States in the face of Soviet nuclear aggression, other Americans (notably, those who were most closely affected) do not share such a patriotic view of the government’s conduct in performing such extensive and damaging experiments. Therefore, the historical philosophy behind the compulsion to treat the deserts of the American Southwest (and the populations that inhabit them and the surrounding areas) as expendable resources, valuable only insofar as they serve economic, militaristic, or propagandistic purposes for the Federal government is examined.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Bombs Bursting In Air: A History Of The Effects of Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing On Washington County, Utah, 1951-1963"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["William Thomas Allison","Cathy Skidmore-Hess"],"dc:creator":["Bridges, Paul W, II"],"dc:date.available":["2014-04-05T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis explores the effects of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site from 1951-1962 on Washington County, Utah, specifically focusing on the effects of these detonations on the local population, the local flora and fauna, and the ensuing impact of political and economic forces. While some Americans readily concede that these tests were necessary for the survival of the United States in the face of Soviet nuclear aggression, other Americans (notably, those who were most closely affected) do not share such a patriotic view of the government’s conduct in performing such extensive and damaging experiments. Therefore, the historical philosophy behind the compulsion to treat the deserts of the American Southwest (and the populations that inhabit them and the surrounding areas) as expendable resources, valuable only insofar as they serve economic, militaristic, or propagandistic purposes for the Federal government is examined.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1080"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Radiation Poisoning","Nevada Test Site","Atomic Energy Commission","Downwinders","Cold War","American West","United States History"],"dc:title":["The Bombs Bursting In Air: A History Of The Effects of Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing On Washington County, Utah, 1951-1963"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of History"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in History (M.A.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z"}