These protests were the culmination of the prior decades where cold war tensions were at an all-time high. In the advent of an all-out nuclear war, many Americans took a stance on the issue, which enabled them to fathom the extent of damage and chaos it would cause. In the present day, the anti-nuclear movement has certainly lessened from its previous high during the cold war, moreso moving towards nuclear energy instead of weaponry, but many still beg the question of whether or not nuclear weapons are necessary for the modern age.
Sources: https://www.armscontrol.org/blog/2018-06-10/fight-continues-reflections-june-12-1982-rally-nuclear-disarmament
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/spirit-june-12/
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/04/us/widespread-vote-urges-nuclear-freeze.html
It is interesting that you bring up the debate about whether nuclear weapons are really necessary for the 21st century. According to a 2016 article written by Atlantic writer Joseph Cirincione, the world is on the brink of another nuclear arms race that would most likely cost more than the cold war. So the short answer is probably yes because in order for the US to feel safe against enemies like terrorists, the US will need to have nuclear weapons as the terrorists could have nuclear weapons as well.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/nuclear-weapons-free-world-it-achievable
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/04/global-nuclear-proliferation/478854/