ANDREI SAKHAROV: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS AND WORKS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989) was one of the physicists who led the development of the Soviet atomic bomb. However, he later became a strong critic of the Soviet nuclear weapons program and of the Russian regime's lack of political freedom. He also fought for a rapprochement with non-communist nations.

In 1975, in recognition of his efforts, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. After this, she continued working for human rights. His statements to Western correspondents in Moscow were frequent. In the early 1980s, he denounced the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. So, he was exiled to Gorky.

Throughout his exile, his life and that of his wife, who was also exiled, was subject to a strict regime. Among others, this included surveillance, bans on leaving the city or meeting or communicating with foreigners, and strict control over his associations, including with his family.

In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party. His liberalization policy allowed him to return to Moscow in 1986. The freedom measure made it possible for him to assume a political role as an elected member of the Congress of People's Deputies. From that platform, he insisted that the reforms should go much further.

Biography

Early years

Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov was born in Moscow on May 21, 1921. He was the first of two children sired by Dmitri Ivanovich Sakharov - a physics professor and textbook author - and Ekaterina Alekséyevna Sakharovna, of Greek descent.

From his childhood, Andrei Sakharov lived in a small apartment of the Moscow Municipal Housing Administration, where several of his relatives also lived crammed together. His first studies were done from his home under the supervision of his grandmother Maria Petrovna, who in her words represented the good spirit of the family.

In the same way, he recalled that until the moment of his death his grandmother always read works of fiction to him in English, a language that he mastered without problem. She also read to her works by the authors Pushkin, Dickens, Marlowe or Beecher-Stowe and, at Easter, read her Gospel verses.

In his memoirs, Andrei Sakharov relates that he had great difficulty adjusting to his classmates at school. However, he completed his primary education with honors in 1938.

Immediately afterwards, he enrolled in the Faculty of Physics of the University of Moscow. Here he also developed a distinguished career, graduating with honors in 1942, at the outbreak of World War II.

Professional performance

After graduation, in the summer and fall of 1942, Andrei lived for a few weeks in the Russian city of Kovrov. He later worked as a lumberjack in a desolate rural settlement near Melekess (Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia). His first bitter impressions of the life of workers and peasants stemmed from those days.

In September 1942, Andrei Sakharov was sent to a large munitions factory on the Volga, where he worked as an engineer and inventor until 1945. During this time, his professional life was especially highlighted with the design of a number of devices in the field. of production control.

In 1944, while still working in the munitions factory, he wrote some scientific papers on theoretical physics and sent them to Moscow for evaluation and comment. Although these early works were never published, the Moscow government offered Sakharov the confidence to continue his research.

In 1945 Sakharov began studying for a doctorate at the Lebedev Institute of the physics department of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He had the opportunity to meet distinguished scientists, among them the theoretical physicist, Igor Yevgenyevich Tamm (1895-1971), who would later be the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.

In 1947, Sakharov successfully defended his thesis on nuclear physics to obtain his doctorate. Later, in 1948, he was included in a group of research scientists whose task it was to develop nuclear weapons.

Career in the nuclear field

Starting in 1948 and for the next 20 years, Andrei Sakharov worked in conditions of maximum security and under great pressure. In the beginning he developed his work from Moscow and later in special secret research centers in the nuclear field.

According to his own statement for his memoirs, he was initially convinced that work within the nuclear field was of vital importance to the balance of power in the world.

In 1953, being 32 years old, he was appointed a member of the Academy of Sciences of his country. This distinction was given in recognition of his work in developing the theoretical foundations of nuclear fusion.

Similarly, he was distinguished for his contributions to the construction of the first hydrogen bomb in the USSR, which was developed in the 1950s. Between 1953 and 1962, as the nuclear experiments progressed, Sakharov became increasingly aware of the environmental damage caused by these experiments.

At the same time, he began to worry about the moral problems inherent in his jobs. This discomfort had its denouement in 1968 when Andrei Sakharov began to make his views public.

Pacifism, Nobel Peace Prize and other recognitions

The public exposition of his views was a turning point in Andrei Sakharov's life. His warnings of a thermonuclear war between countries competing in an arms race caused annoyance in his country. So, they banned him from doing research in the USSR and all honors were withdrawn.

From this moment on, his pacifist discourse increased. Throughout the 1960s he played a leading role in demonstrations against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and atmospheric nuclear tests. Similarly, he opposed nuclear warhead missiles because of the potential destructive power they carried.

All these activities against arms and especially against nuclear weapons, was awarded in 1975 with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. The award was received by his wife Yelena Bonner, with whom he had married in 1972, for the ban on leaving the country imposed by the Russian government.

Later, he was also distinguished with other recognitions. In 1985, the European Parliament instituted the Sakharov Prizes. With them, the organizations and individuals dedicated to human rights were awarded annually. Also, in 1989, he received the International Humanist Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union, among many other recognitions.

Death

Death reached Andrei Sajárov on December 14, 1989 due to a heart attack. His death took place in Moscow as an elected member of the Congress of People's Deputies. His remains were deposited, and remain to this day, in the Vostryakovskoye cemetery in the Russian capital.

Contributions

In the scientific field

Starting in 1947, Sakharov undertook intense research activity that led, in 1950, to the development of a fusion device. This accelerated research and served as the basis for the construction of the first hydrogen bomb that was tested by the Soviet Union in August 1953.

Later, he continued working with the research team and had special participation in subsequent modifications made to the hydrogen bomb.

In 1955, he worked on a version that was tested under the name RDS-57. Another more powerful variant was developed under the name Bomba Zar in October 1961.

In the field of pacifism

During the 1960s, Andrei Sakharov dedicated himself to warning Russia and the world about the danger of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. His campaign resulted in the signing of an agreement known as the Atmospheric, Space and Underwater Testing Ban Treaty.

Through this treaty, the detonation of nuclear devices in marine and underwater areas and in an open atmosphere was prohibited. It also forced countries to carry out their tests underground. This document was signed in Moscow on August 5, 1963.

Among the signatory countries were the USA and the USSR, which at that time were the major nuclear powers. Similarly, 111 other countries signed this treaty, which entered into force on October 10, 1963.

Plays

Throughout his fruitful career, Andrei Sakharov produced a wealth of writings covering scientific and political issues. Among them we can mention Progress, coexistence and intellectual freedom (1968), Sakharov speaks (1974) and My country and the world (1975).

In addition, they stood out among their prolific bibliography Alarma y esperanza (1978), A year of struggle (1979), Selected scientific works (1982) and their Memories (1990).

Similarly, his work Moscow and Beyond: 1986 to 1989 was highly regarded, focusing specifically on the last three years in Andrei Sakharov's life.

References

1. Biography.com (editors). (2015, December, 11). Andrei Sakharov. Taken from biography.com.
2. Cochran, TB and Norris, RS (2018, May 17). Andrey Sakharov. Taken from britannica.com.
3. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media. (2018). Andrei Sakharov - Facts. Taken from nobelprize.org.
4. von Geldern, J. (s / f). Sakharov Exiled. Taken from soviethistory.msu.edu.
5. Weise, M. (2018, May 21). Andrei Sakharov, nuclear physicist, humanist and symbol of resistance to the Stalinist regime. Taken from loff.it.