Marek Tatała: Chernobyl – Warning Against Lies, Not Against Nuclear Power
In 2006 Mikhail Gorbachev stated that the 1986 Chernobyl disaster had had more significance for the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 than the perestroika he had introduced. The causes of the collapse were surely more complex, but the events in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant perfectly show two pillars supporting the communist system – that is lies and fear.
The catastrophe in the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, located in present day Ukraine, and formerly in the Soviet Union for many Poles is one of the first associations connected with atomic energy. An association which will certainly be reinforced by Chernobyl, a popular TV series released by HBO. In connection to its first screening, many interviews, articles, and recordings inspired by the series appeared in the Internet. Should we be afraid of the nuclear power in connection with the release of this American-British coproduction? Or should we perhaps be afraid of a system based on lies and fear which created circumstances favourable for the catastrophe shown in the film? Apart from answering these questions, I will also try to suggest how to function after completing such a good production if we want to remain in the Chernobyl and TV series reality. Let us, however, start from the success of Chernobyl – a drama created by Craig Mazin.
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Author:
Marek Tatała, FOR vice-president, economist
marek.tatala@for.org.pl
