Annotated Bibliography

Marshall, Eliot. "Reactor explodes amid Soviet silence." Science 232 (1986): 814+.
       Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Apr. 2011

The article explains the Soviet media silence surrounding the Chernobyl disaster. The Soviets failed to inform neighboring nations, some of which were part of or satelite states of the Soviet Union, of the impending distater. This not only caused damage to the reputation but also resulted in people exposed to increased amounts of radiation due to ignorance of its presence. Though much of the extra  exposure exhibited by those outside of the immediate disaster vicinity(as a result of the Soviet media blackout) proved to be non fatal, it still proved to have detrimental effects. This article was written shortly following the disaster, as such it provides perspective of how the event was viewed during its time of occurence.

Nicholas Daniloff.  "Chernobyl and Its Political Fallout: A Reassessment."    
       Demokratizatsiya 12.1 (2004): 117-132. Print.

This article focuses on the politics surrounding the Chernobyl disaster. The piece discusses the severity of the disaster and the way in which the event was treated by the Soviet Union, aswell as foreign governments. It contrasts reports released shortly following the event with the knowledge gathered following the declassification of Soviet documents in 1993. The piece explains the shortcomings of (then General Secretary) Mikhail Gorbachev and the Kremlin in general in regards to the disaster. It provides a great deal of insight into the political policies and actions relating to the tragedy.

Smith, Jim T., and Nicholas A Beresford. Chernobyl: Catastrophe And Consequences.
       Berlin: Springer , 2005. Print.

This book discusses the wide range of implications the Chernobyl disaster had on the former Soviet states. It describes how the radiation resulting from the Chernobyl disaster halted agriculture in the USSR, which was primarly done on mass communal farms, aswell as how it affected the health of both people and wildlife within the area. The book provides background information, such as the natural amount of background isotopes encountered in the environment in normal scenarios and contrasts the numbers with the amount of radioactive material present in surrounding areas immediately following the disaster. This book focuses mainly on the scientific implications of the disaster.