2014 ILR Presentations
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Physics (The Making of the Atomic Bomb) and the Soviet Union (The Evolution and Demise of Russian Communism):Two Progeny of the Modern Western World
The ambition to know more about the working of the physical universe and the drive to lead people toward an improved way of life raised unexpected moral issues in the outcomes they produced. What they are and how they might be evaluated will be discussed in two sessions each, the first two devoted to Physics and the last two to Soviet Russia.
The Evolution of Russian Communism - Part 1
The overthrow of imperial rule in Russia left a power vacuum that led to a brutal civil war between white and red factions and the emergence of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin, each with their own priorities and agendas.
The Evolution of Russian Communism - Part 2
The overthrow of imperial rule in Russia left a power vacuum that led to a brutal civil war between white and red factions and the emergence of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin, each with their own priorities and agendas.
The Demise of Russian Communism - Part 1
Stalin achieves absolute power, and turns back Nazi aggression at terrible costs. The Iron Curtain descends between Eastern and Western Europe. Khruschev exposes Stalin's excesses after his death, but crushes a Hungarian uprising.
The Demise of Russian Communism - Part 2
Soviet industrial and agricultural production stall under Brezhnev.who sickens and dies. Intellectual dissent goes underground. China challenges the Soviets for leaders of the communist movement. New leadership finally arrives in the form of Gorbachev.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Part 1a
Dr. Sidman explores the reasons that German universities were sought out by the brightest young physicists in exploring the physics of the early 20th century and follows the career of young Leo Szilard, who was to play a critical role in the development of the first atomic bomb.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Part 1b
In this segment Dr. Sidman traces the discovery of radioactive nuclear disintegration and the gradual realization of the potential for new weapons of mass destruction.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Part 2a
In the third segment of this four part series Dr. Sidman explores the hostile conditions within Nazi Germany that caused many top physicists to relocate in allied nations, providing them with the intellectual "critical mass" to successfully develop nuclear weapons.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Part 2b
In the final segment of this four talk series Dr. Sidman discusses the choice of Robert Oppenheimer as the Director of the secret Los Alamos laboratory where the conceptual and technical problems with constructing a working nuclear weapon were first solved.
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