India's Nuclear Weapons Program

Question 1

Partition of India

Answer 1

I was a B colony since 1858 but gained independence in 1947, former colony was divided into 2 independent dominions-I and Pakistan, partition resulted in short and long-term problems such as dislocation of communities and tensions between religious groups

Question 2

Jawaharlal Nehru

Answer 2

first PM of India, introduced a proposal regarding capability of nuclear powers in Apr 1954, called for a comprehensive ban on testing at the UN in 1956, and co-founded the non-alignment movement which was a group of countries that wasn’t aligned with NATO or the Warsaw Pact in 1961

Question 3

Homi Bhabha

Answer 3

nuclear physicist that convinced PM to invest in a nuclear program, studied at the University of Cambridge in 1935, became first chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission in 1948, became director of the Atomic Energy Establishment in Trombay in 1954, and was replaced as director by Raja Ramanna when he died in 1972

Question 4

Atomic Energy Establishment in Trombay

Answer 4

1954: served as the primary research facility for India’s nuclear program, initially interested in peaceful nuclear energy but after the Bravo Test, the I ambassador suggested that it was important to Asian security

Question 5

Assistance from USA and Canada

Answer 5

after the AEE was established, I sought int’l assistance from Canada and USA which agreed to provide it with peaceful reactors and uranium

Question 6

Tensions with Pakistan and China

Answer 6

1962: war broke out between I and C over a border disagreement, I tried to ask USSR and USA for assistance but both denied due to the Cuban missile crisis, ended a year after in I’s favour, contributed to the development of its NWs program

Question 7

Indira Gandhi

Answer 7

Jan 1966: Indian PM who favoured NWs, after Bhabha’s death, the AEE was renamed the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)

Question 8

Response to the NPT

Answer 8

1968: I caused controversy by deciding not to sign the NPT as it would prohibit the transfer of nuclear tech, discriminatory and only authentic to NS

Question 9

1971 War

Answer 9

Dec 1971: war broke out between I and P over a rebel movement in East P, I intervened the rebels’ movement for independence from P which contributed to East P’s breakaway from West P and the creation of Bangladesh

Question 10

Acceleration of Program

Answer 10

Sep 1972: PM Gandhi decides to accelerate I’s NP and testing to show capability and prestige

Question 11

Smiling Buddha/Pokhran-I

Answer 11

May 18, 1974: I’s first nuclear test, conducted secretly at the Pokhran Nuclear Test Range in the Thar Desert, plutonium bomb, underground, 8 kilotons, gov’t said that the explosion was important in peaceful nuclear ventures and cooperation between nations on nuclear developments

Question 12

CTBT

Answer 12

1990s: int’l pressure on I to sign the CTBT but it didn’t sign as it was planning to carry out more tests

Question 12

1998 Tests

Answer 12

May 11, 1998: 5 underground tests at Pohkran, PM declared that I is a NS and has the capacity to build more powerful weapons but would never be used to aggravate

Question 13

Health and Environmental Effects

Answer 13

residents were affected by radiation exposure, contamination of water, etc., no official investigation and compensation provided by gopv’t