Nagasaki and the Future of War in the 20th Century - Public Lecture

All are welcome to join this public lecture, complementing the Remembered Exhibition on display at the University of Stirling between 6 October - 14 November.

The bombing of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945 by the United States was the second and last time a nuclear weapon was deployed as part of a military campaign. On the one hand, this was a continuation of the city bombings that had characterised aspects of the Second World War before. On the other hand, the awesome power of nuclear weapons unleashed a new level of destruction. This talk addresses two questions: What was the significance of the decision to use nuclear weapons on Nagasaki in the history of warfare in the twentieth century? And what conclusions, if any, can we draw from this history for our own understanding of war?

Holger Nehring is Professor of Contemporary European History at Stirling. He has published widely on the history of anti-nuclear-weapons activism as well as on the history and heritage of the Cold War. He was Co-I, with Sam Alberti at National Museums Scotland, of the major AHRC-funded project on the Cold War in museums. Holger came to the UK as a Rhodes Scholar to read for a DPhil in History at Oxford. He has held visiting positions at the Norwegian Nobel Institute/ University of Oslo, the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, the University of Michigan and Stanford.

This lecture is part of a series of events accompanying an exhibition Remembered: 80 years since the bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki which is on display on Level 3 in Campus Central at the University of Stirling.

Visitor Information

The talk will take place in the Jisc Innovation Hub in the University Library. Parking is available on the campus and is free after 5pm. Visit our website to learn more about getting here.

Also check out other Exhibitions in Stirling.