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Out of the shadow of Hiroshima -

The devastation caused by the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 had seared into the public consciousness the destructive power of a nuclear bomb. Yet despite this terrifying illustration of their fearsome capability, nuclear devices were tested further in the immediate post-Second World War period.

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Nuclear weapons testing -

In fact, the first post-war nuclear test—conducted by Americans—took place in July 1946 when two atomic bombs were detonated over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. In 1948, the UK government announced that Britain would develop its own nuclear weapons, and it tested its first bomb in 1952. The dawn of the nuclear age was upon us. 

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Launch of CND -

By the mid-1950s in Great Britain, public opposition to the nuclear arms race had become increasingly visceral. In fact, the anti-nuclear lobby provided the catalyst in 1957 for the foundation of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Its president was British philosopher, logician, and social reformer Bertrand Russell.

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First campaign meeting -

CND's chairman was Anglican priest John Collins; the organization's secretary was political activist Peggy Duff. The first meeting of CND took place in London on February 17, 1958. Over 5,000 people turned up.

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The Aldermaston Marches -

CND advocated for unilateral nuclear disarmament by Britain. At Easter in 1958, CND supported a march from London to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston, 83 km (52 mi) away in Berkshire. It was the first of what would become the Aldermarston Marches.

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Peaceful demonstration -

A peaceful demonstration of solidarity against the British nuclear weapons program, the march—co-organized by the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War—left Trafalgar Square on April 4.

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Arrival at Aldermaston -

Several thousand people took part in the march, arriving at Aldermaston four days later to voice their opposition to the nuclear weapons industry.

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Trafalgar Square rallies -

From 1959 onwards, the Aldermaston March became an annual event. Its success led to similar demonstrations around the world. Each year the direction of the march was reversed. When it arrived in London, crowds of thousands would gather triumphantly in Trafalgar Square.

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The CND logo -

CND was immediately identified by its nuclear disarmament logo. Designed by Gerald Holtom (1914–1985), a graduate of the Royal College of Art, the logo is based on the semaphore flag signal for the letters N and D. The flag signaling system is an alphabet signaling system based on the waving of a pair of hand-held flags in a particular pattern.

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Celebrity support -

As CND grass roots membership swelled, the organization also gained considerable support from scientists, academics, religious leaders, writers, and journalists. Celebrities from the world of entertainment were particularly high profile. Pictured is French actress Leslie Caron with fellow thespian Vanessa Redgrave at a 1959 CND meeting at Central Hall in Westminster, London.

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Star turnout -

Here, English author, playwright and actor John Osborne and his wife, the Scottish actress Mary Ure, are pictured taking part in an anti-nuclear weapons campaign in Whitehall, London, in 1959.

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Change of tactics -

In 1960, CND president Bertrand Russell (pictured addressing a rally in central London) resigned from the organization in order to form the Committee of 100. This anti-war group effectively became the direct action wing of the CND.

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Committee of 100 -

Members and supporters of the Committee of 100 employed mass nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience tactics to achieve their aims. Following a sit-down demonstration at the Ministry of Defense in February 1961, events got uglier in April when police arrested over 800 demonstrators during a similar protest in Parliament Square.

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Strained relations -

As a result of the direct action favored by the Committee for 100, relations between Russell and fellow CND founder John Collins soured.

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Sit-down protests spread -

Although the committee was supported by many in CND, Collins was adverse to the sit-down tactics favored by Russell. This friction between the two organizations served to detract from CND's principal objectives. In 1968, the Committee for 100 was dissolved. Pictured: police attempt to remove protestors from an anti-nuclear demonstration at RAF North Pickenham in Norfolk. From 1958 to 1963, the air station was equipped with Thor nuclear missiles.

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Cuban Missile Crisis -

The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 created widespread public anxiety about imminent nuclear war. CND organized demonstrations to highlight the issue.

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Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty -

US President John F. Kennedy's success in defusing the crisis and facing down Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev turned British public opinion away from the idea of unilateral nuclear disarmament. The signing of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty the following year further dwindled support for CND.

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Vietnam takes center stage -

CND continued to organize its annual Easter march to Aldermaston. But it was events half a world away that grabbed the headlines. The Vietnam War effectively eclipsed concern about nuclear weapons. Celebrity anti-war protesters such as Joan Baez (pictured in London) took center stage in voicing their opposition to the conflict. CND remained active throughout the 1970s, but was in the 1980s and the resurgence of the Cold War that the organization's activities were rekindled.

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Tomahawks at Greenham Common -

The renewed deployment of nuclear weapons in Russia and Western Europe in the early 1980s revived public interest in CND. Membership soared, especially when American Tomahawk cruise missiles were discovered being unloaded at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire, England. Their detection would spark one of the most famous anti-nuclear protests in British history.

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Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp -

In response to the delivery of missiles in Berkshire, the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp was established on September 5, 1981.

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Human blockade -

By March 1982, 250 women were blockading RAF Greenham Common, incensed by the British government's apparent collusion with Washington in allowing US nuclear missiles on UK soil.

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Civil disobedience -

CND's previous objection to civil disobedience dissipated as the women demonstrated their anger by attempting to pull down the security fence surrounding the facility. Numerous arrests were made, and there was growing local and national opposition to the camp and its residents' motives.

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'Reflect the Base' -

However, instead of tearing down the fence, the women adopted another tactic. In what became known as 'Reflect the Base,' on December 11, 1983, more than 30,000 women circled the base to protest against the presence of cruise missiles. RAF Greenham closed in 1992. In 2000, the fences surrounding the base were finally taken down.

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A 100,000 strong! -

In October 1983, CND staged the biggest march through London the city had ever seen, attracting an estimated 100,000 people.

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Pershing-2's at Heilbronn -

The protests at Greenham hadn't gone unnoticed. The revelation that American Pershing-2 missiles had been secretly installed at the American military base at Wald-Heide near the city of Heilbronn in West Germany prompted similar dismay and alarm.

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Demonstrations at Ramstein -

And at Ramstein Air Base the presence of Pershing-2 missiles prompted the German public to demonstrate outside the gates of the military facility.

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Calls for a nuclear freeze -

Earlier, back across the Atlantic on June 12, 1982, a million Americans had converged on New York's Central Park to call for a halt to the arms race and a nuclear freeze.

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'Stop the Arms Race Now' -

In the wake of Greenham and the seemingly exponential deployment of nuclear weapons across Western Europe, plus SS20 missiles in Russia, CND launched its 'Stop the Arms Race Now' campaign. A collective sigh of relief signaled the end of the Cold War in 1991. But, almost immediately, there was another reason to take to the streets.

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First Gulf War protest -

The outbreak of the first Gulf War in 1991 after Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait brought millions out in protest of the conflict. Scenes like this were repeated during the Iraq War of 2003–2011.

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"Ban Trident" -

In 2004, CND organized an Easter march to Aldermaston in protest of the government's plans to expand the development of new nuclear weapons to replace Britain's aging Trident submarine-based missiles.

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A new generation -

Three years later in 2007, thousands of anti-war protesters participated in a demonstration in London supported by CND, the Stop the War Coalition, and the British Muslim Initiative, calling for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. They also voiced their anger against the replacement of the Trident. Many of the marchers were young people like these two, whose parents were likely the same age when they took up the cause in 1958.

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Against the war in Ukraine -

Lately, CND and Stop the War Coalition have been instrumental in organizing demonstrations against the war in Ukraine: Russian president Vladimir Putin has on more than one occasion threatened the use of nuclear weapons.

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Give peace a chance -

And what of CND's famous logo? Well, today it's recognized as an international peace symbol, seen here carried by a reveler at the Glastonbury Music Festival, a long-term campaign supporter. 

See also: Inspiring songs about peace

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