Andrei Sakharov: A Life in Perspective, Essay Example

Human freedoms taken for granted in democracies around the world, are a precious and rare commodity in authoritarian systems such as that was prevalent in the Soviet Union since the Russian Revolution. Despite the strict state controls, some individuals in the erstwhile Soviet Union were able to challenge the tyrannical system and bring about sweeping changes that were later helpful in bettering the cause of human freedoms in the Soviet Union with cascading effects in other parts of the world. This essay examines the life of Andrei Sakharov, a Russian nuclear physicist and human rights activist whose genius made him indispensable to the Soviet establishment who admired his indisputable contributions to the security of his country but despised him for his support for greater human freedoms.

Andrei Sakharov was born on 21 May 1921 (Altshuler 9), in Moscow, in a family that believed in humanism. His grandfather, Ivan Sakharov, particularly had an everlasting influence on the young Sakharov and was responsible for shaping many of Sakharov’s humanistic beliefs. Andrei’s parents too held progressive beliefs in an oppressive society where the state controlled all aspects of human life. After completing his basic degree in physics from the Moscow State University in 1942, Sakharov completed his doctorate in nuclear physics at the Physical Institute of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1947 (Altshuler 9).  In 1948, Andrei Sakharov was detailed to work on the Soviet Atomic Bomb Project.  The successful testing of the Soviet Atomic bomb in 1949 saw Sakharov being promoted to work on the Soviet Hydrogen bomb project. Sakharov’s work in devising a thermonuclear bomb resulted in a successful test in 1953 for which he received his Hero of Socialist Labor title three times from the Soviet government. In 1953, he also received the State prize and in 1956 the Lenin Prize (Altshuler 10). In 1955, Sakharov was a lead member of the team responsible for devising the first Soviet ‘mega ton’ bomb as also the testing of the largest thermonuclear 50 megaton bomb in 1961.  It is not just the destructive use of nuclear power that Sakharov excelled in, he was also instrumental in proposing the idea of controlled nuclear fusion reactor, the Tokamak design (Altshuler 17) which has promises of evolving into a practicable reactor design far more efficient then the fission reactors that are commonly used for generating electricity. Sakharov’s genius led him to particle physics and cosmology when in 1965 he began to work on black hole theories and gravitation (Altshuler 18-19). His fertile brain had in 1974 with prescience, predicted the rise of the internet which he called as a ‘Universal Information System’ where everyone in the world would have instant access to any information published through computers and terminals (Gorelik and Bouis 543).  Sakharov was a true patriot of the Soviet Union who in no small measure helped the Soviet Union face up to American power with his contributions in the development of the Soviet Atomic Bomb and the thermonuclear bomb project. He was also a visionary who had deep compassion and concerns about the way the world was heading.

The deepest concerns that Sakharov held, were on the practical utility of his work. The atomic bombs that he helped create, according to him contained the seeds of destruction of the human race. These weapons, Sakharov saw as evil and it was on the issue of Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) defense systems in 1967 that Sakharov publicly parted ways with the Soviet government. Sakharov judged that the evolution of ABM systems would lead to destabilization of nuclear weapons balance between the United States and the Soviet Union. Since each country now believed that it could weather a nuclear first strike, concepts of deterrence would no longer apply and would possibly lead to a cataclysmic nuclear war. He also had concluded that building ABM systems was a waste of money which could otherwise have been utilized for the welfare of the people (Gorelik and Bouis 273). He called for both countries to stop building ABM systems.  Sakharov wrote an article Reflections on Progress, Peaceful Coexistence, and Intellectual Freedom in 1968 in which he called for “democratization and freedom of expression  (Gorelik and Bouis 287).  The article after being published in Soviet Russia soon found its way to the Western world where it was hailed as a visionary piece of literature. In the article, Sakharov had not only voiced his concerns over the ABM systems but also the need for states in recognizing the inviolability of human rights and freedoms. These views were like a red flag to the Soviet Bull, and the Soviet state promptly banned Sakharov from working on any military research projects, only allowing him the luxury of working on particle physics.

Undeterred, Sakharov continued campaigning for greater human rights and the need for universalizing the concepts of human freedom. In 1970, Sakharov cofounded the Moscow Human Rights Committee (Gorelik and Bouis 522). This was a courageous move on the part of the physicist, as in the Soviet era, political dissenters usually ended up in the Soviet ‘Gulag’ in Siberia toiling under harsh arctic condition. In 1974, Sakharov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, for which the Soviet authorities did not allow him to travel to Norway for the investiture ceremony. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Sakharov led public protests. The government retaliated by sending him into exile in the city of Gorky. Gorky, in the Soviet era, was a closed city, a gilded cage where every movement Sakharov made  was monitored by the Soviet secret service and the police. The one-time hero of the Soviet Union, who had received three titles of the Hero of Soviet Labor for his work on the Atomic Bomb, was now considered as traitor who deserved to be incarcerated.   The Soviet authorities refrained from sending Sakharov to Siberia or executing him on account of his international status and his undeniable contributions to the national security of the Soviet state.

Sakharov’s tireless crusade for human rights and international cooperation cost the scientist his individual freedom. While in exile in Gorky, all his former friends were barred from visiting him. For six years, Sakharov spent time in virtual isolation in his tiny apartment in the closed city of Gorky with hardly a visitor except some colleagues from the Soviet Academy of Sciences who would drop by to discuss issues of particle physics. By refusing to give up his social activism Sakharov lost his personal prestige within Soviet Russia, an illustrious career, a comfortable villa, and friends with only his wife for company.

Yet it was not a sacrifice in vain. The harder the Soviet state tried to clamp down upon Sakharov, the greater was the growth in his international prestige.   In 1980, Sakharov was named the Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association (Bates 55) and in 1988 the International Humanist and Ethical Union awarded him the International Humanist Award (IHEU 54). The Soviet state tried to break his will but did not succeed. Finally in 1986, when President Mikhail Gorbachev initiated his policies of Perestroika, Sakharov was allowed to return to Moscow. Sakharov had called for “economic, political, and social pluralism, decollectivization, freedom to strike, individual rights, as also right to secede from the Union” (Lane 92-93). It is said that Gorbachev drew a lot of his inspiration for opening up the Soviet society from Sakharov’s writings and activism and formed part of his Perestroika revolution that opened up the Soviet Union  (Lane 93). Sakharov, had stated that “Socialism and capitalism are capable of long term development, borrowing positive elements from each other and actually coming closer to each other in a number of essential aspects” (Lane 92). Russia heeded Sakharov’s call and discarded Communism. This observation of Sakharov seems to have been imbibed wholeheartedly by the Chinese leadership who have enthusiastically embraced Capitalism and have combined it with their brand of Socialism.  In March 1989, the Soviet state rehabilitated Sakharov by electing him to the All Union Congress of Peoples Deputies where Sakharov continued pursuing his vision of enabling universal human rights and freedoms. Alas! Sakharov’s further contributions were cut short by his untimely death on 14 December 1989 from a heart attack.

Sakharov’s life was a remarkable example of how human spirit can survive and succeed under trying conditions. Sakharov had a global appeal for his propagation of universal human rights and freedoms. The European Parliament instituted the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1988 to honor people and organizations “who have distinguished themselves in the struggle for human rights” (European Parliament 1). In 1990, The Andrei Sakharov Prize for Writers’ Civic Courage was established in the Soviet Union for supporting Perestroika and still continues to be awarded to writers who contribute to the evolution of human freedoms in present day Russia. In 2006, a biannual Andrei Sakharov Prize was instituted by the American Physical Society “to recognize outstanding leadership and/or achievements of scientists in upholding human rights” (American Physical Society 1). Sakharov’s great contributions in championing the cause of human rights have been recognized worldwide. Moscow has a boulevard, museum and a center named after him. In Armenia, a city square has been named after him. In Israel, Sakharov has a garden and a street named after him. Even in space, Sakharov has a niche, with an asteroid being named after him (Altshuler 725).

In conclusion it can reiterated that the life of Andrei Sakharov was significant in the ways Sakharov influenced opinion in his country and the world over. Despite the adversities and the harassment heaped on him by an authoritarian state, Sakharov persisted with his crusade for universal human rights and freedom. Despite  suffering significant personal losses in terms of comfort, career, pecuniary benefits and social interactions, Sakharov succeeded in achieving greater goals. Sakharov’s toils were no ‘flash in the pan’ but a sustained effort over a decade that helped shape the nature of the Russian society and indeed the world.  Sakharov’s influential writings became part of the Perestroika process that liberated millions from the claustrophobic confines of the Soviet system. Sakharov became an ideal, and a beacon of hope for oppressed people worldwide that helped increase international awareness, acceptability and proactive actions to fight for human rights and freedoms. Sakharov’s life, in the opinion of the writer of this essay, was a life well spent despite the personal sacrifices made.

Works Cited

Altshuler, B.L. Andrei Sakharov: Facets of a Life. Paris: Atlantica Seguier Frontieres, 1991.

American Physical Society. “Andrei Sakharov Prize.” 2009. APS website. 12 November 2009 <http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/sakharov.cfm>.

Bates, Stephen. Battleground: One Mother’s Crusade, the Religious Right, and the Struggle for Control of Our Classrooms. NY: Poseidon Press, 1993.

European Parliament. “Andrei Sakharov – The Man Behind the Prize.” 29 September 2009. European Parliament website. 12 November 2009 <http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/015-61231-292-10-43-902-20090925STO61210-2009-10-2009/default_en.htm>.

Gorelik, Gennadil Efimovich and Antonina W Bouis. The World of Andrei Sakharov: A Russian Physicist’s Path to Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

IHEU. “International Humanist and Ethical Union 1952-2002 – Past, Present and Future.” 7 June 2006. IHEU website. 12 November 2009 <http://www.iheu.org/uploads/iheu%201952-2002%20ebook.pdf>.

Lane, David Stuart. Soviet Society Under Perestroika. NY: Routledge, 1990.