The “last epidemic”: USSR and “International physicians for the prevention of nuclear war” in the first half of the 1980s

The paper analyzes the history of Soviet initiatives within the movement “International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War” (IPPNW) in the first half of the 1980s. Drawing on documents from the Russian State Archive of Modern History and periodicals, the authors state that the emergence of this movement was connected with the settlement of relations between the USSR and the USA in the field of disarmament, particularly with the signing of the SALT-1 Treaty in 1972. This led to the development of professional and personal ties between doctors from both countries, laying the foundation for a fruitful dialogue within the IPPNW framework. Employees of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR played a significant role in establishing the new movement and opening the Soviet IPPNW committee. The authors argue that the Soviet IPPNW committee, headed by Evgeny I. Chazov, had a certain administrative and even intellectual freedom. This was expressed in the international public initiatives proposed by Chazov to the Soviet leadership. Through the analysis of narrative sources, the authors conclude that the success of IPPNW was attributed to its effective inclusion in the media space and the use of language and images accessible to a wide audience.