The reactor in the vineyard: Technological choice and cultural change in the French nuclear program, 1945-1969

This dissertation analyzes the ways in which social, political, economic, and cultural factors shaped the development of the French nuclear program from 1945 to 1969, concentrating on the development of gas-graphite reactors. Chapter One provides an introduction to current debates about the French nuclear program and situates the dissertation and its methodology within these debates. Chapter Two describes the creation of the two state institutions that developed France\u27s nuclear program: Electricite de France (EDF) and the Commissariat a l\u27Energie Atomique (CEA). Comparison of a CEA gas-graphite reactor with one built by EDF in order shows that the different political, economic, and technological agendas of each organization became embodied in reactor design and that each reactor became an expression of national policy. Chapter Three examines conflicts between EDF and the CEA over nuclear development in the 1960s, when the program became an economic and industrial showcase for the government. The analysis shows how EDF and the CEA each tried to shape organization of work within the program as a way of shaping French economic and industrial policy. Again by comparing EDF and CEA reactors, Chapter Four delves into the daily operation of these gas-graphite reactors. The different agendas, structures, and organizational cultures of each institutions meant that employees in each had varying amounts of control over their work practices. Each institution defined risk differently and each granted different amounts of importance to similar skills. Chapter Five is a case-study of the reception of EDF\u27s first nuclear power plant by the communities surrounding it. The huge influx of workers in Avoine, where the site was located, and in the three surrounding villages brought profound changes to the region\u27s social, political, and economic structure. This chapter analyzes these changes, explaining why certain residents opposed the plant\u27s arrival while others favored it. Finally, the epilogue discusses the demise of the gas-graphite program