The effect of World War II on the development of knowledge in the physical sciences

Abstract

The first effect of the outbreak of war in 1939 was greatly to reduce work in pure science and to direct effort to projects relevant to the war. After the war there was a very rapid expansion to a level much exceeding that of the 1930s. The work done during the war in nuclear physics, electronics, instrumentation, radar and rocketry was the basis of this expansion. Successes during the war had given science a new image with the public and with the government; money and facilities were available for fundamental science on a scale more than 10 times that of pre-war days. Wartime work had also had a profound effect on the expectations and style of work of physicists. They had learnt how to obtain and handle large resources.