After contributing to the USSR's nuclear weapons program, Sakharov shifted toward advocacy for which policy?

• A. Nuclear disarmament
• B. Nuclear expansion
• C. Space exploration
• D. Economic reform

Answer: (A)

Sakharov’s shift reflects his move from building weapons to preventing their use. After helping develop the Soviet hydrogen bomb, he grew alarmed at the existential danger of nuclear arms and began advocating for nuclear disarmament—reducing and ultimately eliminating nuclear arsenals through international agreements and greater transparency. He framed science as a force for human welfare, not mass destruction, and linked disarmament to broader human rights and peaceful coexistence. That’s why nuclear disarmament is the best answer: it captures his later moral and political focus, unlike moves toward expanding weapons, space exploration, or economic reform.