# Neutrino Physics in Historical Context

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the historical development of neutrino physics, highlighting social influences and key periods from the interwar era through postwar years, to understand its evolution.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive historical overview of neutrino physics, emphasizing social and scientific factors shaping its progress over the 20th century.

## Key findings

- Neutrino physics was influenced by major social and political events.
- The interwar period marked the birth of nuclear physics.
- Postwar years saw significant advances in particle physics.

## Abstract

This contribution aims to give an overview of the historical context of neutrino physics. I will present the strong social trends that shaped physics and the way physicists worked, along the 20th century. First, we will see the background of the birth of nuclear physics in the interwar period. Then, we will examine the deep implications the Second World War had, to conclude with the specificities of postwar years for nuclear and particle physics.