Dawn, August 6th 1944. A lone bomber flies over the skies of Hiroshima Japan. Seconds later it releases what will later become of the worlds most feared and dangerous weapons of all time, the Atomic Bomb. The bomb turns the city of Hiroshima into a wasteland of death and destruction. A few days later another more powerful bomb is dropped on Nagasaki Japan. This one flattens the city and kills at least Ninety thousand people. A few days later Japan surrenders ending the costliest and bloodiest war in the history of mankind. Four years later the Soviet Union has appeared to have acquired plans for an atomic bomb, in the summer of 1949 the Soviet Union detonates its first atomic bomb, opening up the Nuclear Arms Race .
In 1947 two
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In 1953 the Leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, died. His successor was a powerful man call Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev started the buildup of nuclear weapons this was the start of the nuclear arms race in which both the USSR and the US stockpiled nuclear warheads in the event of war. The arms race created a fear of a nuclear war to the American people. In fear of this the US Military increased its defense efforts and by the late sixties the US was fully prepared nation. The US Military built places like the Greenbrier Bunker, NORAD , the fort Knox vault and many other places in the event of a nuclear war. Throughout the Cold War, these places in the US were deemed vital to national security as they were important places that were to be used in the event of a cold war. Places like these were kept top secret until very recently, this subject of the Greenbrier bunker is on that very few know of and that is not often spoken of but if it was not for these places many of the nation’s most valuable assets along with many important officials would have been gone in the their time of need.
As the Cold war escalated with the USSR exploding the Hydrogen Bomb. A wave of fear hit the US in the fifties. This caused a spark of panic in the American people, even though the fifties was known as an era of grown and urban renewal. As the fear of atomic
When President Truman authorized the use of two nuclear weapons in 1945 against the Japanese in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II, the nature of international security was changed irreversibly. At that time, the United States had what was said to have a monopoly of atomic bombs. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union began working on atomic weaponry. In 1949, it had already detonated it first atomic bomb and tensions began to heat up between the two countries. With the information that the Soviets had tested their first bomb, the United States began work on more powerful weapons1, and a fight for nuclear superiority had begun.
With the start of World War II the race for the first atomic bomb started. With Germany under Hitler’s reign, the Nazis began separating uranium to form the first atomic bomb to control the world. The push for the United States build the first atomic bomb began with this knowledge. With the help of several scientists the United States succeeded in building the atomic bomb first. Two atomic bombs were used; a uranium bomb on Hiroshima and a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki. Along with the many deaths were six stages of A-bomb illness which includes acute stages, atomic bomb trauma, A-bomb radiation illness, radiation blood injury at lethal dosage, blood injuries, and secondary radiation illness. Seven unhealed scars were also an effect of the atomic bombs that includes keloids, A-bomb cataracts, leukemia, cancers, chromosome changes, exposure in utero and microcephaly, and genetic surveys. Regulations and guidance were set in place soon after the bombings to protect the people of the world based on the information that was gathered and it has changed over the years based on the new information that was learned. With the use of the atomic bombs in World War II, a lot of pain and suffering was caused, but a great deal of information was learned to help protect future generations from radiation.
When the Soviet Union came into possession of a nuclear bomb, the realization that the horrific aftermath, much like the one in Hiroshima, could happen in America struck fear into Americans.
John Foster Dulles, Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, reported in June 1954 that the possible spread of communism into South America could be absolutely detrimental and devastating to the United States (Doc B). Though Dulles is rallying the American people to the cause of containment, he is also making them realize that the expansion of communism is right at their footsteps, intensifying fears in the long run. And while increased defense spending and better protection may cause Americans to feel safer, the new modernized era of intercontinental ballistic missiles would change the face of foreign policy, homeland security, and national safety forever. A 1958 Washington Post cartoon ridiculing the grand commitment to missile programs during the Cold War brings to light the public and governmental “hysteria” pertaining the looming missile race (Doc F). The cartoon emphasizes on the lack of government focus on other things like welfare programs, civilian services, and space development, which can be linked to the launching of the Sputnik satellite in 1957. When Eisenhower left office and John F. Kennedy became president in 1961, Kennedy gave a tantamount inaugural address in which he underscored the new missile race and missile program focus that the United States had taken on in the previous
Intense moral justification was needed in order to make the decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki however, President Truman was ultimately the man who made the final decision to launch ‘Little Boy’ and destroy Hiroshima, Nagasaki and their civilians, thus forcing an end to the war. Although there were many alternatives presented to President Truman, it is unknown as to whether they would have actually succeeded in ending the war or producing less casualties. Truman made the decision to drop these bombs in the heat of war but his justification of having a military target appeared extremely unrealistic, as both cities were full of innocent civilians. The morality of the bombs have been debated over the years, however the publication of the actual damage to civilian life caused a strong voice opposed to the usage in the 60 years following the action.
The United States feared they would lose the nuclear war, therefore they based their money budget solely on weapons and missiles. The U.S had two thousand and four hundred sixty strategic weapons; five thousand and five hundred forty three nuclear weapons. In “The Most Important Problem Facing the United States” there were international tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, communism being the main cause (Doc 3). The United States wanted to have more power than the Soviets, for example in 1949 the Soviets tested an atom bomb of their own and in response President Truman announced the United States would build an even more destructive atomic weapon. In 1961, the CIA landed a strike which was a full invasion of Cuba, this therefore caused the Cubans not to trust the United States. All this discussion about war and threats from other territories terrified American citizens so greatly that they turned on each other. In the political protest photographs, “Reactions to the Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg”, it shows a divided society (Doc 4). The two different photographs are debating Julius and Ethel Rosenberg’s fate, are they guilty of being communists or not? The final verdict depends completely on what the American society thinks. Since people were afraid of nuclear war and destruction, fallout and bomb shelters were created to keep citizens safe during the war. In the “Building a Bomb Shelter”, American families built Bomb shelters to protect themself from the dangers of war (Doc 5). The Cold War impacted many aspects of American society, particularly the effect war had on
The fears of the American people regarding the Cold War in the aftermath of the second World War were numerous and strong, growing in power as Americans began to fear not only the looming threat posed by the Soviet Union but also potential communist activity within the United States itself. The administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower successfully recognized and addressed a number of these fears, passing legislation which improved domestic and international defence capabilities and creating an atmosphere of relative comfort and prosperity within the nation itself. However, despite the efforts of the Eisenhower administration, a strong sense of fear pervaded much of the United States as the Cold War escalated into a greater, more critical
The research question of this essay is “To what extent was the atomic bombing of Japan at the end of the Second World War Justified? In 1945, the United States authorized the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first bomb, dropped on August 6th 1945, had a total casualty rate of 135,000, including non-combatant civilians, and as this, the atomic bombing of Japan at the end of the Second World War has indeed been a hugely discussed topic within academic and social circles until today. There have been historians, academics, and other influential individuals throughout the world who have argued on both sides of the spectrum regarding the effects of the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and whether they were necessary and justified towards the ending of the conflict. According to the Center For Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), by 1944, it had become clear to both the United States and the Empire of Japan that Japan was indeed losing the war, and as this, there are many arguments and counterarguments regarding the effectiveness of the atomic bombing of Japan, as well as suggestions regarding alternatives due to the enormous human toll the bomb caused.
This is demonstrated in the idea that the most harmful effects could be prevented by hiding in concrete bases. As a result of being in the dark about the power of nuclear weapons, people were constantly in fear. This lack of knowledge about nuclear weapons and the amount of planning in preparation of deploying a nuclear weapon along with the constant fear also caused people to be irrationally fearful about “willy nilly” deployments of nuclear weapons on the US such that schools even would hold nuclear war drills like schools hold fire, earthquake, or lock-in drills today to prepare people for such an event when the time came. This fear was multiplied by the successful string of launches of multiple generations of Sputnik by the Soviet Union which reinforced Americans’ fears of imminent nuclear
On August 6th, 1945, the Enola gay took off to bomb Japan, changing the world forever. At 8:15 in the morning, a massive, mushroom cloud rose over Hiroshima, Japan killing more than 70,000 people. The first atomic bomb had been used in combat. Then on August 9, another bomb was sent in by the bomber Bock’s Car. It was originally supposed to go to the city of Kokura, but the weather was bad so it was redirected to Nagasaki killing 40,000 people. With the death tolls at around 129,000, Japan unconditionally surrendered several days later ending World War Two. Although, at the same time it put the world into a new generation of war. American President Harry Truman’s controversial choice to drop the atomic bomb on Japan had ended World War 2 but consequently started the nuclear age. Since the surrender, Truman’s choice has been the subject of a great deal controversy, in large part because of the high civilian death toll. However, the choice to bomb Japan had ended the long lasting war. Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb was justifiable by Japan’s refusal to give up unconditionally, the cost of the Manhattan Project, and the high death toll anticipated from an invasion of Japan.
Did the atomic bomb have to be used in World War II on Japan? There were multiple reasons why the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary. One of which is to reduce the chance of Allied casualties if the war continued. Another reason was to prohibit the possibility that an Axis country such as Nazi Germany, could create an atomic weapon. A third reason or is whether or not the use of atomic weapons on innocent people was worth the media backlash. A final reason is that the work the Americans and British did on the atomic bomb, would be an evolution of modern-day weaponry. The opinions on the atomic bomb and its use have been questioned for the past 69 years. The creation and use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and
August 6 1945 was just another normal day in Japan’s town of Hiroshima. Yet by 8:16 that morning, the world was hit with one of the most controversial, destructive and devastating events to date. The American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped the world’s first atom bomb, over the city of
On August 6, 1945, the war in Europe was over and both the U.S. and Russia were concentrating on defeating Japan. When the U.S. decided to use the atomic bomb, 68 major cities in Japan had already been devastated by airstrikes. It was hoped that the bombing of Hiroshima with an atomic weapon would cause Japan to finally surrender unconditionally. That did not happen. Three days later on Aug 9, 1945 Nagasaki was bombed with the second atomic bomb. Japan surrendered unconditionally Aug 14, 1945. The United States had already been bombing Japan for years with a net effect worse than the outcome of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but Japan did not show any signs of surrendering. Why did the United States believe that it was justified to drop an atomic bomb that would kill tens of thousands of Japanese civilians? There are a few well documented reasons why the U.S. felt they had to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. The leading thoughts were that the U.S. wanted to end the war as quickly as possible with the added benefit of preventing Russia from gaining territory in Japan. It would also prevent the need for an all out assault on Japan, thereby preventing American casualties while demonstrating to Russia that the U.S.’s nuclear capabilities were in fact real.
The atomic bombing of Japan was an unjustified decision that many considered was inhumane. Through the use of atomic bombs, many innocents were harmed in one way or another. Berger described the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as "a terrorist act" and that it was "evil". While Berger 's argument was extreme, the U.S. still remains unjustified because they did not know exactly how much damage the bomb would actually cause. Bombing Japan, the U.S. harmed thousands of civilians and displayed the effectiveness of the atomic bomb despite having other options to end the war.
On August 6, 1945, during World War II an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor