Children on the playground are often quick to react to perceived violent actions by fellow youth. Quips like “You hit me so I will hit you” can be heard. The children are all grown up now, their names are America and the Soviet Union, and furthermore the stakes are immensely superior to a playground squabble. In 1945, there was no doubt the Allies would win the wars versus Germany and Japan, however, the unanswerable question was: How long, and how any lives, and how much destruction would there be before the Axis powers capitulated Bridger, S. (2016)? Like children on the playground, a dangerous game was played with the stakes of worldwide destruction. This tit for tat preventative became known as mutually assured destruction (MAD) The A-Bomb, made in America with all its destructive power was inconceivable to many. However, after use on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and the horrific devastation which resulted, the world took notice. The A-Bomb was the new Playstaion, everyone kid wants the newest Playstation. Unfortunately the A-Bomb is not a game console, but a device unthinkable devastation. At the end of the 1960’s era movie called “Dr. Strangelove” it depicts the lunacy of the mutually assured destruction concept, and the fragility of how close to the brink of destruction the world is (Dr Strangelove, 2016). The movie ends with the actor Slim Pickens riding atop an atomic bomb dropped in from an American B-52(Dr Strangelove, 2016) . As baffling as this
Have you ever been really nervous because if you don't win a race to build the world most dangerous weapon you are in a critical condition of dying? The best part of the book is when Japan refuses to surrender. The only option is to drop atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It was intelligently planned to drop bombs there because it would, of course, scare many. Not only that but Nagasaki and Hiroshima were really unarmed for something like the world's most dangerous weapon in the world (the atomic bomb). In the book The Bomb by, Steve Sheinkin writes about how most countries in the world is in a race to build the first atomic bomb. The U.S. successfully makes the bomb and ends the war. The author Steve Sheinkin fully describes how the conflict
As World War II was coming to an end during 1945, the creation of one of the most destructive weapons known to humanity occurred within the United States. This weapon, known as “the atomic bomb,” was used on the two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in a death toll unprecedented by any military weapon used before and an immediate, unconditional surrender. Some historians believe President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb in order to intimidate the Soviet Union whereas others believe it was a strictly military measure designed to force Japan’s unconditional surrender. In the Report of a Scientific Panel of nuclear physicists, some scientific colleagues believed the atomic bomb was a “purely technical
In the article “Can a Playground Be Too Safe?”, J. Tierney questions the value of safety-first playgrounds and argues that it is unfavorable for the emotional development of children. Indeed, Tierney explains that not confronting kids to the dangers and risks will not help them overcome their fears. Throughout this article, the author produced a well-rounded piece by using ethical, emotional and logical appeals.
“We have to protect our Earth, so our children and grandchildren will never suffer like that,’ she said. And she looked ahead. ‘Maybe nuclear weapons won’t be abolished while I’m alive,’ she said. ‘But I will never give up.” (Hanley, NBC News). August 6, 1945 at 8:16 in the morning, the United States dropped the world's first atomic bomb on thousands of unsuspecting people in Hiroshima, Japan. Not only did this catastrophic event kill thousands of civilians, but it also resulted in other nations obtaining and learning how to create these deadly weapons, weapons that we still have today. In the book Hiroshima by John Hersey he gives readers a new look at that day, through the eyes of six victims who survived the horrific attack on Hiroshima, he shows how the entire city of Hiroshima suffered, and were left alone to fend for themselves.The book Hiroshima by John Hersey, sheds light on the immense dangers of nuclear warfare, and the government's responsibility for its people, affected by a war they aren’t fighting in.
Few inventions have shaped war as much as the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb enabled massive indiscriminate destruction on a scale the world had never seen. The offensive capabilities of the atomic bomb were terrifying and many believed a nuclear war could destroy the world. Bernard Brodie, Albert Wohlstetter, Thomas Schelling, and André Beaufre describe the state of war the atomic bomb introduced in the Nuclear Age. Their writings show that atomic bombs changed warfare by changing the focus of arms development to avoid conflict and threats against civilians were now used to force surrender.
The pressing question still lingers: Was the United States justified in using the Atomic Bomb against Japan during WWII? World War II stands as the bloodiest and deadliest war of all time. It involved more than thirty countries and resulted in over fifty million civilian and military deaths. It lasted six years, beginning with Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939. As the Allied Powers (mainly the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) were in direct conflict with each other, many wonder if the cost of victory was too extreme. In late 1941, the process of creating the world’s first, most deadly weapon began. The production of the first atomic bomb was code named “the Manhattan Project.” After months of production, August 6, 1945, America dropped the “Little Boy” bomb on Hiroshima, wiping out ninety percent of the city. August 9, 1945, just three days after the devastation of the first bomb, America dropped the “Fat Man” bomb on Nagasaki. Dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was not necessary, nor justified in ending World War II. Due to the fact that America targeted heavily civilian populated cities (with limited military value), that Japan was in a position of surrender before the bomb was dropped, and the fact that the U.S. did not give enough time for Japan to process the devastation of the first bomb before the second in Nagasaki shows that America’s decision to drop the atomic bomb was entirely unjustified.
The book Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon is a thrilling, fast-paced story that refines a great deal of history into interesting and understandable literature for practically any age reader. The author, Steve Sheinkin, writes to tell the story of the first atomic bomb, the people who made it possible, and those who challenged its progress. Any person who is interested in science, history, or would like an enjoyable, quick read could read Bomb and easily understand the basics behind the creation of the atomic bomb. Along with the science and mathematics of the atomic bomb, Sheinkin adds the suspense and intrigue from the viewpoints of espionage agents from the Soviet Union, Germany, Great Britain, and the
The Atomic Bomb or known Atom Bomb was created by a scientist, which assembled the first bomb. He and General Leslie Graves officially and successfully tested it in New Mexico, July 21, 1945. Despite this, two refugees from Italy and Germany in the early 1940’s, Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard were the first to ever produce a controlled chain reaction. The bomb was created to use during WW2 and end it. This was big for America as president Franklin was notified that Germany was working on a similar weapon to use on America and its Allies. This bomb was needed to win the war and it took approximately 160,000 lives as a result while also having many affects on the people then, the people today, and the environment (Henretta, Edwards, & Self, 2012). The US was the first and only country to this day to drop an atomic bomb on another country, not once, but twice. This did end the war; however, the results were quite devastating to Japan. The environment and lives lost were all greatly impacted however, the world as a whole would be impacted for years to come. It also had its political reasoning behind it to show the global power of America. The devastation caused by the bombs also created deterrence from using them in the future at the time. Furthermore, now as other countries have improved technological
In 1945, World War Two was coming to an end. Following Adolf Hitler’s suicide, and Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 7, 1945, the war in Europe was finally over. The allies began began postwar planning for future, as well as establishment of post-war order and peace treaties issues. America’s war wasn’t done yet as they were still fighting Japan, eventually pushing them back to their main island. The Japanese’ plans of defending themselves was a group of final decisive battles on the Japanese mainland utilizing all people in Japan to fight to death against the Americans. Fearing costly land battles,
America’s use of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities also opened the door to other countries challenging them through their own use of nuclear bombs. Many have criticized that the atomic bomb was an act of “muscle flexing” due to the sheer power and destruction caused by the decision to drop the two bombs. (Nicholls, 67). Not only were these bombs a demonstration of the power that these nuclear weapons had, but they were a testament of power that the United States now held. Never before had a country surrendered in war without first being invaded, so the decision to drop the bomb and Japan's subsequent surrender were extremely significant (Baldwin, 39). These bombings didn’t just impact the Japanese, but the whole world and gave way to
Though people questioned why acts of war were committed, they found justification in rationalizing that it served the greater good. As time evolved, the world began to evolve in its thinking and view of the atomic bomb and war. In Hiroshima, John Hersey has a conversation with a survivor of the atomic bomb about the general nature of war. “She had firsthand knowledge of the cruelty of the atomic bomb, but she felt that more notice should be given to the causes than to the instruments of total war.” (Hersey, 122). In John Hersey’s book, many concepts are discussed. The most important concept for the reader to identify was how society viewed the use of the bomb. Many people, including survivors, have chosen to look past the bomb itself, into the deeper issues the bomb represents. The same should apply to us. Since WWII, we have set up many restrictions, protocols and preventions in the hope that we could spare our society from total nuclear war. The world has benefited in our perspective of the bomb because we learned, understand, and fear the use of atomic weapons.
Dr.Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a film about what could happen if the wrong person pushed the “button”, It mocks Cold War fears of a nuclear battle between the Soviet Union and the United States. Kubrick’s intension for the movie is to deliver his viewpoint on vague the American conflict with Russia. The whole point of the Cold War was to shock the opposing country into submission by building a stronger nuclear-powered program and intimidating them by saying the Americans will put it to use. This fear is the base of Kubrick’s film, and is included when the President is eager to let one of the Air Force’s bombers be ruined, killing its crew members, to prevent Russia’s “Doomsday Machine” from going off and sending the world into a nuclear winter. Kubrick felt that this
Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb challenges the beliefs of war and equates war to a mockery created by sexually crippled men. The most symbolic scene in the film, one that truly exemplifies what Kubrick was trying to show his audience, is the famous "riding of the bomb" scene in which actor Slim Pickens howls with satisfaction and lust as he plummets toward earth with an atomic bomb firmly between his legs. Kubrick’s effect is to make the audience want to see that bomb dropped which is the climax with Kong riding it. His mind far from fear or doubt, he is exhilarated. The imagery of straddling the bomb, the intensity and satisfaction with which he dislodges the bomb and ensures not only his own destruction but also those around him.
“Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima and destroyed its usefulness to the enemy. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of TNT. It had more than two thousand times the blast power of the British "Grand Slam" which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare.
“Dr.Strangelove” is an 1964 film based on the argument of rational; deterrence theory by Kenneth Waltz. Many of the events that occurred during the film also complimented many of the critiques of rational deterrence theory later made by Scott Sagan. Nuclear weapons have been an important issue for debate for years. The spotlight of nuclear weapons was an important factor during the cold war nevertheless the question of nuclear weapons remains afterwards. The question of both the spread and contraction of nuclear weapons remains a strong issue because of the opposing theories that argue against the question of the spread, contraction furthermore the total dissolution of nuclear weapons.