World War II : The Great Wars Of The Modern Era

The beginnings of the Nuclear Age started when Albert Einstein wrote to President Franklin Roosevelt warning him of a dangerous weapon the Nazis had begun researching, known as the atomic bomb. (1) Though, when President Roosevelt first read this letter, he was too preoccupied with events in Europe to be bothered with such ideas. He at the time did not take the creation of such weapon to seriously, nor did he believe America had the resources for such a task. (2) Finally, on October 19, 1939 President Roosevelt wrote back to Einstein stating that the United States had begun to research the power of uranium. (2) With the help of the British, whom reluctantly gave the United States leadership on this project, in June of 1942 the Manhattan Project had begun, though most of the world had no idea that this was even happening, not even Vice President Truman. (2)

I believe that World War II was a continuation of World War I because of some not resolved issues. Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles by expanding the military and invading Poland. One of the events that led to the beginning of World War 1 was: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism; which stands for MAIN. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia but they then joined up with Russia. After, Germany declared war on Russia which caused the war to expand. World War I ended in 1918 when Germany surrendered. It also had a great impact on European countries after it ended.

Even before the outbreak of War, the United States was concerned with a fascist regime in Europe researching in nuclear weapons. In retaliation, the United States began to fund an atomic weapon development program which became known as “The Manhattan Project” led by J. Robert Oppenheimer. Over the next several years, the Manhattan project started obtaining key materials such as Uranium-235 and Plutonium and testing prototypes until they reached a working model (Coroner).

Frisch reported his findings to Niels Bohr; a Nobel Prize winning scientist whom was just leaving Denmark to lecture at Princeton University. A Hungarian scientist named Leo Szilard was especially interested in the new experiments involving nuclear fission. He had earlier hypothesized that fission could produce a "self sustaining chain reaction" which would produce huge amounts of energy. Szilard, a refugee from Nazism decided that Hitler must not develop this technology. He requested the help of fellow refugee, Albert Einstein to illustrate his concern to President Truman. Einstein’s letter to Truman said, "This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable—though much less certain—that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may be constructed" Thus began what became know as the "Manhattan Project." This was the code name for the development of the first atomic bomb. (The Fall of Japan, 20)

Though the scientists themselves were the ones to encourage the creation of the atom bomb, their plans and views differed immensely from those of the military. As World War II raged on, Germany was suspected of harnessing atomic energy and directing it into powering a weapon. Albert Einstein, agreeing with Leo Silzard, the man who first thought into the concept, urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to look further into the study of atomic energy and the possibility of using it for a bomb. President Roosevelt, fearing the German’s advances in this study, quickly agreed and sent money to the University of Chicago to begin the study and research of atomic energy. (Roleff 62) (The Manhattan Project 1) Upon sending this money, the top-secret research program and building of the atomic bomb began. Later moving from Chicago to Los Alamos, New Mexico, this secret project was called the Manhattan Project. (1) Einstein later explained that his recommendation to the president was to only further the United State’s knowledge of this energy and to have an extra line of defense if the Germans were to ever launch a nuclear attack. (Roleff 62) When the possibility of using one of these weapons was

The only reason many of the scientists kept working for the project was because they saw it as a necessary evil and a weapon that could stop the war, stop the bloodshed. Joseph Rotbalt a Polish physicist, and one of the many scientists brought to Los Alamos to work on the two atomic weapons found himself in a great moral dilemma. He was against the bombs but saw the Nazis as a great danger to the world that needed to be destroyed, an idea held by many of the scientists inside the Manhattan Project. But once it was discovered by Rotblat that US did not intend to use the weapon on the now ailing Nazi empire, but as a deterrent for the Soviets, he was appalled. ‘‘Until then I thought our work was to prevent a Nazi victory, and now I was told that the weapon we were preparing was intended for use against the people who were making extreme sacrifices for that very aim,’’ Rotblat would later comment. He was the only scientist to leave Los Alamos after it was transpired that the weapons would be used on enemies other than the Nazis. 5 Concerned by what he had learned in the Manhattan Project, Rotblat took up the helm in the disarmament community. He collected signatures from well-known scientists including the renowned Albert Einstein, denouncing the use of nuclear and atomic weaponry. He was the warrior fighting nuclear weaponry at the time and after the testing of a hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, Rotblat investigated and discovered that the bomb had released radioactivity far greater than the US scientists working on the bomb had revealed. He also cofounded the Pugwash organization that is committed to nuclear disarmament. 6 In 1995 Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conference of 1957 were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in nuclear disarmament. Rotblat had this to say after he was awarded the

Three days later, after Japan failed to heed our cry for surrender, we dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki, killing another 40,000. This was quite possibly one of the most questionable acts during World War II, if not during the modern era.While on one hand, Japan wasn’t going to surrender without one hell of a fight and this act saved millions of young american lives, it also negatively affected that many japanese in one way or another. However this ethical dilemma wasn’t the driving force behind this essay. Rather it was astounding success of the Manhattan project. Scientists from all over the globe came together against a common enemy and managed something spectacular. Before the war, nuclear anything was in its infancy. However, together these physicists and engineers and rocket scientists managed to break down a new frontier. While it would be immoral to condone the creation of such a destructive device, one can’t deny its purpose. It saved lives and brought to an end a war that had gone on too

The discovery of nuclear fission in 1938 concluded that with this knowledge the second World War outcome could be determined if the Nazi’s had the ability to create a nuclear bomb. One of the scientists that discovered nuclear fission, thought if

In the early 20th century, there were numerous groundbreaking advances in science. One of the most important ones was the splitting of the atom or nuclear fission. Physicists realized that fission could release tremendous amounts of energy in a form of a bomb. With WWII in the horizon, the U.S. government decided to launch the Manhattan Project, the race to develop the world’s first atomic bomb. The project took about 7 years, approximately $2 billion, and around 130,000 personnel to complete, (Hall,“By the Numbers: World War II’s atomic bombs”). The eventually success of the project would change countries around the globe forever. The results of the Manhattan Project opened up a new field of possibilities, leaving behind numerous consequences.

In the early morning hours of July 16, 1945, the first ever nuclear explosion took place in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The explosion was the first test of the most destructive weapon ever known to man and was the result of almost six years of research and development by some of the world’s top scientists. This endeavor was known as the Manhattan Project. Less than a month after the test, which was known as Trinity, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan, three days apart, which forced the Japanese to surrender. The story of the Manhattan Project is an abysmal subject, as is the effect of the Manhattan Project on international politics, and both will be covered in this paper. Indeed, the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb were good things, because it actually decreased the likelihood of nuclear war in the post- World War II era.

The development of the Atomic bomb started in 1939 after the renowned physicist Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt stating that “recent work had made it possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium by which vast amounts of power ... would be generated by which, my dear Mr. President, it might be possible to unleash an immense destructive force” . He was driven to write this letter because two European physicists, one in America, were exchanging information on what was going on in Europe. In 1939 when Germany banned the export of Uranium ore from Czechoslovakia, which this caught the European scientists’ attention they collaborated to contact Albert about this possible issue, toying with the idea that the Germans might be doing research of their own. Though priority and funding to organize the project was not given until the US entered the war in 1941, where the operation was designated Project Manhattan.

As World War II came to an end, the United States began emerging as a modern world power. The road to becoming a new world power was long and plentiful. After numerous years of fighting in World War II, years of backing breaking work and dedication, our nation arose as a world superpower. With this superpower, the U.S. would prove its dedication to its people, its help for other countries, and its demand for peace. Once America gained the status of power, many challenges and opportunities were created and faced. Out of these challenges and opportunities came a time of great fear along with many accomplishments. Throughout the journey of being a modern world power, the country tackled an abundance of both high and low points. To conclude,

On April 22, 1904, a man that is known today as ‘the father of the atomic bomb’ was born to an affluent German textile merchant, and painter, both of Jewish descent. In 1912, the family moved to an area known for its elegant mansions and town houses. At the age of 18, this young man entered Harvard College where he majored in chemistry and graduated in three years. In 1924, he was accepted into Christ's College, Cambridge where he excelled in his academics. At this college, he developed a hostile relationship with his tutor, Patrick Blackett, and attempted to poison him. Once the administration found out, they did not, in fact, expel him. Instead, they decided to place him on probation and directed him to see a psychiatrist in London. Despite this setback, however, he went on to create a weapon with incredible explosive power, the atomic bomb. This outlier was Robert Oppenheimer.

Early on in 1939, rumor began to circulate of a Nazi project to split a uranium atom. Fear started to rise in the scientific community that a weapon capable of unspeakable destruction was beginning to be utilized. Also at this time, two very well known scientists, Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi, had just moved to America. They both agreed professionally that the president and congress should be informed of this threat. Atomic technology was no good in the hand of the Axis Powers, especially when they were on the verge of a second World War.

In 1941, The United States began an atomic bomb program called the “Manhattan Project.” The main objective of the “Manhattan Project” was to research and build an atomic bomb before Germany could create and use one against the allied forces during World War II. German scientists had started a similar research program four years before the United States began so the scientists of the “Manhattan Project” felt a sense of urgency throughout their work (Wood “Men … Project”).