Albert Einstein And The Atomic Bomb

The year is 1938. War is plaguing Europe. The German military, under the direction of Adolf Hitler, was ruthlessly invading European countries attempting to create a larger and more powerful Germany. While this was happening, the world of theoretical physics was on the brink of an incredible discovery: splitting atoms, the building blocks of all matter, could result in enormous amounts of energy being released. The Germans were leading this cause, but letting Hitler gain control of a possible weapon of mass destruction could be devastating. The stakes were at an all-time high due to the mystery involving the power of splitting atoms. What was not known at the time was what this race for controlling science would build up to. The development and use of the world’s first atomic bomb brought up many questions about the rights and responsibilities of nuclear and atomic science.
In 1939, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt explaining what the Germans controlling atomic science could mean for the rest of the world. The letter itself was a good deed, but even so, Einstein knew the consequences of signing this letter. Einstein wrote “it is my duty to bring to your attention the following facts and recommendations.” It can be interpreted his feeling of responsibility outweighed his predictions of possible consequences. One such outcome would be that the US would be forced to compete with the Germans, and if the United States did win the atomic race, what would they do with this technology? Despite his many concerns, Einstein signed the letter and sent it to Roosevelt.
As Europe was torn apart by World War II, the Americas remained uninvolved in the conflict. The US simply did not want to be forced into ano...

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...f their uranium and other materials to an international atomic energy group, which would put those same materials towards nonviolent uses of atomic energy. That speech resulted in the International Atomic Energy Agency being created in Vienna, Austria on October 1, 1957.
The dawn of the atomic era was a time full of fear, mysteries, and ultimately responsibilities. Whether it is the scientists, the leader of the scientists, the soldiers, or the leader of the soldiers, they all felt the responsibilities of developing and using the world’s first nuclear bomb. With this new knowledge, it became a responsibility of the people of this world to protect each other from the devastating effects of atomic warfare. Balancing the right to explore atomic science and the responsibility of the wellbeing of humanity was now a position that mankind would be locked into forever.