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Nuclear weapon in world war 2
Development of the atomic bomb during ww2
Nuclear weapons in world war 2
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I am a second year high school student here to explain the lethality of a bomb so powerful it destroys entire cities leaving only a mushroom cloud and extreme levels of radioactivity in the aftermath. The nuclear bomb or “nuke” was invented by Albert Einstein in the manhattan project from 1939-1945. It was used to end WW2 by bombing major cities in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing about 200,000 people. Seeing how powerful the bomb can be, the world continued to research on how to make the bomb more powerful, thus discovering the tsar bomba, the most powerful nuke up to this day in history. Up to this day they are being improved to be bigger, deadlier, and longer range. Today almost every country has some sort of nuclear weapon, and it is said that, that is enough to destroy planet earth or make it uninhabitable. Nuclear weapons are one of the most dangerous weapons known to man. It all started in the beginning of World War 2 in the manhattan project, where they were attempting to find more lethal ways of dealing with the enemy.
The research was lead by the U.S and the U.K. It cost about 23 billion dollars to for the employes, research,
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It was a hydrogen bomb capable of blowing everything up to 34 miles away. Its blast yield reached 50 megaton TNT. It has still gone down as the most powerful nuclear weapon in history. In later years the world has continued to build hundreds and thousands of nuclear bombs, weapons, etc. There are now nuclear warheads that can travel around the globe, more atomic bombs, and easily transportable nuclear bombs. There are now enough nuclear weapons that if the world were to go to war with nukes, it would be enough to the destroy planet earth. Nuclear weapons are the most powerful weapon in the world leaving immediate damage and long lasting radiation levels that can cause cancer to any that may have survived the
Although nuclear technology can be used for good, it can also be used for destruction. One example of this was the bombing of 2 Japanese cities using the a...
With the U.S. having possession of this new weapon, they had the potential to be viewed as an unstoppable force. The decisions the U.S. made about the atomic bomb would change the way the entire world views them. If they used it willingly and wisely, they would be viewed with respect and authority. If they used it blindly and carelessly, they would be viewed with fear and hatred. And if they didn’t use it at all, the world might question their willpower and influence.
The USA’s new weapon, the Hydrogen bomb, or H-bomb, was one of the most powerful weapons of the time. In 1950, the H-bomb was tested in the Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands (Cold War History). The reaction was so fierce, the explosion wiped the island off the face of the earth, leaving a crater on the ocean floor. The explosion reached a range of 25 square miles and had a mushroom cloud which dropped radioactive fallout on the surrounding areas (The Cold War Museum). This new weapon scared the Soviet Union into creating their own bombs.
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”).
Desperate measures had to be taken to bring an end to World War II. The war was promised to continue, which would then result in many more deaths of American soldiers. By dropping the first and only two atomic bombs in history, America guaranteed that World War II would result in a quick conclusion. Although the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki did cost many Japanese citizens their lives, doing so was mandatory to bring an end to World War II. Dropping the atomic bombs was an extremely difficult but necessary decision that America had to make to bring an end to the war.
The United States to this day is still afraid that other countries might use atomic bombs for mass destruction. They had to keep this bomb secret so that the other countries didn’t think they were trying to destroy them. If they found out then it would start an atomic war. Causing a 2nd war that the United States didn’t need or want. This project was actually dangerous so dangerous that the explosion would be catastrophic. Destroying so much land.
During the final stages of World War II the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the country of Japan. On August 6, 1945 America dropped the first nuclear weapon ever used in war, an atomic bomb by the name of “little boy.” It killed approximately eighty thousand people, not including the amount of people that died due to the radiation exposure. Then on August 9, 1945 America dropped its second atomic bomb by the name of “fatman” that killed roughly forty thousand people. The dropping of the atomic bombs lead to Emperor Hirohito announcing Japan’s surrender in the war on August 15, 1945. “Why We Dropped the Bomb” written by Gar Alperovitz discusses the use of the atomic bombs, why they were used, and how it helped America gain political power. “Thank God for the Atom Bomb” written by Paul Fussel discusses how the atomic bombs were used to save lives against the Japanese. Gar Alperovitz’s article is a more persuasive piece compared to Paul Fussel’s article, because it provides facts and examples that help us understand why America used the atom bomb and how it helped America’s political status.
The standards of morality are often violated during war. No one even question the ethics of certain actions until all is set and done, especially the victors. It then comes without surprise that the brain child of the Manhattan Project was one of these morally turbulent actions. The Manhattan Project, started in 1942. It consisted of a small group of government recruited scientists, physicists, chemist, metallurgists and engineers. Lead by Robert Oppenheimer in charge of developing nuclear arms [1].
World War II brought up many new technologies for warfare. Advanced on existing developments such as weaponry, ships, vehicles air crafts, navigational devices and medicine are just a few broad examples of developments in warfare during this time in United States and World history. One development, however, changed the entire way of warfare. The Atomic bomb was developed during this time out of fears that the Germans had the same technologies, or at least were working to obtain it. Once the United States had this technological capability of producing atomic weapons, the way of fighting was changed. Two bombs were dropped on Japan in August of 1945, one on the city of Hiroshima and the other on the city of Nagasaki. Afterward, the ear of atomic diplomacy came up in American international relations, which as we have seen today, has led to the development of even stronger, more deadly weaponry and bombs. The bombing of Japan also brings up the still prevalent debate of whether the bombings were justifiable or not. Historians Gar Alperovitz, Robert P. Newman and Barton Bernstein all have written essays expressing their opinions in the matter.
After the first few days of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Americans, without knowledge of the aftermath of these cities, began cheering and celebrating as the bombings marked the end of World War II. Also, this event showed that Americans would be the ones who would lead the world into the nuclear age. In a Gallup Poll taken from August 10-15, 1945, Americans were asked whether or not they approved or disapproved of the use of atomic bombs on Japanese cities, 85 percent approved, ten percent disapproved and five had no opinion.30 then when asked if the development of the atomic bomb was a good or bad thing, 69 percent said it was a good thing, 17 percent said it was bad, and 14 percent had no opinion (Steele).
The development and usage of the first atomic bombs has caused a change in military, political, and public functionality of the world today. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki revolutionized warfare by killing large masses of civilian population with a single strike. The bombs’ effects from the blast, extreme heat, and radiation left an estimated 140,000 people dead. The bombs created a temporary resolution that lead to another conflict. The Cold War was a political standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States that again created a new worldwide nuclear threat. The destructive potential of nuclear weapons had created a global sweep of fear as to what might happen if these terrible forces where unleashed again. The technology involved in building the first atomic bombs has grown into the creation of nuclear weapons that are potentially 40 times more powerful than the original bombs used. However, a military change in strategy has came to promote nuclear disarmament and prevent the usage of nuclear weapons. The technology of building the atomic bomb has spurred some useful innovations that can be applied through the use of nuclear power. The fear of a potential nuclear attack had been heightened by the media and its release of movies impacting on public opinion and fear of nuclear devastation. The lives lost after the detonation of the atomic bombs have become warning signs that changed global thinking and caused preventative actions.
“On July 16, 1945, a six-kilogram sphere of plutonium exploded over the New Mexico desert with a force equal to 20,000 tons of dynamite” (Stoll 1). Shortly after, “on August 6 and 9, the United States dropped nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” (Stoll 1). The levels of radiation released caused a lot of damage to humans and the environment .
The nuclear bomb was the most devastating weapon ever created by man. It was developed between 1942 and 1945 during the second World War. The project to build the worlds first atomic weapon was called The Manhattan Project. The nuclear bomb was based on the idea of splitting an atom to create energy, this is called fission. Three bombs were created, “Trinity”, “Little Boy”, and “Fat Man”. “Trinity” was dropped on a test site in New Mexico on July 16, 1945, proving the theories, engineering and mathematics of the bomb to be correct. Shortly after that, not more than 2 months, the U.S. performed the first actual nuclear attack in the history of war. The bomb “Little Boy” was dropped on the town of Hiroshima, instantly killing thousands. “Fat Man” was dropped shortly after on the town of Nagasaki. After the bombing almost all scientist involved with the creation of the bomb regretted its construction and spoke out against the abolishment of nuclear weapons.
In 1945, when the Americans bombed Hiroshima, Japan, approximately 140,000 men and women were instantly killed by the effects of American nuclear defense. With such extreme brutality and force how many people must die for one to finally realize the strengths of nuclear bombs and what damage they can cause. Nuclear weapons should be outlawed because they kill thousands of innocent humans at a time, destroy the environment, and inviolate human’s right to moral and personal freedoms.
On August 6, 1945 the first of two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan by the United States in order to finish World War II. The first one landed over the heavily populated city of Hiroshima. The second bomb was dropped, not only three days later, on August 9, 1945 on another Japanese city called Nagasaki. Both atomic bombs made terrible impacts on the cities they were dropped on. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed beyond belief leaving a trail of dust where once families lived a normal life. The U.S. should not have dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan because it affected the climate and world’s mindset, targeted two sites that were not military bases, and killed a profuse amount of innocent citizens.