According to Merriam-Webster, nuclear fission is defined as “the splitting of an atomic nucleus resulting in the release of large amounts of energy” (Nuclear Fission). In the book Remembering the Manhattan Project: Perspectives on the Making of the Atomic Bomb and Its Legacy, Richard Rhodes, an American journalist and historian, states that fission was essentially discovered by accident. On December 21, 1938, German physicists, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman, were performing an experiment in which they bombarded uranium atoms with neutrons (Rhodes 17). They saw that this procedure created mutated atoms that had strange characteristics. Hahn and Strassman found that the neutrons split the nuclei of the uranium in half producing radioactive barium and krypton (Rhodes 18). Rhodes explains that the physicists observed that the reaction was extremely exothermic, producing about ten times the energy needed for the fission to occur. After publishing their findings, physicists all over the world recreated the experiment. After conducting his own fission experiment, Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist at Colombia University, said, “A little bomb like that and it would all disappear” (qtd. Rhodes 19). Many of the world’s physicists came to the same conclusion; this reaction could be used to develop an atomic weapon. According to Rhodes, this discovery made the development of atomic weaponry seem essential to many countries because the only way to defend themselves against atomic weapons was to have similar weapons of their own. In 1940 two physicists, Otto Frisch and Rudolf Peirels, sent a warning to the British government stating, “Germany is, or will be, in the possession of this weapon, it must be realized that no shelters are ava... ... middle of paper ... ...ilm Criticism 27.3 (2003): 40-52. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Rhodes, Richard. "The Manhattan Project - A Millennial Transformation." Remembering the Manhattan Project: Perspectives on the Making of the Atomic Bomb and Its Legacy. New Jersey: World Scientific, 2004. 15-38. Print. Roland, Alex. "Was the Nuclear Arms Race Deterministic?" Technology and Culture 51.2 (2010): 444-461. Project MUSE. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Stimson, Henry L. "The Decision To Use The Atomic Bomb." Decision To Use The Atomic Bomb (2009): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Thompson, Nick. "Cuban Missile Crisis II? Not exactly, say weapons experts." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 July 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Vidich, Arthur J. "Atomic Bombs And American Democracy." International Journal Of Politics, Culture & Society 8.3 (1995): 499. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.
Wood, Linda K. “Men and Mission of the Manhattan Project.” World War II July 1995: 38-45. SIRS Research. SIRS Knowledge Source. Manheim Township H.S. Library, Lancaster, PA. 13 Feb. 2003.
One of the most argued topics today, the end of World War II and the dropping of the atomic bombs still rings in the American ear. Recent studies by historians have argued that point that the United States really did not make the right choice when they chose to drop the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Also with the release of once classified documents, we can see that the United States ...
Powers, Thomas. "THE BOMB : Hiroshima: Changing the Way We Think About War." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 06 Aug. 1995. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.
Imagine a society where everyone has a different opinion about dropping an atomic bomb to country that they are fighting with. What is an atomic bomb? An atomic bomb is a bomb which derives its destructive power from the rapid release of nuclear energy by fission of heavy atomic nuclei, causing damage through heat, blast, and radioactivity. The atomic bomb is a tremendously questionable topic. Nonetheless, these literary selections give comprehension on the decision about dropping the atomic bomb for military purposes. For example, the “Speech to the Association of Los Alamos Scientists” by Robert Oppenheimer, argues that we should have drop the atomic bomb, “A Petition to the President of the United States” by 70 scientists, asks President
Pavel V. Oleynikov, “German Scientists in the Soviet Atomic Project, the Nonproliferation Review”, (2000), http://cns.miis.edu/npr/pdfs/72pavel.pdf.
In fear that Nazi Germany was developing an atomic bomb, on December 6 1941, scientists, engineers and the army raced to build the first man-made atomic bomb. These combined efforts provide the United States with wartime military advantage was dubbed ‘The Manhattan Project’. However, when by late 1944, concrete intelligence confirmed that Germany’s work on atomic weaponry had basically stalled in 1942, many scientists were given cause to pause and reassess their commitment to the project. Joseph Rotblat, for instance, quit the project maintaining that, ‘the fact that the German effort was stillborn undermined the rationale for continuing’. Indeed, he was the exception. Nevertheless, the scientists’ apprehensions reached a high plateau when Germany surrendered in May 1945. These events, among others, suggested that the bomb would be used, if at all, against Japan (a reversal, in a way, of the racism and genocide issues within Germany). Many scientists, thus, began to debate among themselves the moral and ethical implications of using an atomic bomb in the war and the fate of humanity in the imminent atomic age. In doing so, the scientists with a stronger sense of responsibility, resolved that, as they had created the bomb, they possessed both the legitimacy and intellect to formulate proposals regarding its use. On their political mission, the scientists fastened...
Debates on the use of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been active for decades and continue to this day. The timeline of events and available evidence is consistent with the notion that the most compelling reason Pres. Truman authorized the use of atomic weapons was for diplomatic and political reasons, with an eye towards the Soviet Union, rather than bringing an early end to the war with the immediate surrender of Japan. The development of the atomic bomb was the largest program of covert scientific research ever undertaken. There are several reasons cited to justify the use of the bomb. There are, however, a number of evidence supported factors that challenge this perspective. An aggressive Soviet Union in Eastern Europe and Asia made it clear that they would become a threat to Britain and the US. Pres.Truman, who was advised of alternatives, chose to use the bomb recognizing that it would be an important diplomatic instrument in dealing with the Soviets.
The decision to inaugurate the nuclear age by dropping an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima was one of the most momentous acts of the twentieth century. To this day the wisdom of that decision is still a subject of controversy.1 The bomb was developed in great secrecy. This momentous decision that affected the entire planet was made by only a select few. In America, with its democratic government, the whole country finds itself responsible for the actions of its leaders, in particular the President. The leaders are elected with the select purpose of making decisions for the whole. They were responsible for looking at the war and the direction in which it was heading. The Americans would have to deal with the results of their leaders’ actions. Public opinion after the bomb was dropped showed whether the Americans actually approved of these decisions or not. This made the decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima all the more important. Not only would those who ordered the bombing be responsible for the destruction, but the entire country would also be responsible for the actions of its leaders.
The world as we know it was built with events and circumstances that many of us are unaware of. One of the most powerful and deadliest discoveries of the human race in the twentieth century was the development of the atomic bomb. Many are aware that we dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in the end of the Second World War, but what many do not know are the extensive research operations that evaluated the technology to be used in future military operations. In the summer of 1946, American Government and Military forces conducted this research in Operation: Crossroads which was performed in the Bikini Islands. More than 40 years later in 1988 director Robert Stone directed and produced a documentary on these tests which was named Radio Bikini: the most terrifying and unbelievable story of the nuclear age. The film was hailed by critics for the content of the film and its use of newsreels and military film for the movie as one critic said, “Wha...
Miles, Rufus E. Jr. “Hiroshima: The Strange Myth of Half a Million American Lives Saved.” International Security (1985): 121-140.
Walker, J. Samuel. Prompt and Utter Destruction Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs against Japan, Revised Edition. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2005. Print.
“When Harry Truman learned of the success of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. project to create atomic weapons, he knew he was faced with a decision of unprecedented gravity. The capacity to end the war with Japan was in his hands, but it would involve unleashing the most terrible weapon ever known ("The Decision to Drop the Bomb”).” The President rejected a
Maddox, Robert. “The Biggest Decision: Why We Had to Drop the Atomic Bomb.” Taking Sides: Clashing View in United States History. Ed. Larry Madaras & James SoRelle. 15th ed. New York, NY. 2012. 280-288.
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.
Chang, Laurence and Peter Kornbluh. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. New York: The New Press, 1992.