Answer:
Explanation:
Background
In 1938, a small group of German scientists accidentally discovered nuclear fission. They observed that a radioactive atom releases a huge burst of energy when it is split. This new discovery had an immense amount of potential as a weapon of war. As the Nazi regime began instituting more controls on the German people, many scientists fled Germany. Some of these scientists came to the United States and informed the noted scientist Albert Einstein of the power of nuclear fission.
In August 1939, Einstein signed a letter that was sent to the United States' president Franklin D. Roosevelt. The letter warned the president of a new, potentially dangerous weapon. The Einstein-Szilard letter stated "that the element uranium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the immediate future … 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 thus be constructed. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory…." (Einstein).
Einstein's letter alarmed President Roosevelt. He was concerned that this technology could be used by the Germans against civilians in Europe and America. When Hitler invaded Poland later that year, Roosevelt knew he had to act. As a result, Americans created the Manhattan Project in August 1942. It was a secret mission to harness the power of nuclear fission to create a bomb. Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was put in charge of the top-secret project at the New Mexico base. The Manhattan Project was under the direction of the U.S. military. But it was a joint project that included military professionals, scientists, and private companies.
Roosevelt died just prior to the end of the war in Europe in the spring of 1945. However, America's secret weapon was not yet fully tested or operational. In July 1945, the Trinity Test confirmed the power and destructiveness of a controlled nuclear fission bomb.
The new American president was Harry S. Truman. Truman sent an ultimatum to the Japanese emperor. He warned Emperor Hirohito of Japan's "prompt and utter destruction" if they did not unconditionally surrender to the Allies. This warning was called the Potsdam Declaration. On August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Known as "Little Boy", the bomb was dropped from a plane named the Enola Gay. Approximately 80,000 Japanese citizens were killed instantly. The explosion leveled an area that encompassed five square miles. But Emperor Hirohito did not surrender. In response, Truman ordered the dropping of a second bomb called "Fat Man". This bomb hit the city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. At least 40,000 Japanese were killed in this attack. Thousands more died in the areas of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the months and years ahead due to radiation poisoning from the blasts. Japan finally surrendered to the Allies on August 15, 1945. World War II had officially come to an end.
Those who fought in and lived through World War Two saw some of the most horrific tragedies the world had ever seen. This war was unlike any before. Millions of people died in concentration camps fueled by racism and antisemitism. Hundreds of thousands were killed by a new, powerfully lethal atomic bomb. People have long debated if the use of the atomic bomb was the only way to win the war in the Pacific, as Truman's administration claimed.
The political-historical debate
The aftermath
While the justification for dropping the bombs is debatable, the post-1945 world undoubtedly was forever changed. The use of the bombs led to devastation and deaths. But it also led to a race between states to access and improve the technology used to create these nuclear weapons. The U.S. and Soviet Union, in particular, began amassing stockpiles of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. In time, other nations such as the U.K., China, France, and India obtained their own nuclear weapons
The fear and horrific effects of nuclear warfare also led to the creation of numerous anti-nuclear groups. These social movements came of age in the 1960s and 1970s. More people demanded to live in a world that had fewer threats to both humans and the environment. One of the largest protests in American political history occurred in 1982 when about one million people marched in New York City to protest nuclear proliferation. Marches, protests, activism, and treaties have continued to impact our nuclear age; however, governments have not always been ready and willing to part with their nuclear weapons.
