Manhattan Project 2
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 Manhattan Project was preceded by a variety of scientific discoveries in the 1920's and the 1930's. During this time of scientific discovery, Hitler had been steadily rising to power in Germany, and before long, physicist Leo Szilard and fellow Hungarian Jews Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller became worried. They decided that the President of the United States mus
United States the world's strongest military power, a title that most believe still holds today. In addition, the new nuclear technology created a deep fear in the people of communist infiltration, a fear that Senator Joseph McCarthy turned into a nation-wide "witch-hunt", and effectively Larsen, Rebecca. Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb. New York: Franklin Watts, 1988. Spiegel, Steven L. and Fred L. Wehling. World Politics in a New Era. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1999. The lasting effects of the Manhattan Project are indeed positive. The first result of the Manhattan Project, the bombings of Japan, saved thousands of American and Japanese lives that would have been taken in a land invasion, which was President Truman's first alternative to the bombs. The long-term result of the Manhattan Project was the Cold War, which, while financially and emotionally devastating for the two countries involved, led to the MAD condition. This condition of mutually assured destruction actually gives countries reason not to use their nuclear capabilities, since they will only be recipients of the same devastation that they cause. Over five years were dedicated by the top scientific, political, and military minds in the world to the creation of a horrible weapon, but in the end, they managed to create something that many believe will help alleviate the threat of war. This is arguably the greatest gift that the Manhattan Project gave the world. Upon witnessing the Trinity test, Kenneth Bainbridge said to Oppenheimer, "Now we're all sons of bitches." Little did he know that he was actually part of something more beneficial than harmful in the long run. Although it may be hard to tell from the seemingly destructive consequences of a MAD ideology, many believe that it is this very method of thinking that has in fact lessened the danger of nuclear war. "Now that the Cold War is over, some historians and political scientists are claiming that nuclear weapons were responsible for the absence of a major war between the two key geopolitical alliances during this period." This makes sense upon closer analysis "because there is no incentive or temptation for either side to strike first or even launch a surprise attack." Countries know that if a MAD condition exists, they will only be doing themselves harm by launching nuclear weapons, thus they are inclined not to. Those who believe this is true must accept that there was actually some good that came out of the Cold War.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2001
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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