Atomic Bomb Essay -- essays research papers

The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki     The initiative nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945.The world would never be the same. This paper will discuss thesignificance of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and howthey led to the success of the ally forces. It will likewise discuss how theUnited States developed the atomic bomb, the decision to drop the bomb, theweakening of Japan, the actual bombing an destruction of both cities, thesurrender of Japan and the impact the atomic bomb would have in the future.     During World contend II, the United States was afraid that Germanywould develop the atomic bomb first. Germany had taken over Norway, whichwas a heavy wet supply and Czechoslovakia, which was a uranium supply.Both of these, water and uranium, were needed to make the atomic bomb.Therefore, the United States initiated a top secret program called theManhattan Project. Even the evil Preside nt didnt know ab prohibited this project.The Manhattan Project cost over 2 billion dollars. Yet, Congress nevervoted to fund this program (Hoare, 1987, 10-14). Roosevelt authorizedscientists to find out if an atomic bomb could be built. On December 2,1942, scientists working in a secret laboratory under the bleachers of afootball field in Chicago achieved the first man-made nuclear reaction. Anatomic bomb could now be developed. Many scientists and other skilledworkers participated in the making of the first atomic bomb. However, onlyfew knew what they were making. In 1944, after D-Day, the Alsos (a troopsent to find how far the Germans had come in the building of the atomicbomb) radioed back that they had given up in their attempt to make it.Still, despite scientists pleas with the President to discontinue it, theU.S. maintained the work on their atomic bomb (Conrad, 1982, 12-16). InAlamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb wasdetonated in the desert. The bomb was much more explosive than scientiststhought it would be. The 100 foot tower which housed the bomb was totallydestroyed by the blast. ("World War II", 1997, 1-2). After the bombexploded, Robert Oppenheimer, the head of the Manhattan Project, said,"Behold. I have become death, destroyer of worlds." (Hoare, 1987, 18)     When Harry Trum... ...p    The United States, as well as the Allied forces, saved many livesby dropping the atomic bomb. The dropping of the atomic bomb, even thoughit killed hundreds of thousands Japanese people, saved more Americans andother Allied soldiers that would have been killed in battle.     The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki may not have been excitingbattles, but they may have been the most important weapons used in WorldWar II. If Japan had not surrendered, more atomic bombs may have beendropped and it would be very significant that the United States had madethem. Even though o nly devil were dropped, they killed many Japanese, makingthe government fearful that more would be dropped if they did not surrender(Conrad, 1982, 20-22).     When looking back upon the six years of World War II, the tiercedays surrounding the dropping of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki hadfar greater impact than all of the battles preceding them. The destructionthey wrought far surpassed anything ever seen before. As cited in thispaper, the atomic bombs, Fat Man and Little Boy, were pivotal to thesuccess of the Allied forces.