Continuation of Nuclear Conflict

Continuation of Nuclear Conflict Nuclear technology began to develop to its current form in the early 1930's. Leo Szilard, a Austro-Hungarian scientist, was the first to attempt a nuclear chain reaction. Although his original attempts failed, on December 2, 1942, Szilard and Enrico Fermi created the first controlled nuclear reaction. (1942) The development of nuclear weapon technology over the next five decades led to what we know now as the nuclear arms Race. Although most history books tell the tale that the nuclear arms race ended in the 1990's with the collapse of the U.S.S.R. (The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) The nuclear arms race has flourished, once again, in our world today and will continue until the end time.

The creation of the Manhattan Project by the U.S. government, a secretive project whose aim was to advance atomic technology, in 1942 brought the H.G Wells' novel, The World Set Free, to life. Atomic war became a possibility. As H.G. Wells wrote,"Destruction was becoming so facile that any little body of malcontents could use it." Although his fictional account of "doomsday" was merely written to entertain, it spurred on Leo Szilard to conceive the idea of a nuclear chain reaction. (1933)

Now we skate back to the beginning of modern atomic development.
In 1932, Leslie Groves, the appointed director of the Manhattan Project, along with J. Robert Oppenheimer, began to lay down the framework for the massive atomic research complex in Los Alamos, New Mexico. (1942) Over the next seven years, and up until the beginning of World War II, scientists around the world began to make quick and fast advancing progress in the field of atomic energy. (Manhattan Project)

On December 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorised the Manhattan Project, then called the Manhattan Engineer District, to commence the building of an atomic bomb. All is quiet until World War II began to taper off. The Trinity atomic test, in July of 1945, brought about what is known to be the dawn of the atomic era. (Dawn of the Atomic Era)

The Trinity test took place on July 16, 1945. The atomic plutonium bomb was dubbed, Trinity. At precisely 5:30 A.M., a successful detonation brought smiles to some and nightmares to others. The bomb released enough energy to equal 21,000 tons of the explosive TNT; four times more powerful than the Manhattan Project scientists had predicted. The test took place in a remote part of New Mexico. (The Trinity Test)

The first bomb to be used intentionally as a device of destruction was called, Little Boy.
Little Boy was a four ton uranium based bomb. Its destructive power was estimated to be equal to between 13,000 and 18,000 tons of TNT. (Little Boy)

Much debate surrounded the decision to use Little Boy on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in efforts to force the surrender of Japan during World War II. The issue was hot around the the White House. Although its use was not approved by many, it was dropped from a B-29 bomber at 32,000 feet. The bomb and its radiation-based after effects killed 140,000 or more people.

The third atomic bomb to be detonated, and the second to be used as a device of destruction, was aptly named, Fat Man. It was detonated at 1,800 feet above the ground on August 9th at 11:02 A.M. above the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Its necessity is still a highly debated topic among historians and people of the world. Although it was larger than the bomb used on Hiroshima, sitting at just over the destructive equivalent of 21,000 tons of TNT, the casualty numbers were significantly lower due to the terrain. An estimated 39,000 died as a result of this second bomb. Many thousands more were injured.

Days after the use of Fat Man, Japan would surrendered on August 15th. The formal ceremony was held on the battleship U.S.S.R. Missouri on September 2, 1945. (Japan Surrenders)

The U.S.S.R. began to pump up its efforts to create its own weapon of mass destruction. In November of 1945, the Soviets began to secure uranium mined in Czechoslovakia. Relations between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. began to crumble. All the while, the U.S. continued to test more sophisticated atomic bombs. (1945)

In efforts to prevent world-wide destruction the United Nations formed the Atomic Energy Commission in January of 1946. The first resolution dictated that its purpose was,"to deal with the problems raised by the discovery of atomic energy." Sadly, this commission was decommissioned in 1949 due to lack of success.

The first bomb to be successfully detonated by the U.S.S.R. was called RDS-1 also called Joe 1 in the West. It was similar to the U.S. created Fat Man bomb. It exploded with a force rivalling 22,000 tons of TNT. President Harry Truman announced that the Soviets had a successful detonation on September 23, 1949.

With the advancement of atomic technology spreading faster and farther than ever thought possible, the world watched with anticipation. Postwar international relations between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. made international control of atomic weapons by the United Nations impossible.

On January 21, 1954, the U.S.S. Nautilus was launched by the U.S. Navy. The Nautilus was the first nuclear powered submarine. Just 2 years later, the first nuclear power plant was inaugurated in the U.S.S.R. (History Of USS...)

Over the next decade, continual atomic tests took place. Both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R would continue to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons. By 1952, the United Kingdom officially entered the atomic age. The U.K. successfully detonated its first atomic device, Hurricane, on October 3, 1952. The device was equal to just over 25,000 tons of TNT.

Throughout this time, the theory of mutually assured destruction (a.k.a. MAD) continued to take form. MAD dictates that if either of the "two sides" attacks the other with nuclear weaponry, the other side would retaliate with equal or greater force. The expected result would be total and assured destruction. Due to further research in recent years, the combatants would not be the only casualties, as a nuclear winter would eradicate all life on Earth.

The nuclear arms race and the Cold War coincide during this point in history.
The Cold War was "fought" between the Western powers and the U.S.S.R through intimidation and political power plays. Between approximately 1947 and 1991, a continued state of conflict was aptly dubbed the Cold War. The Cold War was the sum of all competition, tension, and conflict between the Western powers and the U.S.S.R. (Cold War) The nuclear arms race played a major part in this somewhat bloodless war. Due to the possession of nuclear arms by both parties, neither resorted to direct attacks. Instead, throughout several lesser wars of the time, the U.S. backed one side and the U.S.S.R supported the other.

Several regulatory committees and organizations have been formed in hopes of preventing a mass extinction of all living things; First and foremost the IAEA. (International Atomic Energy Agency) The IAEA has better words than I do to describe its purpose. "The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations resulting from the discovery of nuclear energy." Currently, the focus of the agency has changed to combat possible nuclear terrorism. (History of IAEA)

At present, approximately 20,000 active and capable nuclear weapons are stockpiled throughout eight different countries. Russia leads the pack with nearly 5,000 active warheads. The nuclear- capable countries are the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. It hardly seems that mutually assured destruction is not a possibility in our world, at present, considering the increased prevalence of nuclear countries. (List of States...)

Although, the phrase " nuclear arms race" will often reference in the mind of the public as a scary mid-20th century period, this is clearly not the case.

Although often downplayed by the mass market media, several countries throughout the world are suspected, if not confirmed, to be developing their own nuclear stockpile. The most prominent and explosive area of this nuclear arms race renaissance is the Middle East. The religious and ethnic conflicts rampant throughout the area cause these weapons to be of more importance than ever before.

Iran has been alleged to have a sophisticated nuclear weapons program. Although, Israel has not confirmed or denied any reports of having nuclear weapons, it is hurriedly preparing itself for war with Iran. War in the conventional non-nuclear sense would devastate the region.However, a nuclear war would devastate the world.

A recurring theme in this ongoing struggle for nuclear weapons and technology seems to lead back to the doctrine of mutually assured destruction. A current and possible example would be if Iran or Israel fired the first nuclear strike on each-other.The other would fire a devastating barrage of missiles that would annihilate the remaining country. In a global response, the allies of each respective country would respond with a World War III of vast and far reaching effects.

Another topic in hot debate is whether or not North Korea is nuclear capable, yet. At least one failed test has been confirmed, as of present day. North Korea has suffered the effects of the Korean War for nearly five decades. Now, Kim Jong-il, the eternal president, seems to be able and willing to use nuclear weapons to either threaten or bomb its southern neighbour, South Korea. This event has been prevented, somewhat, by the massive international influence on South Korean politics and the threat of a mutually assured destruction, if North Korea declares nuclear war. As of today, the United States and its nuclear equipped allies would quickly respond to a North Korean nuclear strike on South Korea with a strike of massive proportions.

With the advent of modern day technology, more nuclear powered naval vessels are afloat, at sea. Many of them are armed with nuclear missiles or other such weaponry. This is a greatly understated development of nuclear technology. Countries who have recently become nuclear capable are increasing their demand for nuclear powered vessels.

Another sideshow of the advent of nuclear technology is nuclear power. Few countries are left in the world that lack a nuclear power plant. Many are concerned about the acquisition of nuclear power plants by "enemies of the Western world," due to their possible use in gathering materials for a nuclear bomb.

In recent years, nuclear technology, trades, agreements in order to share technology, and materials, have developed between the world's nuclear ready countries.

It is clearly a myth that the nuclear arms race is a thing of the past. As stated through insurmountable evidence, the nuclear arms race is more prevalent today than it was during the Cold War. The decisions, should be made with precise information and utmost care regarding how nuclear technology, energy, materials, and weapons. Nuclear technology is not for the small minded or the faint of heart. Nuclear technology, and its many facets, can bring the end of our entire world with just the push of a single button. A stolid seriousness should be applied when working with the issues of nuclear armament. Most importantly, awareness of the present day nuclear facts and situation should help us understand the severity of the risks and challenges our world faces in the future.

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