Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Cold War. By summer 1945, the Allies had takenOKINAWA, last island last island Before main Japanese Japanese Home island.

Hiroshima and Nagasakiand the Cold War

By summer

1945, the

Allies had

taken

OKINAWA,

last island

Before main

Japanese

Home island.

Japanese

warriors

never

surrendered.

BANZAI

SUICIDE

CHARGES

became

Common

in all of the

ISLAND

HOPPING

Everyone dreaded

The thought of a

D-Day style

invasion of Japan.

Fortunately,

a super secret US

project came to

fruition just at

this time.

MANHATTAN PROJECT

Early in the war,

scientists (many of

them Jewish refugees

from Nazi Germany),

persuaded Roosevelt

to try to produce an

Atomic bomb. They

Were afraid that

Hitler was also

trying make an

Atomic weapon.

Actually Hitler had

vetoed the attempt

The ManhattanProject cost$ 25 BILLION in2012 dollars. Only the US

couldAfford to try.By July, 1945, Scientists at LOS ALAMOS

hadProduced

THREEBOMBS. One

tested; Two sent to Pacific War.

Truman told

Stalin

about this at

Potsdam

Conference, but

Stalin already

knew because

of Communist

spies within the

Manhattan

Project.

August 5, 1945, the US dropped the firstever atomic bomb used on human beings

on Hiroshima, Japan.

Three days later, the second bomb destroyedNagasaki. These are the only two atomic

weapons ever used in anger.

Some of Japan’s war

party still did not want

to surrender. The

emperor had to

intervene. In history’s

greatest understate

ment, he said, “The

war has not proceeded

necessarily to Japan’s advantage…..”

JAPAN SURRENDERED.

The US has

been criticized

for using

these bombs

on people. It

is important

To keep in

Context. More

People were

Killed in FIRE

BOMBING of

Tokyo.

Using atomic bombs

definitely saved

American lives. Also,

because this was the

END OF THIS WAR,

scientists had a

chance to see just

how terrible atomic

war was. They were

appalled at

destruction they

saw.

Not only were BURN and BLAST injuries much worse than anticipated, scientists

were totally unprepared for how much of a problem RADIATION proved to be.

Thousands died from radiation poisoning

after the bombing. Many died of cancers

caused by the radiation in the decades

after the bombing.

Nations concluded that atomic war

HAD TO BE AVOIDED.

Meanwhile, the Allies

were making peace in

Europe. Stalin was

determined that there

would be a BUFFER

BETWEEN RUSSIA &

GERMANY. The Red

Army occupied East

Europe and engineered

the introduction of

Communism into these

Countries. Britain and

US wanted democracy

In these countries.

Truman issued a new

Policy for the USCalled the TRUMAN DOCTRINE. US

wouldAid countries trying

toresist communism,thereby

CONTAININGCOMMUNISM. Thiswas first done in theGreek Civil War.

Greekdid not become Communist.

The US created the

Marshall Plan to rebuild

Western Europe in order

to keep these countries

from going communist.

By 1950 Europe was

divided into two hostile

BLOCKS- NATO- west

And democratic

WARSAW PACT – east

And communist.

The US had hoped to keep its monopoly onatomic weapons for along time. Because

ofCommunist spies, theUSSR got an atomicbomb by August,

1949. By the early 1950s,both countries had aHYDROGEN BOMB which was much

morepowerful than atomic.

One hopeful outcome of

World War II was the

creation of the United

Nations. Headquartered

in New York city, the UN

has enabled the world

to avoid a 3rd World War

and continues to do

many things to help

the world’s poor

countries.

Atomic & thermonuclear

weapons raised thepossibility that

anotherall out war would destroy life on Earth.

When North Koreaattacked South KoreaIn June, 1950, the UNsent in an army made up primarily of

Americans. Korean War remained local.

In 1953 the Korean War

finally came to an end

with a ceasefire.

Battle lines were just

about where they had

started. There was no

peace treaty so today

The border—called the

DMZ for demilitarized

Zone—is one of the

most tense in the world.

There have been many

wars since WWII butNations have

managedTo keep all of themLocalized. Starting in the early1950’s, the US tried toPrepare the

populationFor possible atomic

war.School children wereTaught to DUCK AND

COVER.

Bombs got bigger and

bigger. In 1957 USSR

stunned the world by

launching SPUTNIK

The first satellite to

Orbit the earth. The

US could not believe

It had not been first.

Now it was clear nuclear

Weapons could be

Delivered by missiles.

ICBM – intercontinental

Ballistic missiles-

Could travel

between

the US and

the USSR

in less than

30 minutes.

The idea of

Civil Defense

became

increasingly

unrealistic.

Americans were

encouraged

to build

home

fallout

shelters

and

stock

them

with

food.

The closest the

world ever came

to nuclear war

was the

CUBAN

MISSILE

CRISIS

In

1962.

USSR had out nuclear MISSILES in CUBA

President Kennedy blockaded CUBA

USSR did not challenge BLOCKADE

USSR took missiles out of CUBA and USTook missiles out of TURKEY

The US and USSR had enough fire power in their weapons to destroy the world several times over.

The world remained

in danger of

destruction

until

the

USSR

collapsed

in 1991.

Now the danger is

not from a world

Destroying

nuclear exchange

but from a

terrorist attacking

a single city

possibly with a

suitcase bomb.