At 8:15 am on August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, killing an estimated 140,000 men, women and children. Another 10,000 died from radiation poisoning, and the survivors suffered heat burns. Three days later another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, instantly killing about 40,000 people and several thousand due to radiation. Despite all these consequences, one important question is still debated today. Was it moral to drop the atomic bombs on Japan to save the lives of American soldiers? No, the problems created by the bomb far outweigh the benefits due to the number of lives lost, it made the surrounding land uninhabitable and caused birth defects in future generations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One of the most immediate effects of the atomic bomb was its ability to kill thousands of people in seconds and more over time. The explosion, heat and radiation from the Hiroshima bomb killed everything within a 20 mile radius. Killing 140,000 people on impact and another 10,000 more over the weeks due to radiation poisoning. Although the Nagasaki bomb killed nearly half, the destruction left by the bomb cannot be denied. When the bomb exploded, a very high atmospheric pressure of several thousand atmospheres was created. This created a powerful shock wave and the wind blew at around 1000 miles per hour. Thousands of people were killed by being thrown into the air or crushed by structures. The explosion shattered windows, sending glass flying into the air, penetrating deep into the victims' bodies. Radiation also played a role in the death toll from atomic bombs: everyone within 1 kilometer of the explosion died from the initial radiation. Within 20 to 30 minutes of the explosion heavy black rain began to fall in the northwest. The rain contained radioactive soot and dust. This contaminated areas far from the center of the explosion. Kill more the further away from the explosion. After the explosion, the heat set fire to the cities' mostly wooden buildings, trapping and killing thousands of civilians. (Coddy, Eric. Wirtz, James J. Weapons of Mass Destruction. Santa Barbara ABC-CLIO. 2005 Radiation from bombs sunk into the earth's soil and water kills everything that wanders in the earth and stops plant growth. It is said that nothing can live in these areas for 50 years and yet the radiation may not disappear completely. Even if the bomb never actually touched the ground, it still burned every plant and animal in its range, including animals. trees, buildings and people. The effects have not only affected land animals but also aquatic life. Scientists have found high levels of radioactive contamination in animals, fish and plants in the surrounding forest and expect it to remain for decades. to the explosion and radiation they received burns, poisoning and their children were born with congenital defects. Children were born with several types of cancer and many other diseases due to the exposure of their parents. These diseases have been passed down through several generations as time passes. Some people are still living with the effects of the atomic weapons used in World War II. Only a handful of people survived and fought their way to safety. The book Hiroshima by John Hersey is about six Japanese who survived the bombing of Hiroshima. Many people like James Burns, an atomic bomb scientist, didn't want to use the bomb because it could cause bad effects and unfortunately that's the casestate. The worst effects of radiation were experienced by those who experienced it. In the following years, approximately 200,000 people died from radiation. Some effects of radiation are still visible in survivors nearly 60 years after the bombing. Side effects can also be seen in the next generation of survivors and children born with abnormalities. Some important effects include deafness, deformed bone structure and prenatal blindness. “All over the right side of my body I was cut and bleeding. A large splinter protruded from a mangled gash in my thigh and something warm dripped into my mouth. My cheek was torn, I discovered as I felt it carefully, my lower lip hanging open. Embedded in my neck was a sizable shard of glass which I removed with ease, and with the detachment of one who is astonished and shocked I studied it and my blood-stained hand” (The Bombing Of). Dr. Michihiko Hachiya, surviving citizen eyewitness of Hiroshima. During the early 1940s-1950s it was not unusual for large amounts of deaths to occur from nuclear weapons. Due to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, many lived in fear of nuclear attacks. Nuclear war has not only affected the social and mental aspects of life, but also the health and safety of Americans, the U.S. economy and government, and the geography of the country. Nuclear war played an important role in the changes the United States faced during the 1940s and 1950s. Nuclear weapons, created in the 1930s, possessed enormous destructive power derived from nuclear fission and fusion reactions. In August 1945 the United States dropped two fission bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Approximately 90,000-166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000-80,000 in Nagasaki were killed due to the acute effects of the bombing. “Suddenly I felt as if I had been thrown into an iron crucible. There was tremendous lighting all around and everything was glowing. When I stood up, the skin on the left side of my face that had been exposed to the flash hung" (Our first nuclear). This fourteen-year-old came close to dying from this nuclear tragedy. After World War I, the United States and the Soviet Union competed with each other for nuclear energy. The Soviet Union had nuclear weapons capabilities At the beginning of the Cold War, the United States had an advantage in bombers and weapons. American citizens feared possible threats of nuclear war from the Soviet Union. Many precautions were taken by the United States to protect citizens, and local advertisements were conducted to alert people and inform them of what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the United States renewed its commitment to a more powerful military. This required a large increase in US military programs. These programs were originally part of the defense budget. The economy has suffered greatly due to the implementation of these programs created to limit the use of nuclear warfare. In previous years, during the nuclear age, the way Americans lived and thought had changed dramatically. Due to the possible threat of nuclear war in the United States, many people were now living in fear for their lives. For example, in the book “War and Human Nature,” the author states, “Americans in general, and evangelicals in particular, are confused and troubled by the debate over nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear war” (War and Human Nature). Many questions remained unanswered for these people. WithoutWith no explanation or reasoning behind these threats of nuclear war, Americans were left in a state of confusion and horror. Many advertisements and radio broadcasts were sent across the country to spread the message about precautions to be taken during a nuclear war. For example, in 1950 the photograph “Bert's Duck and Cover” was a popular tool to convey the message to a younger audience. This ad also included an instructional video explaining safety tips for surviving a nuclear explosion. The threats of nuclear war not only caused confusion and chaos, but also affected people psychologically. Especially targeting younger generations, threats of nuclear war have influenced the thoughts and feelings of teenagers. For example, in 2013, Stanford University stated: "The nuclear threat has greatly influenced the thoughts, life plans and feelings of young generations, increasing anxiety among large populations" (Negative Psychological Effects). Most teenagers growing up in the 1950s were mentally affected by these threats of war. Many developed severe anxiety and depression. Additionally, many adolescents created a lack of concern about threats. For example, a family doctor stated in 1986: “anxiety has been found to be a factor in criminal behavior and the threat of nuclear war is a factor in anxiety. Psychiatric morbidity has been related to job deprivation and the threat of annihilation. Many studies have focused on children, finding that anxiety about social issues is high, but that cynicism and apathy quickly set in” (Psychological Effects of the Threat of Nuclear War). Americans went about their daily lives and threw the younger generations into a state of depression. Although these effects would be considered short-term, the fear of dying from a nuclear explosion will always be long-term. If a nuclear war explosion were to occur. in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s the country's population would have been in ruins. Damage from nuclear weapons has a major impact on the health of Americans living in the affected area. If a human were caught in the direct path of the explosion, they would immediately die from the extreme blast of heat and radiation. However, individuals who were sheltered from the blast may still be at risk of harmful effects from radiation exposure. For example, a current article states: “Radiation causes damage to DNA and can lead to the development of abnormal cells that then form cancer. At higher levels of radiation exposure, cell death results. Cells may not be replaced rapidly enough and the tissues Radiation exposure of the fetus may increase the risk of cancer and inadequate brain development” (Weapons and them) can potentially cause long-term harmful effects resulting in the absence of necessary brain functions, those who have sheltered from the initial explosion may not be harmed by radiation, but by another important factor, for example, in 1947, a doctor stated: "People inside buildings or otherwise protected will be indirectly killed by the explosion and the effects of the heat when buildings collapse. and all the flammable materials caught fire. The immediate mortality rate will be more than 90%. Various individual fires will combine to produce a firestorm as all the oxygen will be consumed. As heat increases, air is drawn in from the periphery at or near ground levelit. This results in lethal, hurricane-force winds, as well as perpetuating the fire as fresh oxygen is burned” (The Effects of). Individuals who have followed the precautions explained earlier in this document may still be at risk of being crushed by falling debris, burned to death, and suffer from smoke inhalation. Another health risk from nuclear war is starvation and dehydration. Many people take refuge in underground rooms. However, the mistake some make is that they don't have enough supplies for the time being over there. For example, a photo taken in 1957 of a “family basement fallout shelter” shows a fourteen-day supply of food and water in the event of a nuclear explosion. This image also includes a radio transmitting for communication. During the 1950s many Americans were cautious and aware of what to do if a nuclear explosion occurred. However, no matter how prepared they were, the risk of death in the event of an explosion was always high. In addition to dying from the initial explosions, many people would also die from reasons such as lack of oxygen, radiation exposure, and many other horrific sufferings. These people living in the United States at the time could only wait for the moment of the first explosion and hope that they had prepared well enough. No one has ever been guaranteed their safety. No one has ever been guaranteed their life. In addition to the numerous effects nuclear war would have on individuals, it would also affect the United States as a whole. Its economy would be largely in ruins if the United States faced a nuclear war attack. Systems and programs would fail, businesses would collapse, international trade would vanish, and employment rates would decline dramatically. Because of all the victims of the nuclear explosion, hospitals and insurance companies would be desperate. For example: “Life would be seriously disrupted. The medical care system would be overburdened in providing intensive care to relapse victims, resulting in a deterioration of regular, acute, chronic or preventive care. Support systems such as insurance and medical records would likely be in chaos, or at best in severe disarray, with some medications in short supply. Food production and distribution systems, as well as the banking system, would be seriously compromised” (The Social and Economic). If the United States were to face a nuclear attack, one of the major problems would affect international systems. The United States depends on other countries for trade and support for grain and food exports. A nuclear attack would completely destroy this system and “millions of people in countries dependent on food imports or specialized exports will suffer greatly” (Consequences of Nuclear). Furthermore, the economy would face a major problem in terms of jobs and businesses. The impact of the explosion would cause the destruction of the entire affected area. This means that many industries such as oil refineries, power plants, factories, food production plants and other industrial and commercial facilities would fail. Those thousands of people who worked in those places would be out of work, causing a recession in the economy. Not only would the percentage of jobs decrease due to the areas destroyed, but also due to the amount of death and illness that would occur due to the nuclear explosion. Another extreme problem that could arise from nuclear war is death. Considering the possibility thata nuclear attack could effectively wipe out most of the country's population, doctors and medics were relied upon. A 1981 article states that “society cannot survive a nuclear war and that no strategic policy should be based on the idea that doctors will somehow save enough people to continue civilized life” (International Group). If a nuclear war were to break out in the United States, it can be concluded that systems and programs would fail, businesses would collapse, international trade would vanish, employment rates would decline dramatically, and much more would continue to happen. Threats of nuclear war affected many government figures during the 1940s and 1950s. Many disagreed about whether nuclear testing would have a positive effect on the United States and whether or not the use of nuclear weapons during nuclear war was a good thing for America and its people. Many political figures surprisingly agreed with each other that technological improvements were taking place and nuclear weapons had a positive impact on the United States. John F. Kennedy was one of many political figures who believed that demonstrating nuclear tests underground was a good thing. In his 1963 letter to the Senate, John F. Kennedy explains in detail why he believes nuclear weapons are a good thing. He states: This Treaty does not stop American nuclear progress. The United States has more experience in underground testing than any other nation; and we intend to use this capability to maintain the adequacy of our arsenal. Our atomic laboratories will maintain an active development program, including underground testing, and we will be ready to resume atmospheric testing if necessary. Continued research into the development of peaceful uses of atomic energy will be possible through underground testing. (John F. Kennedy) John F. Kennedy believed that by gaining more knowledge about nuclear weapons, the United States would be ready to use its own weapons if necessary. Another majorpolitical figure involved in the nuclear war was Harry S. Truman. Truman agreed with Kennedy on the issue of nuclear war. Unlike Kennedy, however, Truman saw the negative aspects associated with the war, but he also saw the many positive aspects. He wrote a letter to congress addressing the benefits associated with nuclear war. He wrote: It has been almost two months since the atomic bomb was used against Japan. That bomb didn't win the war, but it certainly shortened it. We know that he saved the lives of countless thousands of American and allied soldiers who would otherwise have been killed in battle. The discovery of the means to unleash atomic energy began a new era in the history of civilization. The scientific and industrial knowledge on which this discovery is based does not simply refer to another weapon. It may one day prove more revolutionary in the development of human society than the invention of the wheel, the use of metals, or the steam or internal combustion engine. (Harry S. Truman)The constant threats of nuclear war occurring in America have changed the opinions of many political figures. While many opinions on the topic were negative, leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Harry S. Truman felt differently. Not only did it change the opinions of many in government, but it also altered the former president's decision-making process. If America were to suffer a nuclear attack, it would not only change the lives of most Americans, but also the geography of the territory that passes through it. once they lived they would be unrecognizable. When a nuclear explosion occurs, the buildings, houses, the.