Robert Oppenheimer Atomic Age

Robert Oppenheimer and the Atomic Age
Born April 22, 1904 J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist, was a significant individual of the 20th century for his contributions to the Manhattan Project. Often referred to as the father of the Atomic Bomb, Oppenheimer led the scientific research and construction of the nuclear warhead from 1942 to 1945 (www.atomicarchive.com). This bombs’ creation not only had an initial devastating impact on human life but brought about the atomic age, causing controversy and generating scientific innovation around the globe, leading to the further application of nuclear power for both military and peaceful purposes. The fallout of the devastating bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have created a
After declaring war on Japan and officially entering World War Two, the US invested over two billion dollars into the Manhattan Project, which was the code name for the top secret government research operation tasked with creating the Atomic Bomb before the Nazi’s (World War II: The Manhattan Project). Oppenheimer was appointed head of the scientific research and director of the Los Alamos Laboratory June, 1942 while Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves was head of the military component of the operation (The Atomic Bomb, Jonsen, J. E,
This conflict was a political power struggle between the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) due to clashing social ideologies. The conflict was sparked early in the 20th century during the Bolshevik revolution 1917 when the Russian government was overthrown and a communist regime was established. Mistrust between the two countries have been present in world politics ever since, spiking during the end of World War Two when the US refused to share their new technology with Russia (www.history.com, 2009). For many historians the use of the atomic bomb had two objectives: end to World War Two and conduct a show of power to the soviets, making it clear that the U.S were willing to use any force necessary in defence of Western Europe (The Cold War, Sewell, M, 2002). This strategy to intimidate didn’t work on the soviets for long, for in August 29, 1949 they successfully detonated their first atomic bomb triggering the nuclear arms race that involved both countries spending billions on building their nuclear arsenals for intimidation and fear tactics. This gave every conflict in the cold war the added threat of global nuclear destruction. One example of such time was 1962, when the world froze in horror as the US, USSR and Cuba had a political stand off that could have ended in nuclear war (www.amnh.org,