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American History Since 1865
The objective of this study is to examine a topic in American History since 1865 to the present and to examine six or more related events and developments that span the years in that time period. For the purpose of this study The Cold War will be examined.
Event I -- Beginning of the Cold War
It is reported that while the world was starting its recovery from World War II that the first General Assembly of the United Nations met in 1946 in London and the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission was created. The purpose for the creation of this Commission was the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction and that this included the atomic bomb. (Atomic Archive, 2014, p. 1) The first American effort to set out a policy controlling atomic energy is reported as "The Report On The International Control of Atomic Energy" which is stated to have been known informally as the "Acheson-Lilenthal Report" which was published on the 16th day of March in 1946. The framework of this document held that "there should be an international 'Atomic Development Authority' which would have worldwide monopoly over the control of 'dangerous elements' of the entire spectrum of atomic energy." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p. 1) The proposal of the U.S. drew greatly on the information provided in the Acheson-Lilenthal...
This document set out the establishment of "an international authority to control potentially dangerous atomic activities, license all other atomic activities, and carry out inspections." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p.1) This plan was rejected by the Soviet Union because this Baruch Plan would have given the U.S. A "decisive nuclear superiority until the details of the Plan could be worked out and would have stopped the Soviet nuclear program." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p. 1) The response of the Soviet was one that proposed nuclear disarmament on an international level. The United Nations failed to adopt either proposal and it is reported that seventeen days following the presentation of the Baruch plan to the United Nations that the United States "conducted the world's first postwar nuclear test." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p. 1) In 1946 the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 was established by the Atomic Energy Commission and this put this commission in charge of all areas related to nuclear power. The agency was comprised by five civilian members and the General Advisory Committee whose chair by J. Robert Oppenheimer.
II. Event Two -- The Hydrogen Bomb
The idea of building a hydrogen bomb gained momentum in the United States. This type of bomb is such that "deuterium and tritium (hydrogen isotopes) are fused into…
It is reported that when the Atomic Energy Act was passed in 1946, that the "ties between U.S. And British nuclear programs were severed." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p. 1) At this time Great Britain held the belief that "it should have an independent nuclear force. In January 1947, plans were formulated to develop a British nuclear weapon." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p. 1) it is reported that Britain's first nuclear reaction was "led by Sir John Crockcroft" and that it "went critical on July 3, 1948. Sites for plutonium production and highly enriched uranium were also constructed." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p. 1) Since Britain was such small in size, there were not sites suitable for testing atmospheric weapons and this resulted in the British seeking sites in other locations to tests their weapons. The British're reported to have tested their nuclear weapons "on the Monte Bellos Islands, off the west coast of Australia." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p.1) On the 3rd day of October in 1952, it is reported that Britain "detonated its first atomic device, code-named Hurricane." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p.1) This atomic device it reported to have an "an explosive yield of about 25 kilotons." (Atomic Archive, 2014, p.1)
IV. Event 4 -- France Develops Nuclear Weapons
Following the end of World War II, France is also reported to have begun a nuclear weapons program but political pressures internally resulted in the program's failure to actually start until the latter part of the decades of the 1950s. France's independent force de frappe is reported to have "under Charles de Gaulle's leadership" to have come into being. The first nuclear test by the French known as 'Blue Gerbil' is reported to have been detonated on "February 13,
Cold War was a period of great danger and international tension, brought on by the power struggles between the United States and the Soviet Union. The communist ideology -- which the Soviets were aggressively trying to spread through Europe and elsewhere -- was seen as an enormous threat to the U.S., while the capitalist / democratic ideology was seen by the Soviets as a threat to their way of life
This can merely be helpful on local level but not at all on the global level. Radioactive materials in low quantities are present in fossil fuels, chiefly in coal and using them in heavy amounts can have more hazardous effects on the environment causing radioactive contamination globally. This is a much more pressing concern when compared to the radioactive contamination within a nuclear power station as the noxious waste in
As counties in Europe began to align themselves behind the Soviet sphere of influence or the U.S. - Western influence each side looked to fortify their positions. For the U.S. this meant the development of the policy of containment of the Soviet advance. Containment developed along a number of varying lines including political diplomacy, military expansion, and economic aid. President Truman articulated an economic aid package, the Truman Doctrine which
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