The final turning point we will examine starts in the United States and ends in Japan. At the time of the event, many people hoped that this turning point would be the end of all wars forever, but as you will see, it had nearly the opposite effect. It led to the long and costly Cold War between the USA and the USSR, and its shadow still looms over humanity's existence today. This turning point was the use of an atomic bomb as a weapon of war.
Although D-Day was a success and Germany surrendered in May of 1945, World War II wasn't over. The Japanese fought on in the Pacific, and the Allies were preparing for another dangerous and uncertain invasion. What few people knew, however, was that physicists in New Mexico, USA, had secretly built and tested a deadly new weapon under a program called The Manhattan Project. This new weapon, an atomic or nuclear bomb, could destroy an entire city with one explosion, and was thousands of times more destructive than anything the world had ever seen. The United States dropped two of these bombs on Japan, and the damage was so great that Japan surrendered almost immediately.
After World War II ended, the USSR soon had their own nuclear warheads, and a long standoff between the USA and the USSR began. This standoff was called the Cold War because although each side wanted to defeat the other, they were both so afraid of each others' nuclear weapons that they were reluctant to fight openly.
As you view this slideshow, consider how a weapon as dangerous as the nuclear bomb can change the balance of power in the world, and be sure to color in the areas of the United States, Japan, and modern-day Russia involved in this critical turning point.
A Terrible New Weapon
On July 16th, 1945, scientists in New Mexico, USA, successfully tested a new kind of secret weapon--the atomic bomb. Germany was defeated by this time, but the Allies still faced the prospect of a long and costly invasion of Japan before World War II could finally end. The Allies decided this terrifying new weapon could force the Japanese to surrender quickly.
Unsuspecting Targets
The Allies selected two Japanese cities as their targets: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While both of these cities had some military operations, they were mostly full of civilians who had no idea of the terror they were about to face.
Destroyed in Seconds
On August 6th, 1945, an American B-29 dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This attack utterly destroyed the city, instantly killing tens of thousands of people and leaving behind toxic radiation that would kill thousands more in the years to come. Three days later, another atomic weapon exploded over Nagasaki.
The Start of the Cold War
Unable to withstand these devastating attacks, the Emperor of Japan quickly surrendered, and World War II came to a close. However, the world had changed forever. As more and more nations gained nuclear weapons, it became clear that from that point on any large war could lead to nuclear annihilation for the entire planet.
Question
What makes the detonation of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki a turning point in history?
