How+did+the+nuclear+age+affect+international+relations?

=How did the nuclear age affect international relations?=

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The Nuclear age first started in 1896 by Henri Becquerel. The nuclear age has had its pros and cons, it benefits our lives, but also it can prevent us from living normal ones, if any at all. In this presentation, I plan to talk about the good and the bad points nuclear, touching on history, modern technology and energy.

The Good
Nuclear energy is considered to be one of the best energies we can use on this day and age. Compared to coal and gas, Nuclear energy seems to prevail. It produces almost no CO2. This is great for the environment since as you know, we need to cut down on CO2 emissions. Nuclear energy is much more efficient than Gas or Coal. For every gram of uranium used in nuclear fission to produce energy, we would have to burn three tonnes of coal to produce the same amount of energy. Even when power plants started, in 1954, in Obninsk near Moscow, the first nuclear power plant was incredibly efficient, it could power over 2000 homes. This idea was obviously recognized, as now there are 400 power plants scattered across the globe. And to this day, Nuclear power plants are still being used, and being modified to become more efficient, cheaper to build, easier to decommission, and safer to use. For example, Britain has just has plans accepted for new Nuclear power plants to be built by 2020. These hope to provide over 20% of Britain’s energy, so we can stop relying on coal, and gas provided by Norway, making it a more self reliant country.

In France today, 95% of the energy used is Nuclear. Not only can it be used for energy, but nuclear technology can also be used in medicine. An example of this, would be if you had cancer of the thyroid. You could consume a radioactive substance, such as Iodine 131. In the human body, iodine is naturally absorbed into the thyroid, whatever isotope. So the Iodine 131 would be absorbed into the cancerous thyroid, and as the particles were released from 131, they would kill the cancerous cells. Also, companies and health agencies have irradiated food with nuclear isotopes, meaning it will kill insects and bacteria.

The Bad
Unfortunately, there are also bad aspects to the Nuclear Age. For example, Nuclear fission was discovered, J. Robert Oppenheimer started work on the atomic bomb, in something called the Manhattan Project, a project so secretive, that only when Truman became the President of America, did he hear about it. At the end of World War II, August 6th 1945, a ‘little boy’ was dropped on Japan; Hiroshima after an ultimatum was ignored. 3 days later, a ‘fat man’ a much bigger atomic bomb, was dropped on Nagasaki. A town mainly consisting of civilians. These two are the only examples of Nuclear bombing ever to have taken place. Overall, the attacks killed 200,000 people, also spreading nuclear dust (fallout) into the atmosphere around the East. The damage was excessive, and blackened bodies lay on the ground, the survivors left burnt and traumatized. (Figure 1+2). The skepticism over these bombings is, was Nagasaki even necessary? Japan was surrendering, and USA ordered another bomb, was it just for testing? Can humans be that cruel?

To give you an idea of how it happened according to a survivor, here is an extract from a woman who fled to America, and recorded to herself what had happened.

// ‘I felt, a very strong flash under my eyelid. A flash as if, as if a strong magnesium had burned. And I heard a tremendous explosion. And was blown away, feeling a very heavy pressure. I must have been unconscious for a while. When I came to myself, everywhere was so dark, and the painful screams for help from everywhere, came into my ears. And I realized, that I was, I was trapped under the debris, and couldn’t move my legs. And I tried to call for help, but felt the lump at the back of my throat, and didn’t have strength to cry. Till the smoke started covering me. And then I started screaming, but nobody came, nobody came until the fire broke out near me. All of a sudden, I saw the two strong hands ready to pull me out. And I clung to them, till I came out to open air. At that moment, the burning building behind the Hiroshima Station collapsed. And so no more of the young soldiers would help me. But I had no time to feel anything, and just ran through the injured people, not knowing where I was going. Very strange to say, they were all naked, there skin peeling off, all of their hair burnt off, and yet without any emotion on their faces. Falling over the debris, and feeling the fire behind me, I just ran, till the familiar voice called my name. When I turned back, I was very shocked to see one of my classmates changed figure. Trapped under the big debris. I tried my best to pull her up, and remove the big debris, but the fire soon spread, and I could hardly breathe. And I had to leave her behind. Tearing my hands off from her tight grip. Listening to her painful screams were heard, getting quieter and further behind me.’ //

Of course, after this, the Nuclear Arms Race began. It all started with the Manhattan Project, USSR and USA were competing for power. USSR was only 4 years behind when they detonated a controlled explosion in 1949 (a fat man). India and Pakistan then joined the Race, with India detonating the ‘Peaceful Buddha’ an ironic title, in a controlled environment. Today, we have the USA, USSR, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and possibly Israel, who won’t admit to having or not having a program. Everyone is trying to protect themselves from one another. We are using nuclear weaponry as a balance of power. We don’t intend to use them, but it’s just a matter of time before we do.

Lastly Chernobyl, a nuclear reactor accident in the Ukraine, thousands of deaths have occurred from the fallout that spread across Europe, with fatal cancers and 100,000 expected to rise to our concern.

Why was the Question important at the time?
Whether Nuclear was a good or a bad thing back when the Second World War ended, and the Arms race began, was an important question, because it rose ethical issues on whether we should or shouldn’t build Nuclear arms. On one hand, we could have great power, and on the other, we could destroy the world as we know it. Philosophers said, that it’s holding a loaded gun in your hand and not shooting it. You can’t refrain forever.

Nowadays I find this to an even more important issue, with the energy crises affecting us, and climate change, we must question if we should develop such energies. Also now, there are so many more people with Nuclear weapons, it’s a danger to us all. Nuclear Disarmament is what people should be concentrated on.

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Figure 1 + 2

For further reading, try these
http://www.amazon.com/Hiroshima-History-Memory-Michael-Hogan/dp/0521566827/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253438643&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-Richard-Rhodes/dp/0684813785/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253438856&sr=1-1