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Global History 12

Global History 12. The Atomic Bomb and the Bikini Atoll. Outcomes to be addressed. Understand the impact of technology and societal change in the post World War II era.

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Global History 12

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  1. Global History 12 The Atomic Bomb and the Bikini Atoll

  2. Outcomes to be addressed • Understand the impact of technology and societal change in the post World War II era. • examine cause and effect relationships in societal and technological change, e.g., in what ways have technology/technological innovation generated societal change? In what ways has society generated changes in technology? • explore and assess the role of the society/technology link in specific examples of change, both on a global scale, e.g., urbanization, and on a more limited scale, e.g., the role of feminism in changing gender roles in North America • explore and assess the link between societal/technological change and the notion, within and among societies, of gaining/sharing/balancing the power to control social, economic, and political conditions • examine the ethical and moral implications/effects of technology and innovation

  3. Background on Atomic Bomb • Albert Einstein, August 2nd 1939 • Nazi Germany and uranium-235 • Manhattan Project • Worked to find ways to split atom • $2 billion • July 16th, 1945: New Mexico- “The Gadget” (aka Trinity testing) • Researchers who created bomb questioned it’s results

  4. Hiroshima & Nagasaki • Hiroshima: • August 6, 1945 • From Enola Gay • Little boy, uranium • 66 000 killed, 69 000 injured • Nagasaki: • August 9, 1945 • Fat Man, Plutonium • 39 000 killed, 25 000 injured

  5. Impact of Atomic Fallout • Atomic rain • Radiation poisoning • Leukemia to children of survivors • Scrabbles all thing electronic • FURTHER testing of impact planned at Bikini Atoll

  6. Background • joint testing of nuclear weapons would be necessary "to determine the effect of atomic bombs on American warships." – Truman • In February of 1946 Commodore Ben H. Wyatt, the military governor of the Marshalls, traveled to Bikini. On a Sunday after church, he assembled the Bikinians to ask if they would be willing to leave their atoll temporarily so that the United States could begin testing atomic bombs for "the good of mankind and to end all world wars." King Juda, then the leader of the Bikinian people, stood up after much confused and sorrowful deliberation among his people, and announced, "We will go believing that everything is in the hands of God."

  7. Bikini Atoll: Background • 3 test bombs planned: “Operation Crossroads” • Test Bomb A: “Abe” • July 1, 1946 • Set 158 metres above water • Test Bomb B: “Baker” • July 25, 1946 • Set 27 meters below water • Test Bomb C: “Charlie” • 1947 CANCELLED • Supposed to be set underwater

  8. "As soon as the war ended, we located the one spot on earth that hadn't been touched by the war and blew it to hell."--Comedian Bob Hope commenting on Operation Crossroads

  9. What about the Bikini’s • 162 indigenous of mixed melasion-polynesian decent relocated to Rongerik island (210 km away*) • “for the good of mankind”- Americans • Relocated to Ujelang island, 465 km away* • 1968: LBJ “Bikini safe”, islanders return • Evacuated in 1978- radioactivity in food from contaminated groundwater • Not expected to be acceptable until 2083 (at least)

  10. Reactions? • American? • Soviet?

  11. By 1990s, 1400 Bikinians live on island of Kili since 1978 • Dying because of no lagoon, weakly “supported” by US packaged foods • Dying from Thyroid cancer, diabetes, liver disease • Suffer from hair loss

  12. Between 1946-1958: 60 plus nuclear devices set off in Marshall islands • 23 set off in Bikini Atoll

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