The Impact of the Events in World War II and the Cold War - Case Study Example

The Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project 1932 - Present Maribel P. Jabido Academia Research May Manhattan Project 2 ABSTRACT Since 1932, there were a series of events such as World War II and the Cold War that led the nation into conflict, war, peace, and transformation. These had tremendous impact around the globe. Technological innovation and scientific breakthroughs in military, agriculture, and economy brought the country into a whole new light. Manhattan Project 3 In 1932, a new president was elected, Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was a sign of hope for the liberals. There was a desperate need for an economic restoration. Roosevelt enforced emergency powers to control capitalism. There had to be measures implemented as political liberals neither wanted a fascist or socialist revolution. As a result, Roosevelt got credit for an increase in production and fall in unemployment in significant figures. Some believed his ‘New Deal’ policy worked like miracles. However, it was short-lived. In 1937, the U.S. went into an economic slump which is said to be the ‘steepest decline in the history of the U.S.’ Shortly after, the U.S. entered World War II. A global military conflict, World War II, began in 1939 and lasted until 1945 involving most of the world’s nation. Two great powers, the Axis (Germany, Japan, and Italy) and the Allies (U.S., Britain, USSR - the Big Three), were formed. One of the reasons that started the war is Hitler’s defiance of the Treaty of Versailles. The major events that occurred during the war are the Invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Battle of Midway, the Battle of Stalingrad, D-Day, the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Impact of the Events in World War II and the Cold War World War II changed the political climate and social structure of the world, and led to the introduction of a new era. The United Nations was created to promote global cooperation and prevent future conflicts. It is at this time around that emerged two superpowers: United States and The Soviet Union. Rivalry between the superpowers grew large leading to political conflict, military tension, economic competition, and proxy wars. The Manhattan Project 4 In the meantime, the influence of European great powers started deteriorating and Asia and Africa began its decolonization. The economy of most countries headed towards recovery and expansion, known as postwar economic boom and the Golden Age of Capitalism. The U.S. and Britain implemented the Mutual Aid Agreement in 1941 to rebuild and boost the economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) was established to meet the goal of providing a stable monetary policy. Today, it is referred to as the ‘Bretten Woods System.’ Despite the economic resurgence around the globe, tension between U.S. and The Soviet Union increased and instigated the Cold War. The military force did not fight directly but participants including U.S. allies engaged in military coalitions, proxy wars, propaganda, espionage, aids to vulnerable states, force deployments, arms races, sports rivalry, and competition in technology such as the Space Race. The Soviet Union formed the Eastern Bloc with Eastern and Central Europe which led to the consolidation of the Warsaw Pact (1955-1991). The primary concern of U.S. and its allies was Communism and created alliances such as NATO. The Cold War had periods of calm and of increased tension that brought on the Berlin Blockade (1948–1949), the Korean War (1950–1953), the Berlin Crisis of 1961, the Vietnam War (1959–1975), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), the Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979–1989), and the Able Archer 83 NATO exercises in November 1983. (en.wikipedia.org). Both the US and the Soviet agreed to alleviate political tensions and deter direct military attack, which would prevent a nuclear war. The Manhattan Project 5 Under the Reagan Doctrine in the 1980s, U.S. raised tensions with the Soviet Union through military, diplomatic, and economic strategies. In the State of the Union, Feb. 1985, Reagan said: "We must not break faith with those who are risking their lives on every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaragua to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth . . . Support for freedom fighters is self-defense." In the late 1980s, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the liberalizing reforms of perestroika ("reconstruction", "reorganization", 1987) and glasnost ("openness", ca. 1985) (en.wikipedia.org). Then in 1991, the Soviet collapsed and the Cold War ended which made the United States the dominant military power. Science and Technology When Hitler took over Germany in 1933, Albert Einstein, a German physicist, fled the country and immigrated to the U.S. He continued working on the General Theory. In 1939, he found out that two German physicists discovered the fission of uranium atom. He knew that a war in Europe was imminent. He wrote a letter to President Roosevelt that described the German experiments and urged the government to support the uranium research in the U.S. Upon approval, U.S. physicists initiated the atomic bomb research, the Manhattan Project. The British didn’t have the resources to carry out an atomic bomb research program but had made theoretical contributions to the research. Consequently, the British scientists joined the Americans in the project. Meanwhile, the Germans in an attempt to develop a coherent strategy for their research on fission had little success. The Russians, however, didn’t conduct a successful Soviet test until 1949. The U.S. gained atomic monopoly for a short time and the bombing in Hiroshima ended the Great War. The Manhattan 6 The first true "stealth" aircraft may have been the Horten Ho 229 flying wing fighter-bomber, developed in Germany during the last years of World War II [citation needed] (en.wikipedia.org). They are supposed to be undetectable or invisible to radar and infrared sensors. Prototypes were built but never used. Stealth technology developed in U.S. began in 1958. Today, only the U.S. has this technology. Agriculture Since the 1970s, the production of ethanol grew tremendously from a few million gallons to 1.7 billion gallons in 2001. The demand for corn increased for many reasons. For one, production of corn-ethanol is energy efficient. And, it is profitable to U.S. Agriculture. Increased production raises average price for corn. It also helps the U.S. economy by using it as an alternative to oil. There are advantages for using ethanol fuel such as reduced greenhouse emission and it can be produced locally. Although, it would take a wider distribution before it will take over gasoline. 1990 to Present The 1990s is marked as the end of Modernity and the introduction of Post-modern era, the decade that began with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the boom in capital markets through neoliberalism, and the pervasive rise of new media - the Internet. In 1992 presidential election, Ross Perot running as Independent became popular and considered the first non-major party candidate to have possible chance of winning the presidency. Even after ‘quitting’ his campaign, he still held the record level popularity. This has not been the case with other third-party candidates since the time of Theodore Roosevelt when he ran as the “Bull Moose” Progressive in 1912. He focused on fiscal issues such as federal Manhattan Project 7 deficit and national debt, and opposed free trade. Because of the Electoral College system, it is impossible for a third-party candidate to win the election no matter how many votes they get. However, there is no question that third-party campaigns have an impact on other candidates and American voters. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected President. He is the first African American in American History to become President of the United States. The passage of his Health Care Reform has been one of his great achievements. Former president, Bill Clinton, proposed a health care plan in 1993 that would provide universal health care for all Americans. However, in 1994, the Republicans took control of both the House of Representatives and Senate for the first time since the 83rd Congress and ended prospects for a Clinton-sponsored health care overhaul. The U.S. entered the Gulf War after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. The conflict with Iraq continued for another decade. The bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City caused fear among Americans of terrorism. In 2001, the day of 9/11 America was attacked by terrorists known as Al Qaeda. 19 Muslim extremists hijacked four commercial passenger planes and intentionally crashed into the Twin Towers. Most Americans have never heard of Al Qaeda, which means “the base” in Arabic. The person responsible for the attack is Osama bin Laden, its leader. Under Bush’s command, America invaded Iraq in 2003 for search of weapons of mass destruction. Eventually, it led to the execution of its leader Saddam Hussein. Some people accused him of having ties with Al Qaeda. For several years, the search for bin Laden had been unsuccessful until the day of May 1, 2011 that the promulgation had reached Americans: Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by the U.S. special forces. The Manhattan Project 8 References Bush, G.W. (2010). Day of Fire. Decision Points, 134 Cold War. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War Clinton health care plan of 1993. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_health_care_plan_of_1993 How Did the International Economy Recover from WWII? Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/mbafinance2010/how-the-international-economy-recovered-from-wwii Krauthammer, C. Essay: The Reagan Doctrine. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964873,00.html Major Events. Retrieved from http://www.solpass.org/7ss/standards/MajorEvents.htm National Science Digital Library (1996-2011). Introduction. The Manhattan Project: Making the Atomic Bomb, p.2. Retrieved from htttp://www.atomicarchive.com/History/mp/introduction.shtml. Shapouri, H., Duffield, J., Wang, M. (2002) Summary. The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update. Retrieved from http://www.usda.gov/oce/reports/energy/aer-814.pdf Van Doren, C. (1991). The Twentieth Century: Science and Technology. A History of Knowledge, 325. World War II. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II Zinn, H. (2008). The Crisis of the American Dream. A People’s History of the World, 512-514 1990s. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s Read More