Final Paper: Humanity's Love Affair With Mass Destruction

Humanity’s Love Affair With Mass Destruction

 Julianna Baggott brings to life everyone’s worst fears in her book Fuse. Baggott sets Fuse almost a decade after an atomic bomb is set off in the United States which destroys most of the world. Similar to authors like Michael Crichton with Jurassic Park, Baggott tackles the question “Just because we can, should we?” and discusses possible reasons behind activating an atomic bomb and the consequences. Even though humans have mastered the art of creating atomic weapons they still don’t know a lot about them. Atomic weapons have only been used twice in history. Once in Nagasaki, Japan and another in Hiroshima towards the end of World War Two, but they haven’t been used since. Following the Cold War and the intimidation tactics exchanged between the USSR and the USA from the 1950s through the 1990s the threat of nuclear warfare fluctuated. The technology is readily available but it’s not rational to use it so most people don’t consider it a threat. Even though atomic warfare isn’t the biggest worry governments have, society is still fascinated by the aftermath that can follow an atomic bomb. Many pieces of literature and movies have been based on this idea and since its genesis, nuclear warfare has become a fascinating topic among society. 

 In 1939, news was released that Germany managed to split a uranium atom. People feared the possibility of Germany creating a bomb of indescribable destruction. In late 1941 The Manhattan Project began, and the creation of the first atomic bomb began. By 1945 the atomic bomb was ready to be tested, and on July 16, 1945 the first atomic bomb was set off in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The detonation caused a blinding flash of light that could be seen up to 100 miles away and the mushroom cloud that formed was 40,000 feet high (http://www.ushistory.org/us/51f.asp). The bomb held more power than anyone expected. After the detonation, Oppenheimer said it reminded him of the Hindu God Vishnu and how Vishnu said “I am become death, destroyer of worlds” and Oppenheimer adds “I suppose we all thought that one way or another.” Oppenehimer understood that they had created something magnificent, but terrible. This was the genesis of nuclear weapons. The United States later used their invention to end World War Two by dropping two of these atomic bombs on two cities-Hiroshima and Nagasaki- in Japan. 70,000 people were killed upon detonation in Hiroshima as well as Nagasaki, and by the end of 1945, 70,000 more people died due to radiation poisoning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Objoad6rG6U). 

 The closest the world ever came to a nuclear apocalypse was during the Cold War. Both the U.S and USSR had developed nuclear weapons that kept developing into more powerful weapons, eventually the two governments had to agree on a strategy that was dubbed Mutually Assured Destruction or, MAD for short (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9HjvHZfCUI). Because of the seemingly imminent demise of humanity, preparation became paramount. The U.S developed fallout shelters all across the country and drills were performed at public schools regularly. The government showed Social Guidance films in schools on what to do if a person is caught off guard in any situation. One of the most famous ones is a video called Duck and Cover, which starred a turtle named Burt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2kdpAGDu8s). Videos like these are also propaganda. In the Cold War era, movies about the USSR invading the US and communism winning the fight were common. The government used books, movies, tv shows, and even art to convince the American people that communism was bad. The closest the world ever got to nuclear annihilation was the Cuban Missile Crisis when the USSR’s nuclear weapons got too close for comfort. Since then the world has never forgotten the potential nuclear weapons have to destroy the world.

Nuclear weapons are still a modern concept. They have only been used once, but these days almost every country has their own. Society is fascinated by the power they hold but they are also terrified. After The Cold War the propaganda died down and with it the fear they caused. But just because there is no immediate danger it doesn’t mean that the thoughts have left people’s minds. “[The Cold War] gave us a growing awareness that the greatest existential threat to human beings is ourselves” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C72ISMF_D0). There are many ways the world can go into an apocalypse: alien invasion, Zombie attack, or Supervolcano eruption. But nuclear warfare is an apocalypse that is caused solely by the human race. Society writes books and makes movies about an atomic bomb destroying the Earth because they are fascinated by their own potential to kill themselves, it’s a convoluted suicide.

  

Baggott Julianna. “Fuse.” New York. Grand Central Publishing. 2013. Print.  

ushistory.org. “The Manhattan Project.” ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.

“World War II  Part 1: Crash Course.” youtube.com. n.p. 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 May 2014

“The Cold War.” manspropaganda.wordpress.com. wordpress.com. n.d. Web. 18 May 2014

“USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War: Crash Course World History.” youtube.com. n.p. 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 May 2014