Soviet Hydrogen Bomb

Nuclear Weaponry has been involving since the 1930s. The power of nuclear weapons is beyond imagine. Wiping out miles of land and destroying everything in its path, nuclear weapons are a threat to Earth’s ecosystem. The atomic bombs produced from he advances in nuclear studies pushed it to be more for pride than actual military use. Around the 1940s, these massive bombs were made for boasting reasons rather than attacks on different regions. It was not until October 30, 1961 where the Soviet Union tested the largest, most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. The bomb was made to show off the fact that the Soviet Union was no one to mess with. But was it really worth it, to create such a massive explosion for the purpose of showing off? Was it necessary to destroy all that land in order to show dominance?

Tsar Bomba, Big Ivan, King of Bombs were all names given to this record breaking explosion. Designed to be a 100-megaton bomb, but later reduced to 50 Mt in order to reduce nuclear fallout. The end product was “the cleanest weapon ever tested with 97% of the energy coming from fusion reactions.” The pre-product would have been detrimental to the world’s atmosphere and would have “increased the world’s total fission fallout since the invention of the atomic bomb.” Which means that the radiation from the nuclear explosion would lead to major global problems.

But on the other hand, these massive weapons also have the power to stop a war from actually occurring. Sure the power involved is arguably far too strong for a country to possess. That all it takes is a confirmation and detonations to practically defy “God,” these nuclear weapons still create opportunities for “neutral wars.” Meaning that in the matter of seconds a war can start but it is unlikely due to the power countries possess because they can end that war in the same time it started.

The safety of these world killing devices are not very high, one expecting to live from a nuclear explosion should really realize there is only the slimmest of the slim possibility of survival. Unless you perform the procedure of “Duck and Dive” of course. But from my experiences of nuclear weaponry, I believe most countries are in good control of their weapons. I am not saying they are going to know what to do with them at the right time nor place.

Nuclear Weapons today are incredibly strong. The “Tsar Bomba” being the largest one detonated was over 50 years ago. That bomb was reduced half of it’s original megatons of TNT. The 420-kilometer blast would not stand a chance to one double its size. And with the advancements the world has been going though, I am sure other countries have caught up or even outdone that of the Soviet Union. In conclusion, nuclear weapons have arguably been the key component to ending wars in the matters it has done. Killing 200,000 civilians but possibly stopping the death of millions of lives. These nuclear weapons do have a place on this planet, as long as they are in the right hand. 506

The Atlantic Charter was an agreement between the United States and Britain that was signed on August 14, 1941. The meeting, itself took place on the two ships, Augusta and The Prince of Wales. Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill agreed to discuss this affair in Placentia Bay in New Foundland. Their vision was for a more peaceful post-World War II world. One of the most interesting things about this ordeal was that the United States was not even involved in the war at the time. Roosevelt sought out that this agreement was necessary for a better world. Both men had many hopes for this what some would call an alliance. Churchill went in hoping that the United States would aid Britain in the military effort to block Axis threat in North Africa, the Atlantic islands, and Southeast Asia. While Roosevelt aimed for “peace aims” to compensate for the isolationism back in the U.S. Roosevelt also wanted to “get on record Britain’s commitment to such traditional American goals as open agreements, self-determination, and multilateral trade. The charter was centered among eight comm-

on principals. The majority being of self-independence and that the U.S. or Britain would gain no territory as a result of World War II. Both men almost achieved what they came for. Although Churchill did not receive immediate response of the United States plans on military help, he was happy with what happened and decided to be patient with the matter. The reactions of many were different for both sides. Britain applauded their primeminister’s actions and the support they gained from the Americans. While the Americans who felt that they should stay out of the war entirely, were at ease with the compromise. Other allied nations were also very pleased with the comfort of the U.S. at their side. Within a month, the USSR and 14 other anti-Axis countries commended the Atlantic Charter.

But what this really the best move for the United States at this time. Even though the American and Britain population was satisfied, many other nation’s leaders were not. Hitler was displeased with the Charter and issued that this was propaganda and wanted all sources of it to be banished from the German public or of occupied Europe. The charter also could have been why the U.S. even entered the war. The United States finally initiated in the war when a German U-boat fired on a U.S. destroyer on September 4. The United was now in a naval war with Hitler. But they would soon find out that it was not a German boat that fired on the U.S., it was of Japanese heritage. The Charter did not directly cause this attack to happen, but it might have shown that the U.S. needed to be taken out soon so that Britain and other allied nations did not become too powerful.

But to this day, The Atlantic Charter has been a huge stepping-stone for the development of the United Nations. Its policies are still strongly upheld by the U.S. and seemed to be very beneficial in ways. But it still raises questions on whether or not, without the Atlantic Charter, that the United would have ever even entered the war. Or even that Germany could of possibly won without our efforts. 525