World War II was the bloodiest war ever to happen throughout the course of history. Technology that was created during the time period aloud for more destruction than every before. The atomic bomb that was drop on Hiroshima was a great example of how technology played a major factor in helping World War II to become the deadliest war in history. The atomic bomb was the deadliest technology created that was used during WWII.
David Serlin in the article Reconstructing explains the devastating aftermath of the bomb and how a selected group of female survivors from Hiroshima. The women from the article were able to make their way to the United States to undergo surgery. After surgery the women were able to go back to their homeland and help the reconstruction process. One thing that really stuck out to me in the article was the complete destruction the bomb caused. But with that being said, it aloud Hiroshima to rebuild itself from the ground up. One quote showing this is, “After 1946, however, when it began the slow process of rebuilding itself, Hiroshima envisioned its future as a new “modern” city of wide boulevards and bridges, memorial parks and green public spaces, and Western-style architecture” (Serlin, pg 61).
To better explain the destruction that happened the day the atomic bomb was dropped, I did some more digging. I learned that everything up to a mile of where the bomb was dropped was completely destroyed, 4,400 feet away, multi-story brick buildings were completely demolished, tell frame buildings were destroyed 4,200 feet away, and homes were destroyed 6,400 away from where the bomb dropped (http://www.atomicarchive.com, pg 1).
The two readings correlate because they both talk about the devastation that the bomb caused. One from a political, social, and individual perspective and the other did it explaining the physical destruction of the bomb. The readings both provide evidence supporting the fact that the bomb on Hiroshima had lasting effects. Based on both readings, I can conclude that the atomic bomb was the deadliest technology created that was utilized during the war.
Overall, I thought both readings were a great source of knowledge that helped prove the fact that the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima had catastrophic effects both from a personal and physical standpoint.
The bomb, while very controversial then and now, was a massive, secret project that had been under works by the US for a while. I’m not sure if they ever truly intended to use the bombs in the war, but the decision to do so was a demonstration of the US might. Targeting Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a successful attempt to destroy Japan’s economy and infrastructure.
With the quote, “Hiroshima envisioned its future as a new “modern” city of wide boulevards and bridges, memorial parks and green public spaces, and Western-style architecture” (Serlin, pg 61). do you believe that this marked the beginning of just the physical reconstruction of the city or also the people who began to forge a new identity for themselves? I myself could see an argument for both sides personally.