Hiroshima: The World's Bomb (Making of the Modern World) | Andrew J. Rotter

Hiroshima: The World's Bomb (Making of the Modern World) | Andrew J. Rotter | Rehash of Old Arguments

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Hiroshima: The Wor...

	Hiroshima: The World's Bomb (Making of the Modern World) Andrew J. Rotter Oxford University Press, USA, 2008 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 2 reviews view larger image
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The US decision to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima remains one of the most controversial events of the twentieth century. But as this fascinating new history shows, the bomb dropped by an American pilot that hot August morning was in many ways the world's bomb, in both a technological and a moral sense. And it was the world that would have to face its consequences, strategically, diplomatically, and culturally, in the years ahead.
In this fast-paced and insightful narrative, Andrew J. Rotter tells the international story behind the development of the atom bomb, ranging from the global crises that led to the Second World War to the largely unavailing attempts to control the spread of nuclear weapons and the evolution of the nuclear arms race after the war had ended. He details the growth in the 1930s and '40s of a world-wide community of scientists dedicated to developing a weapon that could undo the evil in Nazi Germany, and he describes the harnessing of their efforts by the US wartime government. Rotter also sheds light on the political and strategic decisions that led to the bombing itself, the impact of the bomb on Hiroshima and the endgame of the Pacific War, the effects of the bombing and the bomb on society and culture, and the state of all things nuclear in the early 21st century world.
Hiroshima: The World's Bomb illuminates a pivotal moment in the development of the modern age. In an era of stateless terrorism, where there are as many as ten nuclear powers, it is a story that remains central to our understanding of the world.

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Good book on a continually interesting topic

This book provides an overview of the decision to drop the atomic bomb, the points of view and scientific development that led to the decision, and the post-WWII development of atomic weapons, presented country by country. Given this broad scope, the detail that can be provided is to a degree limited, but nevertheless sufficient, given the goals of the book. The author implies that the bombs were an atrocity in general, but well-explains why the decision makers at the time were more or less compelled to go ahead and drop the bombs. The later-day revisionism, critical of the bombs, is basically avoided; indeed, many of the arguments against the bombs are set aside, based on the facts. A good read on the topic.

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Rehash of Old Arguments

The title of this book is somewhat misleading as it covers far more ground than simply an account of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The book traces the development of the A-bomb (though at a high level, and the reader interested in this subject would be far better off reading "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes). Alongside this the author lays out the parallel development of strategic bombing and the degeneration of morals on all sides as a result of the brutalities of the World War, both of which contributed to the climate in which the decision to use the weapon was made. The actual description of the events at Hiroshima takes up very little space as the author moves on to describe (again at a high level) the subsequent proliferation of nuclear weapons almost to the present day.

The book adopts a clear moral stance as regards the bombing, and while hedging somewhat, it is clear the author does not believe the bombings were a necessary part of winning the war against Japan. The decision to use the bomb is presented as almost inevitable with few of those involved expressing any serious moral reservations at the time. Furthermore, the author appears to believe, the bombings were far more a geopolitical statement to the Soviet Union rather than a military step to defeat Japan.

Unfortunately the book offers little new on the subject other than the idea that the bomb was the "world's bomb". This idea is based on the multi-national nature of the scientists that developed the theory and practical usage of the nuclear weapon and on the moral climate that made its use feasible. These are thin arguments at best. While the theoretical developments in early 20th century physics were certainly spread across the international scientific community, the Manhatten Project, despite critical contributions from the British and European scientists, was very much an American endeavor. More importantly, the decision to use the weapon was entirely an American one. As to the moral climate of the times, few if any, of the leaders of the Allied or Axis powers would have demurred from using the bomb had it been available to them, and a majority of their populations would have supported that decision. But this does not constitute a basis for calling it the "world's bomb". In all honesty the bomb was clearly an American Bomb with all that entails.

As for the history of the bomb and the associated physics this is better described in Rhodes' excellent book, the history of air power and the war in general can be found in specialist works covering those domains, and the arguments for and against the use of the bomb are well known to anyone familiar with 20th century history.

If you are unfamiliar with this subject matter then the book is a good overview. If you are familiar with the subject then this work will likely add little to your knowledge.

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