Atomic Power and Fear

 “On the morning of August 6, 1945, at 8:16 and two seconds, the dream of the superweapon became a reality. The first atom bomb exploded without warning over Hiroshima with the force of 12,500 tons of trotyl. A new kind of war had begun”(pg. 111, paragraph 234). As Sven Lindqvist details in his book A History of Bombing, Lindqvist’s constant use of historical knowledge coupled with personal anecdotes of his childhood paint an interesting image of how fear was a major key factor in the “naturalization” and “acceptability” of nuclear warfare in the U.S. As we discussed briefly in class, fear is what perpetuates the mass production of nuclear arms as well as commodities associated with destruction (i.e. the steal door Lindqvist wants as a child as well as the bunkers with machine guns attached to the roof that were being advertised to families in magazines). Fear sparks action, weather that action means running down to your local hardware store to buy sandbags to block a basement window or deciding what type of metal is the most effective for a Shrapnel bomb, fear is the main motivator behind all things revolving around war. “We were so paranoically afraid of communism, and fear destroys reason as well as courage. Loyalty to the people? We have let them all be killed. Loyalty to the land? We have let it be burned and poisoned so it cannot be farmed for a generation. Loyalty to democracy? In one sense, nuclear weapons killed democracy before they killed us”(142, paragraph 301). Fear is debilitating, but the only way the U.S has been able to lessen the effects of appearing weak with regards to fearing nuclear warfare is to stockpile so many weapons of mass destruction until the fear is no longer ours but is instead forced upon our enemies.  

            What I find particularly interesting about the connection between atomic bombs and fear is the fact that once so many powers establish the ability to mass produce said “super weapons” they are in effect at a never-ending standoff with other nations that possess nuclear arms. As Lindqvist puts it, “precisely because the effects of the bomb are so terrible, it is argued, they will create a deterrent of war. But history unfortunately offers no certain guarantee for such hopes…[w]hen dynamite and many other means of destruction were discovered, it was thought that they were so horrifying that war would be impossible. Even so, sooner or later people once again took up arms”(119, paragraph 252). Even though the nuclear tension has since dissipated somewhat since the first atomic bomb explosion over Hiroshima, there will never be an end to or definitive answer as to whether or not there will be anymore nuclear warfare. In my opinion, the only thing keeping us safe is everyone’s fear of atomic weapons. The day we cease fearing is the day we should purchase our seal doors and sandbags. 

-Meagan Davis