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Terminales Euros Due Wednesday, November 20th, 2019History – The USA and the World, 1945-2003Doc. 1 – “A New Era in Man's Understanding of Nature's Forces” by the American cartoonist D. Fitzpatrick, St. Louis Dispatch, August 7, 1945Doc. 2 – Winston Churchill, describing a conversation with Truman in 1945To bring the war to an end, to give peace to the world (…) at the cost of a few explosions, seemed, after all our toils and perils, a miracle. The end of the Japanese war no longer depended upon the pouring in of (the Russian) armies.Doc. 3 – A cartoon by Paul Carmack, published on August 11, 1945 in the Christian Science MonitorHomework 3, correction – The USA and the World in 1945Doc. 1: flash of lighting, thunderbolt falling on Earth (we cannot see precisely where), triggering a big dark cloud. Muscular forearm and hand: like the ancient Greek god Zeus, or Roman god Jupiter. The hand comes from the outer space, like a superior strength, much bigger than Mankind. Context: published on the day following the drop of Little Boy on Hiroshima. The lightning embodies the atomic power of the USA, the A-bomb. The USA could strike anywhere in the World: its position remained unchallenged (the USSR did not get the A-bomb before 1949), hence it appears like a god.Doc. 2: “To bring the war to an end, to give peace to the world (…) at the cost of a few explosions, seemed, after all our toils and perils, a miracle”: both allied leaders minimize the two bombings on Japan, talking about “a few explosions”, and comparing the A-bomb to a miracle. Indeed, the situation remained tense in the Pacific with Japanese suicide bombers attacking the American warships. The USA was afraid the war would bog down forever. “after all our toils and perils” is an allusion to what the Allies went through already: almost half a million dead for the USA, flattened cities for the UK with the Blitz and the Battle of England, etc. Both countries were exhausted after six long years of war, and eager to finish the war quickly. The official reason for the recourse to A-bombs was to force Japan to surrender. Besides, the A-bomb allowed the USA to beat the USSR by a nose. Indeed, the Soviets had to enter the war in the following days (as it was agreed at the Potsdam conference which was going on), and the A-bomb abruptly ended the war: the USSR did not have the occasion to intervene, its intervention was no longer necessary to end the war in the Pacific, like it is said “The end of the Japanese war no longer depended upon the pouring in of the Russian armies. It marked the end of the Grand Alliance. Doc. 3: a big and imposing bomb, with legs, like a man, addressing other people in a very authoritarian way. The people are gathered around a table, for a peace meeting. The bomb claims peace, a “just and workable peace”, i.e. a long-lasting and solid peace. It is paradoxical because these words are uttered by a bomb! It means the A-bomb is a deterrent weapon, it paradoxically maintains peace because the aim is to intimidate the enemies. The tone of the bomb is very threatening: if the leaders gathered around the table don’t manage to reach an agreement, they should be worried about the anger the USA (and the whole World witnessed this American anger against Japan). The bomb embodies President Truman leadership at the Potsdam conference that was going on while the two bombs were dropped. The USSR lost the leading position it had at Yalta by freeing all Eastern European countries: the balance of powers was snatched away. IntroductionPresentation of the topicEnd of WWII in Europe, but not in the Pacific yet. The USA dropped two bombs over Japan (Little Boy, August 6, Hiroshima; Fat Man, August 9, Nagasaki), which surprised and shocked the whole World. The USA and the USSR belonged to the same Grand Alliance, but the bombs were dropped by the USA alone: they were President Truman’s decision. Presentation of the documentsKey questionHow did the two nuclear bombs allow the USA to assert its power? I – The unchallenged military leadership/domination of the USA in 1945A – The official reasons why the bomb was dropped, i.e. to end the war in the Pacific: doc. 2B – A demonstration of the American strength that surprised the whole World: doc. 1II – The beginning of a Cold War against the USSR? A – The American decision to drop the bombs won against the USSR by a nose: doc. 2B – The two bombs changed the balance of powers: the USA was in a position of strength at the Potsdam conference, putting an end to the Grand Alliance: doc. 3ConclusionThe two bombs asserted the unchallenged military American domination that launched the arms race. Also increased the political weight of the USA at the Potsdam conference. The two bombs were tools of the American might. ................
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