Justin Wiezbiski

UWRT-1102
October 13 2014
Nuclear Bomb- rough
Intro:
Imagine being a small child in the 1970s you hear a loud air raid siren and you
are expected to get under your desk and put your hands on your head, but in your mind
you would know that it would not matter if it was real. This was the reality for many
Americans for many years; from the 1900s there has been one invention that has
influenced the course of human history the most, the nuclear bomb. In this paper I will be
looking at the economic, societal, and political influences of the development of the
nuclear bomb with an eye on its influence or past current and possible future events to
explain that the nuclear bomb is the most influential moment in modern U.S. history.

Body:
1: Historical
A. Development, The manhattan project
B. End of World War 2 The final Hiroshima and Nagasaki death toll was
calculated at 135,000 (BBC)
C. The Cold War It is essential that we in no way finger individuals who
might be candidates for assassination (Zimmerman)
2: Economic influences
A. The 100 nuclear units in the U.S. generate substantial domestic economic
value in electricity sales and revenue - $40-$50 billion each year - with over
100,000 workers contributing to production. (Nuclear energy institute)
B. 19.4% of U.S. electricity comes from Nuclear Energy (Nuclear energy
institute)
C. 1 Nuclear test costs up to 80-95 million dollars (anonymous)
D. 34.3 percent of North Carolina energy comes from nuclear power
(Maraven)
E. The nine Nuclear Weapon States (US, Russia, China, UK, France, Pakistan,
Israel, Iran, India) continue to spend about $105 billion annually on their
arsenals. This includes stockpile maintenance, research and development.
(IPB.org)
3. Societal
A. Fear, Chernobyl The accident destroyed the Chernobyl 4 reactor, killing 30
operators and firemen within three months and several further deaths later. One person
was killed immediately and a second died in hospital soon after as a result of injuries
received. Another person is reported to have died at the time from a coronary
thrombosis. (World nuclear.org)
4. Political
A. President Obama As the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon,
the United States has a moral responsibility to act. We cannot succeed in this endeavor
alone, but we can lead it, we can start it. (Perry)
B. We have detailed force projections on every confirmed and unconfirmed
nuclear power in the world (Anonymous)
C. 4804 total number of nuclear weaponsstrategic and non-strategic,
deployed and non-deployedin the U.S. nuclear stockpile as of September 30,
2013 (brookings)
5. Future
A. New START treaty limits the number of ICBMs a country can have to 800
(Anonymous)
B. 2700 Estimated number of U.S. nuclear weapons that have been retired
from the stockpile and are awaiting dismantlement. There is a significant backlog in
dismantling weapons. (brookings)
C. U.S. is developing many new nuclear payloads, even a possibly stealth
nuclear warhead invisible to radar (Anonymous)
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the nuclear bomb has influenced the United States from the
day of its inception even to present day and beyond. This influence extends into
society, politics and the economy in many different ways as stated above. Because of
these influences the development has been the most influential moment in U.S.
history in the modern day.