Dawn of the Nuclear Age

These notes are ideal for teaching students about nuclear war and can be used for teaching the end of WWII and Cold War. A number of student questions and tasks are included and a PowerPoint on Hippies has also been provided.

LESSON OBJECTIVES

This sub-section deals with the Nuclear Age, which started when atomic bombs were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War. It explores the roots of the Nuclear Age, briefly discusses how atomic (nuclear) weapons work, as well as the consequences (outcomes or effects) of nuclear war and the use of nuclear weapons.

LESSON SUMMARY

The roots of the Nuclear Age
• What is the meaning of the term, “the Atomic/Nuclear Age”?
• What is an atomic bomb?
• Splitting the atom – nuclear fission and the atomic bomb

The atomic bomb and the end of World War II
• America’s entry into the war and the Manhattan Project – the race to build the bomb
• In August 1945, America dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Hiroshima and Nagasaki were two major cities in Japan
• This event brought the Second World War to an end

The consequences of the A-bombs dropped on Japan
• The effect of a nuclear explosion
• The dangers of radiation
• Eyewitness accounts of the devastation of Nagasaki and Hiroshima