Atomic Weapons Changed the Nature of War and Launched the Nuclear Age

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CONTENT STATEMENT

Use of atomic weapons changed the nature of war, altered the balance of power, and began the nuclear age.

CONTENT ELABORATION

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan hastened the end of World War II and is considered the beginning of the nuclear age. Atomic bombs introduced a new type of weapon capable of mass destruction. Possession of the nuclear bomb contributed to the status of the United States as a superpower.

Successful Soviet development of the atomic bomb in 1949 escalated an arms race that continued throughout the Cold War and led to heightened fears of a nuclear war and the establishment of the Soviet Union as a second superpower.

EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING

Explain how atomic weapons have changed the nature of war, altered the balance of power, and started the nuclear age.

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