Tag: bomb

The Correlation Between International Conflict and the White Supremacist Movement

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Throughout U.S. history, there has always remained a correlation between the aftermath of conflict and vigilante and revolutionary violence connected to the White Supremacist movement. Surges of Ku Klux Klan membership align more closely with veterans of combat and the aftermath of war than they do with anti-immigration, populism, economic hardship, or any of the other political factors experts have traditionally relied upon to explain sudden spikes of membership affiliation. White supremacist activity always have a direct link to post war periods, including notable individuals such as George Lincoln Rockwell who was a World War II veteran and founder of the American Nazi Party, Richard Butler who was also a World War II veteran and founder of the Aryan Nations, Louis Beam who was a Vietnam War veteran and Grand Dragon of the Klux Klux Klan, and Timothy McVeigh who was a Gulf War Veteran and responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995

Pablo Picasso’s Politically Charged Guernica Painting

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On April 26, 1937, Guernica, Spain was severely bombed due to civil conflict brought on by World War II. The Basque town of Guernica was openly hostile towards General Francisco Franco’s ideologies, and because of this, Franco unleashed a 3.5 hour bombing raid upon this defenseless city, with help from German allies. In total, 1650 people were killed, 900 injured, and most of the township was destroyed, an event which sparked international outrage. Pablo Picasso created a piece of artwork as sentiment towards anti-war and anti-violence entitled “Guernica”. Picasso understood that artwork and politics rarely go together hand in hand and so he created not a piece of aircraft and bombs but rather of horses and swords, as he was determined not to create artwork which could be used as propaganda in the future. The bull depicted within the painting is designed to represent Franco and his military powers and the suffering horses and weeping woman symbolize the people of Spain. Picasso’s Guernica work became a timeless masterpiece and a copy of it is on display at the United Nations world headquarters in New York City, United States of America. The Guernica painting was covered briefly with a veil during 2003 when U.S. General Colin Powell announced the United States’ decision to invade Iraq. The Guernica image was seen as incendiary commentary and therefore intolerable during this chaotic period. The Guernica painting has become a symbol of protest to violence, war, and military regimes, not just for every country in the world, but of the 20th century and beyond

Effects of the Atomic Bomb Dropped Upon Nagasaki, Japan During World War II

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The atomic bomb dropped upon Nagasaki, Japan on August 6, 1945 was detonated a few thousand feet above the ground as the bomb would have primarily been absorbed by the Earth if it were permitted to touch down. Because the detonation occurred within the air, the force of the first and second blast waves flattened everything within its path. The blast was so bright that atomic shadows were left from anything casting a shadow during the detonation as the light and heat which were the primary components given off during detonation, did not shine as brightly upon the shadows as they did upon everything else. For a few short seconds, the highly enriched uranium created temperatures of tens of millions of degrees Celsius, as if reaching into the core of the sun and dropping that power into the Earth’s atmosphere for a brief moment. The blast emitted was hot enough to melt and fuse anything in touched including granite, steel, iron, glass, clay, and tile

The Original Target of Nuclear Warfare in Japan During World War II 

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The Ryōan-ji (pronounced “rai-oh-anne-jee”) temple garden in Kyoto, Japan was the intended target of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan during World War II. The American Secretary of State Harry Stimpson, who visited the Ryōan-ji temple garden during his travels throughout the world, lobbied against the bombing of this garden and other gardens around it located in Kyoto as he had appreciated the gardens beauty and significance to Japanese culture. Because Stimpson was steadfast in his opposition to the bombing of the Ryōan-ji Temple garden, the site was spared with Nagasaki substituted as Nagasaki was considered an equally suitable target

The Bombing of Laos During the Vietnam War and its Lasting Impact

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Per capita, Laos is the most bombed country in the entire world, having more bombs dropped upon it during the Vietnam War than that which was dropped upon Germany and Japan combined during World War II. Many of these bombs never detonated and thus many Laotian farmers, children, and other civilians have been permanently disabled, maimed, or killed while working or playing in fields when these clandestine explosives suddenly detonate without warning