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Kristen's Sandbox

M.A. Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution

• Georgetown University
  • College of Arts & Sciences

different from peace studies

History Covered in the Museum

The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum covers the history the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan. It portrays scenes of the war, the dropping of the atomic bomb, the reconstruction of Nagasaki and present day. Additionally, the museum discusses the development history of nuclear weapons.

The Atomic Bomb was developed during the Manhattan Project by American scientists. The project was granted funding on December 6, 1941 and viewed by American leaders as a new invention which would be a legitimate weapon in war. By 1943 it was decided that the first bomb would be dropped on Japan and two years later, in 1945, a shortlist of cities for bombing had been created. At the time, the atomic bomb was condsidered as a way to end the war sooner than expected. Hiroshima was the first atomic bomb target. The first bomb was dropped there to show the power of America's new weapon, and the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki to show that America had a large arsenol. At 11:02 A.M. local time on August 9, 1945 the plutonium bomb, nicknamed the Fat Man after Winston Churchill was dropped on Nagasaki, forever changing the city's landscape. A mushroom cloud reaching over 45,000 feet rose from the city and in its wake was almost total distruction.

Within the museum is a history of the city before the bomb was dropped. The hypocenter of the bombing was the Urakami district, which was a traditionally rustic and isolated subarb. However, the population soared after the 1920s when the district was chosen as the site for munitions factories. An industrail zone was quickly created. Additionally, the Urakami district was home to the Nagasaki Medical College. When the bomb was dropped at 11:02 A.M. on August 9, 1945, the 20 neighborhoods within a one kilometer radious of the hypocenter were completely destroyed by the heat flash and blast winds generated by the explosion. They were then reduced to ashes by the fires which followed. Within 2 kilometers of the hypocenter, roughly 80% of the houses collapsed and burned. When the smoke cleared, the area was strewn with corpses. .

Reconstruction of the city proceeded slowly. It was not until the latter half of 1946 that the first emergency dwellings were provided to the communities. The need for buildings far surpassed the availabilities. As late as 1950, applicantions for corporate dwellings exceeded the availability ninety times. The national government of Japan created a war disaster reconstruction plan in November 1945 which projected a city concept which would abandon the old war industries and focus instead on a revival of foreing trade, shipbuilding, and the fishing industry. Today, the city is considered a peace city and has pledged itself to the mission of world peace.

Inside the Museum

The residents of Nagasaki consider it their duty to make sure the horrors which they experienced due to the atomic bombing are never repeated. Because of this, the museum is designed in such a way that the audience can see just what effect the bomb had on the city, the reconstruction, and the lasting effects of the atomic bomb. The museum opens with a room dedicated to the city as it was just before the bomb decimated Nagasaki. A clock which stopped at 11:02, the precise time the bomb hit the city, is also on display to demonstrate how so many people were killed in an instant.

In the next section, visitors enter a room which shows Nagasaki just after the bombings. Included in this room is a water tank with contorted legs which was located at Keiho Middle School, approximately 800m away from thehypocenter of the bombing. The section 'Events leading up to the Nagasaki Atomic Bombiing' isolates historical facts from contemporary prejudices. The permanent exhibition rooms display large materials exposed to the blast, as well as a replica of a sidewall of the Ukamini Cathedral which was hit by the bomb. The purpose is to reproduce the state which the city was in immediately after the bombing. Photographs and facts are shown alongside artifacts left by the deceased. Additionally, the second section contains some of the rosaries found inside the Urkami Cathedral. At the time of the bombing, dozens of people were inside the Cathedral for confession. This section also exhibits a timeline of events which shows a course of events that occurred prior to the bomb being dropped in Nagasaki. Leaflets which American forces dropped on Japan during the early part of 1945 are on display. One gives information on the bombing of Hiroshima and the power of the atomic bomb, warning citizens to leave the city and stop fighting. Also included are melted bottles, the bones of a human hand stuck to a clump of melted glass, burnt clothing, a lunchbox with its contents still charred inside of it, and a helmet with the remains of a victim’s skull on the inner surface. Section B shows damage caused by the radiation, damages caused by the blast, appeals of the atomic bomb survivors, and the rescue and relief activities which were carried out.

After viewing the city scene, museum visitors are invited to think about issues related to war and nuclear non-proliferation. This section of the musuem contains the political sections entitled 'The Road to the Atomic Bombing' and 'The War between China and Japan and the Pacific War'. It is there that the experience of militarism in Japan and the demands of war are juxtaposed with arguments for the end of nuclear weapons. Visitors can see facts about modern nuclear weapons alongside facts about victims of the atomic bombing. It is a call for peace and an end of the nuclear age.

The final room in the museum contains videos and documents related to the Nagasaki bombing. Visitors can also find answers to their questions and documents like Nagasaki’s Peace Declaration.

Atomic bombing

The Genbaku Dome amidst the devastation in October 1945. Photograph by Shigeo Hayashi, one of two photographers attached to the academic survey teams.

At 8:15a.m. on August 6, 1945, Little Boy — the first atomic bomb to be used in war — was dropped by the United States Air Force from the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber, obliterating the city of Hiroshima, Japan.

On July 25, 1945, commander of the United States Strategic Air Forces, General Carl Spaatz received orders to deliver a "special bomb" attack on selected cities in Japan . The first target city chosen was Hiroshima, which had an important port on southern Honshu and was headquarters of the Japanese Second Army. The bomb was assembled in secrecy and loaded on the Enola Gay. It consisted of a uranium isotop 235 core shielded by hundreds of pounds of lead. Little Boy possessed a force equivalent to 12,500 tons of TNT. The plane dropped the bomb over the city at 8:15:17a.m. local time on August 6, 1945. Within 43 seconds from being dropped, the bomb detinated over the city and missed its target by 800 feet. Intended for the Aioi Bridge, the bomb was instead dropped right above the Genbaku Dome. Because the atomic bomb exploded right above it, the building was able to retain its shape. The building's vertical columns were able to resist the nearly vertical downward force of the blast, and parts of the concrete and brick outer walls remained intact. The centre of the blast was displaced 490 feet (150 m) horizontally and 1,968 feet (600 m) vertically from the dome, having slightly missed the original target, the distinctive "T"-shaped Aioi Bridge. The Dome was 160 meters from the hypocenter of the atomic blast. Everyone inside the building was killed instantly.

Architecture

Museum as it appeared when it re-opened in 2011

The original building, the armory, was built between 1873-1876 and became a museum in 1897. Originally the Saxon armory and museum, the building has served as a Nazi museum, a Soviet museum and an East German museum which reflected the region's shifting social and political positions over the last 135 years. In 1989, the museum was closed because the newly unified German state was unsure how the museum would fit into the history being created. By 2001, feelings regarding the museum had shifted and an architectural competition was held for an extension which would cause visitors to reconsider the way they think about war.

Before opening in October 2011 as the Bundeswehr Military History Museum, the building underwent six years of extensive construction. Using the design of architect Daniel Libeskind, the Neo-Classicist facade on the historic arsenal has been interrupted. Libeskind added a transparent arrowhead to the façade of the building, creating an outwardly visible expression of innovation. The architect wanted to penetrate the historic arsenal and create a new experience with the addition. The openness and transparency of the new façade, representing the openness of democratic society, contrasts with the rigidity of the existing building, which represents the severity of the authoritarian past. The silver arrowhead protrudes from the center of the traditional Neo-Classical building and provides a five story, 98 foot high viewing platform which overlooks the evolving city. The platform provides views of modern Dresden while pointing towards the area where the fire bombings of Dresden began. The redesigned Dresden Museum of Military history has become the main museum of the German Armed Forces. The building itself is 14,000 square meters and has an inside and outside exhibition area of about 20,000 square meters, making it Germany's largest museum. The museum is designed, from the architecture to the exhibits inside, to alter the public's perception of war.

Museum history

The Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr shortly after it re-opened in October 2011

The original armory building was completed in 1876 as an armory for Kaiser Wilhelm I. The Arsenal main building in the center of Dresden's Albert City served as an armory for roughly twenty years, until it was transformed into a museum in 1897. Since then, the main building of the arsenal has housed the Royal Arsenal Collection, the Royal Saxon Army Museum, and in 1923 became the Saxon Army Museum. After 1938, the museum became the Army Museum of the Wehrmacht, and in 1972 the Army Museum of the GDR. Seven months before the reunification of Germany, the museum was renamed the Military History Museum in Dresden.

On February 13 and 14, 1945, British bomber planes commenced an air attack against Dresden, creating a vast firestorm below. During the first phase, 244 Lancaster bombers dropped high explosive and incendiary bombs aimed at the center of the city. American B-17 bombers followed the next morning, to destroy the city's railroad marshaling yards. While much of the city was in ruins, the Bundeswehr's main military museum survived the bombing of Dresden because of its location on the city's outskirts. The building withstood World War II attacks on Germany and continued to be used as a military museum until it was closed in 1989. It re-opened again in 2011 and provided a new way of presenting military history.

Inside the Museum

The museum has made an effort to distance itself from the usual presentations of military history. Instead of glorifying war and armies, the museum tries to present the causes and consequences of war and violence. The focus is placed on the human component of war, on the hopes, fears, passion, courage, memories and aspirations of those involved. The museum seeks to inform visitors about the military history while ecnouraging them to ask questions and seek new answers. Visitors can go through the museum through two approaches: thematic sections, and a chronological tour. Additionally, the museum showcases the history of Military Technology, Handguns, Uniforms and Insignia, Order, Art, an Image Archive, Records, and a Library.

The museum houses a vast collection of military history, from technology and handguns to artistic renderings of war. Traditionally, military museums focus primarily on weapons technology and the glamorous representation of national armed forces; they impress visitors by shows of military power and display wars in isolation from other historic events. The Bundeswher Military History Museum has made an effort to be a different kind of military museum. It displays war and the military as being interwoven in the general history of a nation, and showcases the ramifications of war in the political, cultural and social history. The focus, instead of being on the greater good or the military whole, is always on the individual who exercises violence or suffers from it. Eleven themed tours are offered and three chronologies: 1300-1914, 1914-1945 and 1945-today.

Military Technology

In the Military Technology section of the museum, objects are displayed which have been assigned to three main groups. These are: Large Equipment and ammunition, Device and Equipment, and Scale-based Replicas and Models. Over 800 land, air and see vehicles, along with over 1,000 guns, hand guns, rockets and flamethrowers have been collected for the museum. Additionally, this section includes a large collection of military space technology. While the collection in this section focuses on devices used by the military, with over 45,000 objects belonging to the military, there are also witness accounts to accompany the display. Witnesses describe the life and suffering of civilians during wartime.

Handguns

The valuable and extensive collection of handguns is considered one of the most important collections in Germany's museum landscape. This is especially due to the large proportion of Saxon weapons on display. Included in the museum are 4,250 firearms spanning from rifles, carbines and machine guns, as well as 3,250 handguns such as pistols and revolvers that make up the collection of Feuerwafffen. Additionally, several experimental weapons are included in the collection. There are also cutting and stabbing weapons in this section. The collection includes roughly 1,700 sabers, swords and broadswords; almost 1,100 bayonets, 800 daggers, 400 Faschinenmesser and 400 polearms.

Uniforms

Military uniforms are influenced by the politics of the time, along with culture, ideology, and the economy. Examining the story of uniforms helps one understand the thinking of a certain era. Within the Bundeswehr Military History Museum, the display of uniforms is considered one of the most meaningful exhibitions. This section includes mostly German uniforms, especially those from the late 19th Century to present due to the state of preservation. Also included are some uniforms, insignia and regalia of foreign forces, particularly of other European nations. These are also used to represent allies to the German state in exhibitions. The collection includes almost 70,000 field uniforms. In addition to outerwear, underwear, shoes, headgear, and military equipment are on display, along with badges, musical instruments and banners. One remarkable piece within the collection is the Spencer jacket from 1805 which belonged to Queen Louise, the "Sissi Prussia", mother of the first German Emperor Wilhelm I.

Art

Along with relics of military history, the museum contains a fairly extensive art collection, the foundation of which was laid in 1857 by Officer Ludwig Georg von Wurmb who brought together images depicting the history of the Royal Saxon Army. Nearly 1,100 paintings, 500 sculptures, 12,000 drawings and prints have been added to the early collection by an eclectic group of artists including Jacques Callog, William Campenhausen, Max Liebermann, Lea Grundig and Bernhard Heisig. All the pieces include the theme of war and military.

Image Archive

The image archive houses a collection of preserved paper photographs, pictures, photo postcards, photo albums, picture negatives, and slides of German and international military history. Nearly one million artifacts are housed in this section which focuses on everyday life of the German armed forces. The images archive the formation, equipment and training of armed forces past and present. While professional images are showcased, so are amateur photographers from both World War. Particularly noteworthy in this sectioin are photographs of Dresden by Willy Rossner and Soviet war photographer G. Samsonov.

Records

The records collection showcases the written history of the military from the 17th Century to the present. Almost 150,000 objects which reference the military are held in the collection. These include the personal documents of soldiers such as military passports, diaries, or letters and provide a comprehensive review of military life. Emphasis is placed on the collection of posters, cards, leaflets, newspapers and magazines. There is also an audio component of this section which plays extensive interviews with eyewitnesses to military life. These give personal perspective into the political communication strategies and social values of the times in which they occurred.

Library/Technical Information Center

The museum library not only serves as a way to showcase the museum collection, but is also a center for reserach, scientific work, and teaching. It includes over 45,000 documents, including 1,000 historic and valuable books and magazines. The books range from subjects of military affairs, general history, military history, military technology, hand and fire weapons, medals, uniforms, photography and art, and conservation efforts. Inside the library are 36,000 volumes of monographs from 1851 to the present, 1,000 rare books from the 16th century to 1850, about 7,500 service regulations from the Prussian and Saxon army, as well as newspapers and magazines both past and present. Use of the library is available to military personnel and library employees. Non-military members are granted access to the reading room if they apply ahead of time via telephone or through written application.

Photos From Inside

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  Military technology shown in the museum
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  A Soviet Tank on display
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  German military uniforms
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  A copy of Hobbes' "Leviathan" on display
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  The museum structure, including Libeskind's striking addition
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  Armored scout car BRDM-2 of the National People's Army
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  A display on animals in the military
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  Destroyer War Badge from 1957 on display at the museum
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  This painting of teh Royal Saxon Army hangs in the musuem
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  Display case of Soviet forces in Germany
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  The flag of the Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy
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  On display is the original Brandtaucher, Germany's first submarine.
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  The rod ring gun, "Faule Magd", from approx. 1450
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  The landing apparatus of the Soviet-German space expedition in 1978.
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  An Alouette helicopter
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  The German book "On War" by Carl von Clausewitz.