Abstract
The Manhattan Project began, largely, because of a belief that Germany was in the process of developing nuclear weapons during World War Two. Germany was considered the leading nation for physics from the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. Since Germany dominated physical science throughout the world for a half-century, it seemed logical that Germany would win any race involving the development of nuclear power and nuclear explosives. Nazi Germany did not win the race to develop either aspects of the cutting edge of nuclear science, and this project explores how the seemingly unlikely result that Germany would lose this race during World War Two came about. There are several reasons the Anglo-American efforts to win the race to develop the first nuclear explosives and reactors defeated the German effort. Most people who excelled in the study of physical science in the early twentieth century either studied or worked in Gem1any, where they had access to the best laboratory equipment and worked with the most advantaged scientists in this field of study. Scientists who ran from Nazi power assumed that Germany would be the first to develop a nuclear advantage. Germany lost its advantage as the world leader in physics because of bigotry and ignorance on both sides of the race. Germany had fired as many Jewish scientists as it could under the law between 1933 and 1938, and many of these scientists ran from German-controlled territories to work for the nations that eventually became the Allied forces in World War Two. Nazi Germany also killed off remaining scientists, or pushed them into abject poverty or suicide, and marginalized science accomplished by Jews. In contrast, the Anglo-American effort to develop the first nuclear weapons not only allowed scientists of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, it allowed women scientists- who were largely subsequently forgotten. The Manhattan Project changed bow physical science would be done forever by taking advantage of large numbers of scientists and having them collaborate in a controlled manner. The Manhattan Project ended the illusion that scientists make basic advances alone.