View source for Physics:One World or None

{{short description|1946 film}}
{{italic title}}{{Infobox film
| name           = One World or None
| image          = Screen Shot One World.jpg
 
| caption        = [[Engineering:Intertitle|Title card]]
| director       = 
| based_on       = One World or None (book)
| producer       = 
| writer         = 
| narrator       = Raymond Swing
| starring       = 
| music          = Louis Applebaum
| cinematography = 
| editing        = 
| studio         = Philip Ragan Productions
| distributor    = Film Publishers
| runtime        = Nine minutes, 18 seconds
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
}}

'''''One World or None''''' (1946) is an instructional documentary short film produced by the National Committee on Atomic Information in conjunction with Philip Ragan Productions. Made just months after the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it is considered the first postwar "atomic scare" film.<ref>Bogle 2001, p. 181.</ref>{{#tag:ref|Later films such as ''Duck and Cover'' (1952) also exploited the "Red Scare" of the 1950s.<ref>Ellis and McLane 2005, p. 310.</ref>|group=Note}}{{TOC limit|limit=2}}

==Synopsis==
''One World or None'' established that throughout history, scientists from many nations have made great advances and discoveries and have shared that knowledge globally. The [[Chemistry:Periodic table|periodic table]] was developed by Russian [[Chemist|chemist]] [[Biography:Dmitri Mendeleev|Dmitri Mendeleev]], British scientist [[Biography:J. J. Thomson|J. J. Thomson]] and his team discovered the principle of the [[Physics:Electron|electron]], and German theorist [[Biography:Albert Einstein|Albert Einstein]] came up with the [[Physics:Theory of relativity|theory of relativity]]. [[Physics:Nuclear physics|Nuclear physics]] was a product of New Zealand [[Physicist|physicist]] [[Biography:Ernest Rutherford|Ernest Rutherford]]'s work on the [[Physics:Atomic nucleus|atomic nucleus]], Danish physicist [[Biography:Niels Bohr|Niels Bohr]]'s identification of  [[Physics:Atomic theory|atomic structure]] and American physicist [[Biography:Carl David Anderson|Carl David Anderson]]'s discovery of the [[Physics:Positron|positron]].

Other advances included English physicist [[Biography:James Chadwick|James Chadwick]] discovering the [[Physics:Neutron|neutron]], while French scientists [[Biography:Irène Joliot-Curie|Irène Joliot-Curie]] and her husband [[Biography:Frédéric Joliot-Curie|Frédéric Joliot-Curie]] studied [[Physics:Induced radioactivity|artificial radioactivity]]. Further nuclear research was carried out by [[Biography:Enrico Fermi|Enrico Fermi]], who transmuted [[Chemistry:Uranium|uranium]] based on Japanese physicist [[Biography:Hantaro Nagaoka|Hantaro Nagaoka]]'s theories on the [[Physics:Atom|atom]]. German scientist [[Biography:Otto Hahn|Otto Hahn]] derived [[Chemistry:Barium|barium]] from uranium, while uranium was split by Austrian-Swedish physicist [[Biography:Lise Meitner|Lise Meitner]].

Knowledge about atomic energy was shared by all. The question remains, will the people of the earth use this powerful energy to benefit humanity? The first outward manifestation is the atom bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. Images of the city after the attack are startling.

Imagining the destruction inflicted in seconds on an American city. A metropolis such as {{wipe|New York City}}, Chicago or San Francisco would have its downtown core devastated by blast effects and [[Physics:Radioactive decay|radioactivity]].

According to information provided by the [[Organization:Federation of American Scientists|Federation of American Scientists]], the massive destructive power of the atom bomb is contrasted with earlier weapons of war. A Roman soldier's lance would only kill one enemy, Napoleon's cannon perhaps a dozen, the "Big Bertha" cannon could kill up to 88, and the [[Engineering:V-2 rocket|V-2]] killed as many of 168 individuals on average, but the first atom bomb killed more than 100,000 at Hiroshima.

The atom bomb was delivered by aircraft which had a limited range, but new bombers have an intercontinental range. Imagine the frightening prospect if Japan and Germany had had the atom bomb during the war. Attacks by the Axis powers could have brought [[Social:World War II|World War II]] to an end, as there would have been no defense against a [[Engineering:V-2 rocket|V-2 rocket]] carrying an atom bomb. Even with the short range of the rocket, all of England could have been attacked from bases in France. While only in the blueprint stage, advanced rockets capable of crossing the Atlantic could have destroyed the U.S. Eastern seaboard cities. [[Engineering:U-boat|U-boat]]s armed with atom bombs delivered by rockets could have threatened more of North America. Fifth column sabotage using atom bombs could devastate any U.S. center.

The answer to atomic warfare is to have the nations of the world unite under the {{wipe|United Nations}} framework to counter the weapons of mass destruction. Representative of the peoples of the world are asked to make laws to abolish war with the choice being clear: unite as one world confronting evil or face death.

==History==

=== Federation of Atomic Scientists ===
The Federation of Atomic Scientists (FAS) was founded in November 1945 by [[Physics:Manhattan Project|Manhattan Project]] scientists who helped construct the first atom bombs. Their [[Religion:Credo|credo]] was that all scientists, engineers, and other "technically-trained thinkers" have an ethical obligation to ensure the technological "fruits of their intellect and labor" are applied to the benefit of humanity.<ref name="Fas">[https://fas.org/ "Striving for a safer world since 1945."] ''Federation of Atomic Scientists''. Retrieved: February 2, 2017.</ref>

=== ''One World or None'' (book) ===
In early 1946, rebranded as the [[Organization:Federation of American Scientists|Federation of American Scientists]] (FAS), the organization took efforts to broaden and diversify its network of supporters to include all who want to reduce nuclear dangers and ultimately prevent global catastrophe.<ref name="Fas" /> In 1946, just months after atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the scientists who had developed nuclear technology came together to express their concerns and thoughts about the nuclear age they had unleashed through the release of a book, ''One World or None''. The anthology of essays included contributions from [[Biography:Niels Bohr|Niels Bohr]], [[Biography:Albert Einstein|Albert Einstein]], and Robert Oppenheimer, among others.<ref name="New" />

''One World or None'' was critically reviewed in the ''New York Herald Tribune'' ''Book Review'', March 17, 1946: "An illuminating, powerful, threatening and hopeful statement which will clarify a lot of confused thinking about atomic energy.”  The original edition sold 100,000 copies.<ref name="New" /> Quickly rising to the top of ''{{wipe|The New York Times}}'' bestsellers' list, the book spawned the short film of the same name.<ref name="New">Masters, Dexter and Way, Katharine. [http://thenewpress.com/books/one-world-or-none "One World or None: A report to the public on the full meaning of the Atomic Bomb."] ''thenewpress.com'', 2017. Retrieved: February 2, 2017.</ref>

== Production ==
Technical assistance on ''One World or None'' was provided by the Federation of Atomic Scientists. Philip Ragan Productions was responsible for ''One World or None'', using a mix of [[Engineering:Animation|animation]] and live-action stock footage, including scenes from Hiroshima and the Nuremberg War Trials. Philip Ragan was a filmmaker from Philadelphia who specialized in cartoon animation. In 1941, Ragan was contracted by John Grierson at the [[Organization:National Film Board of Canada|National Film Board of Canada]] (NFB) to complete a series of animated films for the National War Finance Committee promoting Victory War Bonds.<ref>Evans 1984, p. 63.</ref> Between 1941 and 1945, Ragan produced 27 animated films for the NFB, many of them educational films.<ref>St. Pierre, Marc. [http://blog.nfb.ca/blog/2011/11/30/70-years-of-animation-part-1-when-animation-marches-off-to-war/ "70 years of animation, part 1 – When animation marches off to war."] ''National Film Board of Canada'', November 20, 2011. Retrieved: February 2, 2017.</ref>

Another connection to the NFB was composer Louis Applebaum, who composed approximately 250 film scores for the NFB between 1942 and 1960. He is also known for his work in Hollywood on ''Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), ''Dreams That Money Can Buy'' (1947) and ''Lost Boundaries'' (1949).<ref>{{IMDb name|0032335|Louis Applebaum}}</ref>

==Reception==
''One World or None'' was produced for a theatrical market.<ref>Giglio 2005, p. 71.</ref>  The film is widely considered the first postwar "atomic scare" film.<ref>Shaw 2007, p. 162.</ref><ref>Mason, Julia. [http://historybuff.com/one-world-or-none-the-worlds-first-atomic-scare-movie-XeEnA572qkZ3 "One World or None: The World’s First 'Atomic Scare Movie'."] ''History Buff'', October 15, 2015. Retrieved: February 2, 2017.</ref> It later went into the [[Social:Public domain|public domain]] and is now preserved at the [[Social:Prelinger Archives|Prelinger Archives]].<ref>[http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/one-world-or-none-1946/ "One World or None (1946)."] ''Public Domain Review''. Retrieved: February 2, 2017.</ref>
 
==See also==
* Duck and cover, for further discussion of this method of self-defense
* List of films about nuclear issues
* List of films in the public domain in the United States
* ''Civil Defence Information Bulletin'', a 1964 British film which deals with the same topic
* ''Protect and Survive'', a 1970-80s British information film on the same topic

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Bogle, Lori Lynn. ''Cold War Culture and Society: The Cold War''. London: Routledge, 2001. {{ISBN|978-0-8153-3242-8}}.
* Ellis, Jack C. and Betsy A. McLane. ''New History of Documentary Film''. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. {{ISBN|0-8264-1750-7}}.
* Evans, Gary. ''John Grierson and the National Film Board: The Politics of Wartime Propaganda''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984. {{ISBN|978-0-80202-519-7}}.
* Giglio, Ernest. ''Here’s Looking at You: Hollywood, Film, and Politics''. Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-8204-4421-5}}.
* Shaw, Tony. ''Hollywood's Cold War''. Amherst, Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-5584-9612-5}}. 
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM7-4Ikyw08 ''One World or None'' at YouTube]
* [https://www.amazon.ca/One-World-None-Report-Meaning/dp/1595582274 "One World or None" book at Amazon]

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[[Category:Nuclear safety and security]]

{{Sourceattribution|One World or None}}