J. Robert Oppenheimer
Study Questions and Suggested Essay Topics
Study Questions
What did Oppenheimer spend most of his professional life doing after World War II? Why?
What were the arguments for and against the creation of a hydrogen bomb?
What reasons were given by the Personnel Security Board and the Atomic Energy Commission for removing Oppenheimer's security clearance?
Suggested Essay Topics
What influence did Oppenheimer's arrogant yet charismatic personality have on his career?
What were Oppenheimer's encounters with communism in the 1940s? How did this affect him in later life?
What role did the government play in the creation of the atomic bomb?
Describe the role Oppenheimer played in the Manhattan Project.
Discuss the possible causes of the government's prosecution of Oppenheimer in the 1950s.
What effect did the Cold War have on Oppenheimer's life?
Discuss the impact that Oppenheimer had on American physics. Do you think he had more impact before World War II, during, or after? Why?







