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The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Decent Essays

The Bomb The atomic bomb was initially created during the time period directly preceding, and including, World War II. Although the United States was the first nation to actually utilize this devastating weapon in a combat situation, it is significant to note that several other nations, including Russia and Germany, were also rapidly attempting to manifest the technology that could produce this devastating weapon. The U.S. utilized this weapon against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki within two days of each other to conclude the war with the triumph of the Allied powers. Japan was largely chosen as a target since it represented the last of the efforts of the Axis powers which included Germany and Italy to win World War II. The widespread destruction sown in both of the aforementioned cities, however, quickly led to Japan's surrender and the end of the war. When examining the question of whether or not the atomic bomb should have been used against Japan to conclude the war, it is highly prudent to note that Japan is an eastern country and had very little access to nuclear weaponry of its own. It seems significant that the U.S. which is a western nation chose not to bomb another western power such as Italy or Germany (both of which may have had access to nuclear weaponry at the time), but instead bombed an eastern nation. When one pauses to consider the vast numbers of innocent people who were killed or indelibly injured by the bombing of both of these Japanese

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