The Atomic Bombings Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki

Was it necessary for Truman to drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan in World War II? On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped by a US aircraft on Hiroshima. This atomic bomb was dropped to force Japan into surrender, this bomb alone destroyed Hiroshima and over 90,000 people were instantly killed in the explosion and an additional 100,000 people perished from burns and radiation sickness. On August 9, 1945 only three days later, the second atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki resulting in an additional 80,000 casualties of the Japanese population. The people of Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945 soon after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many people opposed to the use of the atomic bombs because people argued that Truman 's decision to use atomic bombs was a barbaric act of cruelty. People also argued that the US government had other ulterior motives to drop the atomic bomb that were necessary for America 's ideals. Necessary motives like presenting The Soviet Union a strong message for the Soviets to watch their step around America. A conventional way of warfare for Japan 's surrender would have costed many more American lives. Truman and others believed that the atomic bomb was necessary to save American lives but also Japanese lives. These actions from President Truman marked the end of the most destructive war in history. The two sources that will used and evaluated in this paper are is The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb by Dennis D. Wainstock (1996)

Intense moral justification was needed in order to make the decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki however, President Truman was ultimately the man who made the final decision to launch ‘Little Boy’ and destroy Hiroshima, Nagasaki and their civilians, thus forcing an end to the war. Although there were many alternatives presented to President Truman, it is unknown as to whether they would have actually succeeded in ending the war or producing less casualties. Truman made the decision to drop these bombs in the heat of war but his justification of having a military target appeared extremely unrealistic, as both cities were full of innocent civilians. The morality of the bombs have been debated over the years, however the publication of the actual damage to civilian life caused a strong voice opposed to the usage in the 60 years following the action.

The Manhattan Project originally began as part of the nuclear arms race at the beginning of World War II, despite the fact that the United States had not entered the war at the time. It wasn’t until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 that the U.S. had officially declared war on Germany and Japan. After Germany had agreed to an unconditional surrender, therefore ending the war in Europe, the U.S. was still at war with Japan and the U.S, hesitant to risk more American lives, made the difficult decision to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both bombings resulted in the instant deaths of about 135,000 people and affecting thousands more in ways that could not have been predicted. The bombing of Hiroshima was necessary to save American lives and in bringing an end to the war, however, the second bombing of Nagasaki was unnecessary though there are many arguments to counter otherwise.

The Soviet Union’s encounter with the atomic bomb detonations on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a seminal event that ignited tensions between The Soviets and The United States of America to the max. This resulted in the Nuclear Arms Race and the beginning of the Cold War. The purpose of dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was done more to “impress the Soviet Union than to cow Japan” (Washingtonsblog) Many historians suggest that Russian armies occupying much of Eastern Europe may have been the main reason Truman decided to detonate the bombs, “to have an atomic monopoly as diplomatic leverage with the Soviets.” (Washingtonsblog) The Soviet Union quickly realized that in order

On August 6th, 1945, the United States of America dropped the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan. This bomb decimated over two hundred thousand Japanese citizens, and caused the Empire of Japan to surrender ending World War II. In his book Hiroshima, John Heresy reveals the stories of six survivors, and how their lives were changed following the bombing.

In an attempt to frighten the Communist Soviet Russia, two unnecessary bombs were dropped on Japan. The actions of the President of the United States (U.S.) at the time, Harry Truman, to deploy a nuclear weapon on a near-surrender Japan and two populous cities were viewed as unjust and hasty by the American people. Dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not necessary.

On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima without any precedent. The explosion viciously destroyed four square miles of the city and killed 90,000 and injured 40,000. (Weber, “Was Hiroshima Necessary?”) Three days later, a second atomic bomb stroked the city of Nagasaki which killed approximately 37,000 people and injured 43,000 (Weber, “Was Hiroshima Necessary?”). These actions of the United States still remain controversial today and the United States’ abuse of power and morality can be questioned. ‘Were the dropping of atomic bombs in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki a justified way to end World War Two?’. The answer is no, the bombings were not justified as Japan was already

On August 6th, 1945, the Enola gay took off to bomb Japan, changing the world forever. At 8:15 in the morning, a massive, mushroom cloud rose over Hiroshima, Japan killing more than 70,000 people. The first atomic bomb had been used in combat. Then on August 9, another bomb was sent in by the bomber Bock’s Car. It was originally supposed to go to the city of Kokura, but the weather was bad so it was redirected to Nagasaki killing 40,000 people. With the death tolls at around 129,000, Japan unconditionally surrendered several days later ending World War Two. Although, at the same time it put the world into a new generation of war. American President Harry Truman’s controversial choice to drop the atomic bomb on Japan had ended World War 2 but consequently started the nuclear age. Since the surrender, Truman’s choice has been the subject of a great deal controversy, in large part because of the high civilian death toll. However, the choice to bomb Japan had ended the long lasting war. Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb was justifiable by Japan’s refusal to give up unconditionally, the cost of the Manhattan Project, and the high death toll anticipated from an invasion of Japan.

The creation of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan were not originally intended as a War-Ending weapon, far from that. Regardless of the reason for its creation, it has left a profound mark on humanity as a whole. While in its infancy the fission weapons were able to destroy small cities, but only after a decade a tested fusion bomb was 750 times more powerful. These weapons of mass destruction ended the war, but not without consequences.

Upon reviewing Ronald Takai’s Hiroshima, it only makes me wonder what was going through the mind of President Harry Truman when he gave the “green light” to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It has been more than 70 years since that happened and the conclusion of World War II, and yet the legacy remains in our modern day history books and class lectures. But was deploying the atomic bombs on Japan really necessary? What was Truman thinking? And did the end really justify the means? Truly, upon reading Takaki’s Hiroshima, it led me to believe that Truman was probably more militant than his predecessor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and yet also showed a more personal side after the two bombs were used against the Japanese Empire. In this essay, I will describe how I would personally evaluate Truman’s decision and what possible scenarios could have led to the outcome as well as determining what other alternative routes he might have chosen if he decided not to use atomic bombs.

Who is good and who is Evil? Many of us go through life thinking that whatever we do must be what is good, never questioning authority and blindly following a government that is thought to be incapable of doing evil. After World War II, many Americans felt a sense of nationalism. They were proud of the fact that their military destroyed Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan. However this euphoric patriotism can often blind the holder. In August of 1945, the United States Military dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There were noble reasons for dropping the bombs, but surely destroying two entire cities questions the integrity of the United States. So again I ask, who is good and who is evil?

The destructive end of the war in the Pacific, having heralded the advent of the world’s Nuclear Age, left an indelible mark on the course of U.S. Foreign Policy. Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan in August 1945, while seemingly uncontroversial among his advisors at the time, almost immediately landed at the center of one of history’s most provocative debates. Revisionist theorists challenge the so-called government-propagated ‘myth of the bomb,’ which paints the atomic bomb as the only alternative to a prolonged and bloody invasion of the Japanese homeland. While revisionists indeed present an important, and previously overlooked, angle of the decision-making process behind dropping the atomic bomb, the claim that the driving force behind the decision to detonate was impressing the Soviet Union with U.S. nuclear capabilities is unreasonable considering the timing of the events. Rather, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be interpreted as the culmination of a long deliberation prioritizing speed, public opinion, and curtailing Japanese imperialist aspirations, all of which exposed Truman’s intent to secure a prominent role in postwar negotiations.

On August 6, 1945 America dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshim, Japan with devastatingly effective results. A few days later, Truman took to the radio to inform the American people of the incident in what is later recognized to be one of history’s most memorable speeches.

By the time the first bomb had been made,Germany had already surrendered and World War II was over in Europe. Japan at the time didn’t surrender. The US planed to invade Japan. The President at the time Harry Truman drooped an atomic bomb instead to force Japan to surrender. On August 6th, 1945 the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The bomb was named “Little Boy”. This explosive was massive, it destroyed the whole city and killed around 90,000–146,000 people. This bomb was dropped by plane. The bomb is 3.048 metres long.

The atomic bombing of Japan was an unjustified decision that many considered was inhumane. Through the use of atomic bombs, many innocents were harmed in one way or another. Berger described the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as "a terrorist act" and that it was "evil". While Berger 's argument was extreme, the U.S. still remains unjustified because they did not know exactly how much damage the bomb would actually cause. Bombing Japan, the U.S. harmed thousands of civilians and displayed the effectiveness of the atomic bomb despite having other options to end the war.