Harry S. Truman was the biggest catalyst for igniting and sustaining the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Truman began his attempts to intimidate Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union as early as the end of World War II, by dropping atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to display his nuclear power. He continued to use nuclear weapons to intimidate his opponent by authorizing the construction of the hydrogen bomb in 1950. During the same year, Truman signed the National Security Council Paper Number 68 into policy which was a report that promoted military expansion, nuclear weapon development, and military aid to U.S. allies. These three actions were fundamental in forcing the Soviet Union to respond with equal distrust and hostility effectively bringing the Cold War into reality. Truman and other U.S. officials, after the testing of the first atomic bomb, wanted to use the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as displays for U.S. nuclear power in order to intimidate the Soviet Union. The dropping of the bombs was backed by another secret agenda, which was to keep the Soviet Union out of Japan so the U.S. could be in charge of the reconstruction and occupation period. The U.S. did not want the Soviet Union to instill its communistic ideology into the Japanese government, so they decided to end the war before the Soviet Union could get involved (Atomic Diplomacy). The Soviet Union was indeed intimidated by the thought of their adversary having nuclear capabilities and continued its
Therefore, The United States dropped it in order to finish the war. They wanted to prevent more deaths and if the atomic bomb didn’t stop them, nothing would’ve stopped them. For example, after Truman dropped the bomb he released a letter and sources from CNN quoted “that the decision to use the two nuclear bombs saved the lives of 250,000 Allied troops and 250,000 Japanese by helping to prevent an invasion”. Although it was rough because they didn’t know the long term effects on that the atomic bomb would have on the cities. If the U.S. didn’t drop the bomb the war could’ve gotten worse and be more deadly in the long run.
The United States decision to release the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a way to intimidate the Soviet Union. The United States did this by revealing to the Soviet Union what they were capable of doing during war. According to Document 3, Dwight D. Eisenhower did not want the Soviet Union to enter the war. Eisenhower believed that the United States did not need aid from the Soviet Union during war. Also, according to Document
As World War II was coming to an end during 1945, the creation of one of the most destructive weapons known to humanity occurred within the United States. This weapon, known as “the atomic bomb,” was used on the two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in a death toll unprecedented by any military weapon used before and an immediate, unconditional surrender. Some historians believe President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb in order to intimidate the Soviet Union whereas others believe it was a strictly military measure designed to force Japan’s unconditional surrender. In the Report of a Scientific Panel of nuclear physicists, some scientific colleagues believed the atomic bomb was a “purely technical
The atomic bombs were dropped with purpose of solving diplomatic reasons and to inevitably make Japan surrender. The diplomatic goals the US had at the time was to prevent Russia from joining the war against Japan, but the US wanted to win the war before the USSR joined in order to prevent Stalin from claiming land in Japan and spreading communist influence throughout Asia. So in order to impede the potential spread of Russian influence and communism in postwar Japan, the US had to end the war as soon as possible or else the potential spread of Stalin and the Soviet Union’s influence might bring forth more devastating and graver consequences for the future of the US. The atomic bomb was a diplomatic and intimidating way of keeping the Soviet
“Truman stated that his decision to drop the bomb was purely military. Truman believed that the bombs saved Japanese lives as well. Prolonging the war was not an option for the President,” (ushistory.org 1). President Truman and the United States government made a fair decision by dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese citizens in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during 1945. The bomb allowed the United States to appear more powerful and led to them influencing the rest of the world. The dropping of the atomic bomb was also a just response to the previous atrocities committed by Japan to other countries including the United States. In the long run, the bomb saved more lives that would have been lost in the war, since the bombs caused the
President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the direct cause for the end of World War II in the Pacific. The United States felt it was necessary to drop the atomic bombs on these two cities or it would suffer more casualties. Not only could the lives of many soldiers have been taken, but possibly the lives of many innocent Americans. The United States will always try to avoid the loss of American civilians at all costs, even if that means taking lives of another countries innocent civilians.
When the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki all living things in a five square mile radius of where the atomic bombs impacted died instantly, it ended the war and saved thousands lives. The following documents tell you about the importance of dropping the atomic bomb and the thinking behind there strategies. The US wanted Japan to surrender and wanted no more bloodshed and wanted the Soviet Union to be surprised. As stated in document 13 the Americans concern for Japan's unwillingness to resign, “imminent threat of a landing, on Japan proper by us, to convince them of the hopelessness of their situation”1. and again in document 16 shares thoughts for Russia involvement, “atomic attack against Japan would shock the Russians”2 finally document 17 shows the stubbornness of “Japan to agree Japanese leadership would probably not have surrendered if the Truman administration had clarified the status of the emperor when it demanded unconditional surrender prolongation of the war and cost a large number of human lives”3. Although some people think dropping the atomic bombs on Japan wasn’t justified, I think that dropping the atomic bombs on Japan was justified.
When discussing the Cold War, there are two questions that never fail to come up: When did it start? And, when did it end? While the latter is more difficult to pinpoint, there is a clear starting point for the Cold War. Most arguments for the beginning are in fact post WWII events and nothing more. As the Cold War progressed there is much blame to go around, but it started with President Truman. With fear of the United States falling back into the Depression, President Truman used post WWII fallout to justify the Soviets as and enemy and in turn start the Cold War. By looking at the progression of events, and Truman’s actions, it cannot be clearer that he manipulated his citizens to march forward into a war that would last for many years
During World War II, President Harry S. Truman ordered for an atomic bomb to be dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6th ,1945. The second and last atomic bomb to ever be dropped was in the city of Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945. Many Americans believed dropping the atomic bomb was necessary to end the war in a more timely manner, however, many others believed dropping the atomic bomb was too extreme of a measure to take against Japan. With the creation of the atomic bomb, the United States had a weapon of mass destruction that no one else yet had. Therefore, with the power the atomic bomb possessed, some people believed its use should only be used as a last resort. If Japan would not surrender during this war, then the United States would have a valid and necessary reason in using the power of an atomic bomb. For the other Americans that believed in the immediate drop of the atomic bomb, dropping it would end the war sooner, which would then decrease the amount American soldiers who would be killed during the war. Whether dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was the most ethical decision that President Truman could have ordered is still debated.
Truman’s other bargaining chip was the atomic bomb. When urged to send an early warning to Japan and try to avoid using the atomic bomb, Truman refused, a decision which Offner believes was made because of Truman’s “need to demonstrate his authority” (Offner 292). Offner argues that the use of two atomic bombs, the second one being militarily unnecessary, made Stalin feel as if the bombs were used as a threat to him, a feeling which pressured him into creating an atomic bomb for the Soviet Union. When bargaining with Stalin over Germany, Truman showed no interest in any form of agreement, and because of his stubbornness, Germany remained separated until the 1990 (Offner 300). Offner asserts that actually negotiating the situation in Germany and not dropping the atomic bombs could have prevented, or at least greatly lessened, the Cold War, and because of Truman, these things did not happen.
The decision to drop the atomic bomb, made by President Truman, was largely influenced by political factors rather than military factors. Traditionalist historians argue from the military perspective that the bomb was used to end the war as quickly as possible and with as minimal causalities as possible. Revisionist historians, on the other hand, argue the political perspective where they believe that the bomb was dropped as a diplomatic tool to intimidate the rising superpower that was the Soviet Union. In 1945, there was little reason to doubt the traditionalist perspective; however, in retrospect, with the evidence now gathered and available, it was very likely there were other strategic reasons that played a larger role in the decision Truman had made. By observing the historical timeline, the Cold War began shortly after World War II. Truman was aware of the rising power of the USSR and the threat of the spread of communism into Europe and Asia. The fear of this threat was what likely influenced him and Congress to use the bomb more so than the desire to end the war more efficiently.
One of the first diplomatic moves by the U.S. in the Cold War was atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima August 6th 1945 and three day later one Nagasaki. Revisionist Gar Alperovitz argues that President Harry S. Truman and his Secretary of State, James F. Byrnes, could have ended the war without using the atomic bomb and that the weapon was more of an instrument to intimidate the Soviets. The intention was to end the conflict before the Soviet Union had an opportunity to declare war on Japan, march
The decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the hardest decision for President Truman to make. He had the power right there in his hands to end the war but he would have to unleash the most powerful weapon known to man, at this time. Everyone was very tired of fighting but the Japanese would not give up so Truman decided to drop it. Even though we told Japan that if they did not surrender we would completely demolish some of their cities, they did not listen and they did not surrender. Maybe they did not think about what kind of weapons we would use because
The cold war started quickly after World War 2 ended. The soviet Union and U.S. (United States) were close allies, they then turn to enemies. The U.S. ignored the Soviets desire to impose totalitarian rule and wanted to take over the economy/land. Both countries Started fighting over weapons of mass destruction. The race on creating the largest atomic bomb began. The U.S. were wanting to have the largest arsenal to use against enemy countries. Neither country really understood each other so neither country could really agree with each other because their leaders couldn't discuss a treaty without frustration. The U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb (20 kilotons, killing 80,000 people) on Hiroshima in 1945, as well as the second atomic bomb (22
When President Truman authorized the use of two nuclear weapons in 1945 against the Japanese in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II, the nature of international security was changed irreversibly. At that time, the United States had what was said to have a monopoly of atomic bombs. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union began working on atomic weaponry. In 1949, it had already detonated it first atomic bomb and tensions began to heat up between the two countries. With the information that the Soviets had tested their first bomb, the United States began work on more powerful weapons1, and a fight for nuclear superiority had begun.