Truman 's President Was Extremely Significant During The Cold War

President Truman felt after weighing the outcomes of what else could have been done, he chose the most effective one. In my opinion, he chose the right way to use the atomic weapon. He had to think about his people over the enemy’s citizens. Truman did his best to not harm a well-known

America's decision to drop two nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had a profound effect on millions of lives of both Americans and the Japanese. Not only did it carry a significant amount of casualties but many American lives were spared. By entering into WWII, there were so many innocent lives that were lost including millions of civilians so when this monstrous war was coming to an end in 1945, I believe that President Harry S. Truman acted on a prompt decision in order to spare many more American lives. As stated in U.S. History in Context, Historians writing closer to 1945 tended to accept President Harry S Truman’s interpretation of events, that an invasion of Japan, which had been badly wounded but was hardly defeated in August 1945, would have cost over one million American lives and many more Japanese (History in dispute, 2000). The same article advises that the atomic bomb, a new weapon developed in such secrecy that Truman, who succeeded to the office on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death in April, knew

Throughout history there have been many important decisions made by our presidents that have affected our country for the better and for the worse. Even though people claim that they could have made better judgement calls than what have been decided, no one knows exactly what circumstances the president is under when the decisions have to be made. In the case of President Harry Truman and the dropping of the atomic bomb, many speculators say that it was a great way to resolve the war with Japan while others contradict the action. Through time and preparation, President Truman’s courageous decision was an answer to end a crisis and by far one of the best problem solving solutions in American history.

The causes and effects of Harry Truman’s controversial decision still affect the people of Japan today. Einstein sent a letter to Truman suggesting the use of atomic bombs in WWII. The bombs caused about 135,000 deaths combined in both cities. Many buildings were flattened in Hiroshima but Nagasaki was semi-protected by the hilly landscape. Just remember, Harry Truman’s would scar the world

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.

Harry S Truman was the 33rd president of the United States and according to the Harry S Truman website, the 5th most popular president of all time. Truman played a big part in ending World War II and beginning the Cold War. He was elected in 1945, after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, in April 1945. He also ended racial segregation in the civil service and the armed forces in 1948. Which will all be covered in this topic of Harry S. Truman, also discussing his presidency, personal accomplishments, and his involvement in World War II and the cold war.

Harry S. Truman, Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss the end of World War II. The conference, lasting from July 17 to August 2, 1945 was a continuation of the previous conference that was held in Yalta with Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt on post-war reparations from Germany. While Roosevelt had agreed in aiding in this, Truman feared that a repetition of The Versailles Treaty would occur. At Yalta, The Soviets wanted extensive help from Germany from the after math of the war. Truman on the other hand, encouraged that Germany only be responsible in repairing the zones they occupied. This was in hopes of preventing another economic and national downfall in Germany, which in essence was thought to be the rise of the Nazi’s. It was agreed in Potsdam that all of the German’s military forces were to be dismantled and production of military equipment be forbidden. The conference at Potsdam also clarified matters on the German, Soviet and Polish borders and the removal of millions of Germans from those territories. Finally, the Potsdam conference was known for President Truman’s conversation with Stalin that informed him that the first atomic bomb had blown up on July 16, 1945. The “Potsdam Declaration” was introduced and with this knowledge, threatened Japan with severe destruction if they didn’t immediately surrender. It was evident that they were given fair warning. Number one on the Potsdam Declaration read, “We-the President of the United States, the President of the National Government of the Republic of China, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain, representing the hundreds of millions of our countrymen, have conferred and agree that Japan shall be given an opportunity to end this war.” The last and final term, number thirteen on the

Truman realized that nuclear weapons were radically different from past weapons in their effects and ramifications, so he did not allow the military to have unfettered control over their use. The president would be the only one to be able to authorize nuclear attack. Truman erred in keeping nuclear planning and doctrine out of the hands of the generals for a long time.

International relations remained tense throughout the year and did not loosen up after the end of World War II in September of ‘45. Foreign policy of the US in 1945 “was marked by the gradual emergence of a major American presence in world political and military affairs” made justifiable by the improvements in military technology and power moves made by leaders in the US during this time (U.S. Foreign Policy, 1919-1945). In early 1945, tensions resided in Japan as the US continued to fight them for a victory in the expansive and war. Once that victory came, relaxation was far from reach, due to attention and power being focused on the States because of their military technology, they were quickly rivaled by the Soviet Union. The development of the bomb during this time stymied the change in politics and “tensions caused by these events were evident at the last wartime conferences of the Grand Alliance (Carroll - Mason 1).” Through these tensions, the united states became the main focal point of world politics and conflict between foreign nations. They were able to express their power through the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which put them on a pedestal in front of all the other nations, increasing tensions and nerves between the United States and other countries. On the other hand, although there was a plethora of global political conflicts, there were also political issues within the United States government. During Roosevelt's time in office he claimed that “he had the constitutional authority to circumvent the law because of his role as commander and chief of the military (U.S. Politics and the Presidency: Should Presidents Claim Strong Executive Power 2).” This shows how he believed that the decision was ultimately his and that he aimed to make a choice based on the well-being of the country. But, in april 1945, FDR passed and Truman was burdened with the “multi-billion dollar [plan]

American President Harry Truman’s controversial decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan ended the Second World War and began the nuclear age. Since the end of the war, Truman’s decision has been a subject of debate, largely due to the high civilian death toll that resulted from the bombings. However, the context of the time period and the need to end the Second World War made the use of the nuclear weapons a necessary action to force the surrender of Japan. Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan was justified by the historical context of the Second World War and Japan’s refusal to surrender unconditionally.

The decision to drop an atomic bomb is one of the hardest a commander-in-chief could make during their life. Let alone a president that was just inaugurated two months prior in the middle of World War II. This was the case for former President Harry S. Truman and it changed the world forever. In his eyes at the time and from the information given to him by his advisors this was the best option to end the fastest with the least amount of casualties for both the Americans and the Japanese. Throughout World War II thousands of soldiers and civilians were wounded and murdered. The use of the atomic bomb by the United States against Japan in World War II was a necessary evil that forced Japan to surrender and ceased all conflicts for years

Without the demonstration of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Truman’s statement would not have been taking as seriously as it was. This would help stop war for the next few decades as no one except the Soviet Union would reach this level of technology for the next few years.

Albeit Truman had used the atomic bomb to “chiefly end the war” (Gaddis, 26), Soviet leader Joseph Stalin saw the bomb as a means by which “the United States would seek to extract postwar concessions from the Soviet Union” (Gaddis, 26). It was on this day in history in which tensions visibly emerged between the United States and the U.S.S.R. due to president Harry Truman’s controversial decision to use the atomic bomb. In his book The Cold War, John Gaddis states “The Cold War’s roots in the world war, therefore, help to explain why this new conflict emerged so quickly after the old one had come to an end” (26). After the war ended in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the greatest two powers in the world. As Soviet power grew in the western hemisphere, their government became determined to establish a sphere of influence and expand their power under the rule of Joseph Stalin (Foner, 711). In response, president Harry Truman believed America must become involved in the containment of the Soviet Union and justified this newfound American foreign policy in his distinguished speech known as the “Truman

In 1945, President Truman had to make one of the toughest decisions a president has ever been faced with. This decision, of course, being whether to drop the atomic bombs on Japanese cities, not drop the bombs at all, or do a demonstration by dropping a bomb in the ocean near Tokyo. Truman eventually chose to drop the atomic bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. This choice to drop the atomic bombs was right because these bombings assisted in slowing the expansion of the Soviet Union, changed the Japanese never-give-up mentality, and prevented the loss of many American and Japanese lives.

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.