Japan was chosen as the target of the bombings because it was not necessary to make Germany the first priority. By the time the United States would have been finished with the making of the Atomic bomb, the Third Reich of Germany would have already fallen. Timing was also another reason why Germany wasn’t chosen to use the atomic bomb on. Since the United States was not able to finish the bomb in time, Hiroshima and Nagasaki then became the primary targets over Germany. The reasoning behind making Japan the target was due to the fact that if the bomb failed to detonate, it wouldn’t be able to be recovered. Where as if Germany was the target and the bomb did not work, they would have been far more likely to find out the science behind the bomb …show more content…
The honest reason why this tragedy occurred in Hiroshima was because of it was one of the only cities in Japan that had not already been a victim of firebombing and they wanted the base destroyed. The U.S. wanted Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be the first victims of the atomic bomb was because the were “virgin targets”. These bombings were used as an excuse to get vengeance on the Japanese for their attack on Pearl Harbor. This reasoning was used to persuade Americans that this was a justifiable act because it would save many American soldier by shortening the …show more content…
One of the main arguments the U.S. used in defense of using the atomic bomb on Japan was the fact that it would save all these American soldiers from an avoidable death. Although, when Truman asked for an estimate on how many soldiers would die if the bombs weren’t used the estimation was approximately 40,000 Americans. As opposed to the 500,000 soldiers that would’ve allegedly died had the bombs not been used based on the false assumption that the Japanese had the resources to keep fighting in the war. In addition, this whole situation could’ve been avoidable if Truman had delegated one of the peace terms. Had he let Japan’s emperor to keep his title and voided his demanded for an “unconditional surrender”. Japan may have surrender and this entire tragedy may have never happened. The number of civilian casualties at these two bombing was more than double the number of American casualties of the entirety of the Pacific War. Therefore, the reasoning behind the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are invalid and never should have taken
On the 6th and 9th of August, 1945, the United States of America dropped the Atomic Bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The use of these bombs brought a quick end to World War 2, yet caused extensive damage to the two Japanese cities. There have often been disputes as to whether the USA was justified in the dropping of the atomic bombs because of the damage they caused, not only to the cities, but to the people of Japan as well. Many people believe that the USA should not have dropped the bombs because of the damage they caused, and they also claim that Japan was already defeated. However, Japan did not surrender, and prolonging the war was not an option for America, as it believed it would cause even more casualties, not only to American troops, but to Japan as well. Thus the USA was justified in dropping the bombs on Japan.
Japan deserved this bomb due to its actions of attacking and making the U.S. a part of the war. The action in Japan came with a huge consequence. People believed they were alternatives to the bomb due to wanting to save lives and that the bombs did not end the war. The atomic bomb was the answer to Japan's actions, like, the torture of U.S. prisoners of war, who were being treated like animals. This would be an attempt by the U.S. to drop the Atomic bombs.
Atomic bombs are so powerful that it immediately causes a widespread killing of the people close to the explosion. The aftermath of the explosions are horrific to where there were bodies floating down the stream (Document F). “The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in out war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender” (Document B). This means that the Japanese thought these weapons were exceedingly brutal and would wipe out everything, so they weren’t in favor of the bombs. They were already defeated from the power of these bombs and they couldn’t do anything after the explosions, and this was just not necessary. After the attacks, Hiroshima was no longer a city but a burned-over prairie. To the east and west everything was flattened (Document D). Entire cities were wiped out and this caused shock and sadness to approach into
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.
The bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima killed millions of people and destroyed a city. Although that happened, Japan attacked the United States first at Pearl Harbor. The United States made the right choice when they dropped the atomic bomb because they ended the war, Japan wasn’t going to surrender without it, and the United States really didn’t have another choice. Japan would not have surrendered as easily if the U.S did not drop the atomic bomb.
There was also the question of time. The atomic bomb was by far the quickest way that America could see for the ending of the war, and they were eager to end the war as before long, Russia would become involved making a heavier casualty rate inevitable. America were also a very powerful country now they had the development of the Atomic Bomb, it would have been a waste to not be able to show their true power and the true destruction they could use through the bomb. There is also the point that the Americans were looking for revenge against the Japanese, as they had injured and killed many American soldiers, and even more to come, had the Americans not taken quick action.
The solution chosen resulted in the least possible allied casualties compared to the other solutions. 1. If the US chose not to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they would have chosen operation downfall which was an invasion of Japan. This would have resulted in casualties estimated to be in the millions for the US. 2. The other solutions were to demonstrate the power of the bomb by dropping it on a remote island or waiting for the Soviets to declare war on Japan, but dropping the bomb on a remote island would be a complete waste of money as atomic bombs weren't cheap and waiting for the Soviets could still
“We were about to form lines facing the front, we saw a B-29 approaching and about fly over us...That was the moment when the blast came. And then the tremendous noise came and we were left in the dark...” This is how 14 year old Akihiro Takahashi begins his account of the bombing on Hiroshima. Standing just 1.4km away from the epicenter, Akihiro couldn’t do anything but watch as the United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on his hometown. Three days later, while terror was still raging in Hiroshima, the US dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. While it may seem inhumane for the US to have used such powerful weapons on Japan, the US had many reasons to use such drastic measures. The United States and Japan 's involvement in WW2 led to the eventual use of atomic weapons causing a series of devastating effects that changed Japan and the world forever.
Imagine that you are living during World War II. The Japanese are making this war longer and more deadly by the minute. If they don’t surrender, you have the risk of being taken from your wife and kids to a far away country to fight a war you just want to be over. Who knows if you’ll come back or ever see them again. This is the reality for many people during World War II. The war should have ended sooner, but the Japanese refused to surrender, it was considered dishonorable. At this point, there was only one way to end the war. Although it was horrible, it accomplished what was necessary to end things. The only way was to drop the atomic bomb. The United States should have dropped the bomb because it would have saved more people’s lives,
First of all, the dropping of the atomic bomb caused the Japanese to surrender and leading to the end of the war. For the reason that, after the first bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, yet Japan did not want to surrender. The Japanese empire surrender after that second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. According to Harrys S Truman’s Decision “One week later, on August 14, 1945, after the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, the Japanese surrendered” . The results of the significant and brave decision that President Truman made; put a stop to many issues that may had occurred during the WWII. Nevertheless, the usage of the second atomic bomb made the Japanese realize that the United States had created a powerful weapon, and lead to their surrender. Second of all, the atomic bomb was the most proper manner in avoiding a Japanese invasion. The United States was mostly concern on an unexpected invasion or attack from Japan, such as the attack on Pearl Harbor. According to the article History, President Roosevelt commented “I believe I interpret the will of the congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.” Moreover, the unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor is a perfect example of the damages that they
Hiroshima was such an ideal target for American bombing. According to the book, this was because the city was considered an important place for establishing a military command center. Another reason was that it was a place where communication would be coordinated from. It was the perfect city for militaries to station their operations in.
Osamu Dazai states, “The “world,” after all, was still a place of bottomless horror. It was by no means a place of childlike simplicity where everything could be settled by a single then-and-there decision.” On August 6th, 1945, the United States made it clear what horror was, and how the power of one choice can affect generations to come. Dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was the means to an end, per President Truman’s standards. What was called the means to an end however, only resulted in a harsher awakening. The United States’ decision to drop the atomic bomb was an injustice because there were opportunities to exploit the Japanese peace faction beforehand, therefore by attacking Hiroshima this resulted in an extreme loss of morals
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.
On August 6, 1945, after forty-four months of increasingly brutal fighting in the Pacific, an American B-29 bomber loaded with a devastating new weapon flew in the sky over Hiroshima, Japan waiting for a signal. Minutes later the signal was given, that new weapon, the atomic bomb, was released. Its enormous destructive energy detonated in the sky, killing one hundred thousand Japanese civilians instantly. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb over the city of Nagasaki, with similarly devastating results, killing seventy-thousand Japanese citizens. The following week, Japan’s emperor addressed his country over the radio to announce the decision was made to surrender. At that moment World War II had finally come to its dramatic conclusion. Even though some people defend the atomic bombings, because of a weak Japan refusing to give up, the U.S. could’ve chosen a less populated area of Japan to bomb, like the coast to warn the Japanese. Claiming thousands of innocent lives, prove that the U.S. unnecessarily dropped the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
There were many causes for the United States dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One of these causes was because we wanted to increase the chances of Japan surrendering so that our