“On August 6, 1945, the world was changed forever with the denotation of an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, followed three days later with the use of another bomb over Nagasaki”1. The United States use of atomic weapons on Japan in 1945 was an event that triggered the fear of many individuals because it was during the period of war. The use of atomic weapons by the United States however, was justified because they had to end the war quicker, they intended to do minimal damage, and they had no other alternative.
Harry S. Truman, the thirty third president after Franklin D. Roosevelt, gave the authorization to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. For Truman and other military officials, atomic weapons signaled the surrender of Japan.
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The Japanese had a military code which stated that, “A soldier who surrendered was a traitor”6. In other words, the Japanese soldiers would not surrender by themselves because they would rather be killed than look as cowards among the community. John Falconer stated that, “One Jap infantry private was so exhausted that he stumbled and fell in front of us Americans….two riflemen came up, picked up the fallen soldier, took him off the road …. then we heard a shot and the two Japs returned alone”7. The Japanese were not willing to give up their honor system, which forced the American army to use atomic weapons. In the beginning, the American army attempted to use peaceful solutions to end war, but because of the honor system, atomic weapons were needed. The Japanese not only fought with fierce actions, they also mistreated American soldiers and acted uncivilized. Captain Mark Wohlfeld shared his experience of how he was mistreated. “I quickly dropped it on the ground. The Jap took his rifle and cracked me across the head. I fell. My head was covered in blood”8. Wohlfeld and his perspective demonstrates that the japanese wanted to fight and were unwilling to surrender or fight friendly. Another perspective that proved the mistreatment to the Americans came from Sergeant Ralph Levenberg. Levenberg argued that the Japanese, “Would be riding on the back of a
The end of the war was drawing near, and the Pacific was now the United States’ main focus because a quick defeat of the Japanese was needed. Now, new president, Harry S. Truman, was faced with a huge decision. Should we drop the atomic bomb on Japan? Yes, there were other options, but none would end the war as quickly. So, on August 3, 1945 the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, and on August 9, 1945 another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. I think it was not only a military necessity, but entirely justifiable, because the Japanese were determined not to surrender, it saved lives, both American and Japanese, in led to a fast end of the war, and was the right thing to do.
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 United States president, Harry S. Truman declared to drop the bomb on August 6, 1945 for various reasons. The most reluctant reason why President Truman dropped the bombs was to save a numerous amount of American lives (Document 8). This included the people captured by the Japanese and the soldiers who would of fought a massive battle against the Japanese soldiers (Document 5). The estimated lives of the civilians killed in the bombings
On August 6, 1945, the United states have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan city of Hiroshima and three days after The United States have dropped the second bomb on Japan city of Nagasaki to end World War II. The United States should not have dropped the atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II because it was inhumane, unnecessary, and brutal.
The pressing question still lingers: Was the United States justified in using the Atomic Bomb against Japan during WWII? World War II stands as the bloodiest and deadliest war of all time. It involved more than thirty countries and resulted in over fifty million civilian and military deaths. It lasted six years, beginning with Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939. As the Allied Powers (mainly the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) were in direct conflict with each other, many wonder if the cost of victory was too extreme. In late 1941, the process of creating the world’s first, most deadly weapon began. The production of the first atomic bomb was code named “the Manhattan Project.” After months of production, August 6, 1945, America dropped the “Little Boy” bomb on Hiroshima, wiping out ninety percent of the city. August 9, 1945, just three days after the devastation of the first bomb, America dropped the “Fat Man” bomb on Nagasaki. Dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was not necessary, nor justified in ending World War II. Due to the fact that America targeted heavily civilian populated cities (with limited military value), that Japan was in a position of surrender before the bomb was dropped, and the fact that the U.S. did not give enough time for Japan to process the devastation of the first bomb before the second in Nagasaki shows that America’s decision to drop the atomic bomb was entirely unjustified.
On May 1945, a long-awaited V-E Day finally came and brought an end to the war in Europe. But, the war in the Pacific was still continuing against Japan since they are being reluctant to surrender despite the continuous indiscriminate bombardments The United States began to consider about using the atomic bombs as the only way to end the war immediately. On the other hand, many argued that Japan’s staggering losses were enough to force Japan’s surrender. In the end, President Harry S. Truman didn’t hesitate to use this nuclear weapon and bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki with only three days interval between the two bombing. As a result, Japan has surrendered, but if I were to make a decision, I haven’t used atomic bombs because it was unnecessary since Japan has virtually lost already.
The dropping of the atomic bombs was so devastating because no one saw it coming. Although, the bombs shortened the war the lives of thousands were taken including men, women, and innocent children. The United States did send the Japanese a warning stating what they were going to do, but the citizens refused to pay attention to the warnings.When the bombings took place there were a lot of different arguments that will be discussed in this paper. These events took place on August 6, 1945, and August 9, 1945, and about 225,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many individuals have shared their opinions stating why they are for or against the bomb.
The United States government, led by President Harry S. Truman at the time, produced some of the most tactical and technological advances during World War II. The most devastating of these advances is proven to be the atomic bombs that were used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forcing Japan to surrender. This bomb played a crucial part in the ending of World War II. The decision to drop the atomic bomb was used as a last resort in order to defend and protect the United States. Although many disagree, it is safe to say that dropping these atomic bombs was unjust; the decision is extremely controversial as it has caused many military, political, and ethical disagreements.
was fully justified in dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, because of the unprovoked and brutal attacks on civilians, grounded airplanes, and the docked U.S. Pacific fleet by the Japanese. By retaliating with the atomic bomb to end the war the United States showed the world the power and weapons of mass destruction that it possessed and that it was not afraid to use them. This also issued a warning to the Soviet Union, who at the time was our ally, but was slowly turning into an enemy. In addition to showing the world the United States power, the atomic bombs crushed Japan not just physically, but also morally giving them no other option, but to surrender. Japan was on the edge of surrender with a great amount of inner turmoil, but Japans military leaders had declared no surrender and ordered their people to fight to the death of the last man, woman, and child, so in using the atomic bomb we forced them to the breaking point and saved millions of lives. Without the dropping of the atomic bombs the U.S. would have invaded the Japanese homeland in Operation Downfall where a great slaughter would have ensued. Nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were pre-made in anticipation of the invasion, but the atomic bombs saved this massive loss of life. The results brought about by the atomic bombs were very devastating and gruesome; they caused thousands of deaths and injuries and should not be employed except in the most dire
The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945 was a definite turning point in the Pacific War of World War II. Earlier that year, Germany had been defeated and the world then turned its attention to the Pacific war. Most history books state the argument that the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan was necessary to stop the war in order to save thousands of lives of American troops that were planning to invade Japan. "Had the bombs not been employed (so the "wisdom" goes), an enormous number of American troops would have perished in an inevitable amphibious operation against the Japanese mainland."(McManus 1) This paper will demonstrate that Japan was willing to
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.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first ever atomic bomb, known as "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. They dropped a second one known as "Fat Man" three days later on Nagasaki. When the first successful atomic bombs were developed by the Americans, they did not hesitate in dropping the bombs on Japan. Since then, the event has become a very controversial issue over whether or not the US was justified in dropping the bombs. But the fact is that they were not; there were alternatives to the attack, they attack violated international war laws,and they had unforeseen long term effects, As a result, the attacks were not justified.
After Roosevelts death, Harry Truman became the 33rd president of the United States, where his Presidency is famous for his war-ending actions against Japan. (Whitehouse, Harry). Truman was put in the position to choose if an atomic bomb should be dropped upon Japan to trigger quick surrender from the Japanese. To this day, people question if dropping the atomic bombs was necessary, and if so, to what extent? (nsarchive, The End of World War II)
On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped the first ever atomic bomb on Japan, which effectively ended World War II. The dropping of this atomic bomb was a momentous event in history. The decision to drop the atomic bomb has been analyzed as to why it was necessary, how it impacted morality, and also a question that had arisen was: if the United States was in a situation to do it again, would they drop more atomic bombs? The governments reason as to why the bombs were dropped was that they were the swiftest way to end the war and save millions of lives that could have been lost if the war raged on, but some think the United States dropped them in large part to intimidate the Soviet Union. Why did the United States build the atomic bomb
August 6, 1945, is still an extremely controversial day in history. It is the day that the United Stated will never live down and its people will always have opposite options about. Even though World War II is coming to a close, it is also the day the United States dropped an Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. People were going about their daily business, however, even after the all clear was given a bomb would be dropped. Neither Japan or the United States would be the same after the. Even though there were two other options presented to the United States they still decided to use the atomic bomb. It is difficult to say whether the United States was justified since they have been the only one to ever drop such a bomb on their enemy.