Atomic Bomb Necessary Essay

Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Was the Bomb Necessary? On August 6 and 9 1945, the United States of America dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagaski. The two bombs collectively killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people. The bombings carried out by the United States during the final stages of World War II marked the first and only use of nuclear weapons in warfare. The birth of the atomic bombs revolutionized modern war but there is much debate over whether the use of the bombs were justified. Despite the fact that the bombs are subject to much debate and controversy, the employment of the atomic bombs was necessary because it saved more lives than it killed, ended the war quickly, and bombs are a part of war. To begin, the pacific front

Brutal fighting would have continued for many months if the bombs were not dropped. The United States was coming off a vicious island hopping campaign and was inching closer to the Japanese mainland. A massive attack on Japan's homeland, named “Operation Downfall.” This attack would have taken months if not years to fully complete and the loss of life would have been immense. Furthermore, During World War II, Japan was a very honorable nation that thought surrendering in battle was the most dishonorable thing someone could do. With that mindset, surrender from Japan was not in sight until all of Japan was conquered by the Americans. Both sides had no intention to surrender and would have fought to the last man. “Documents discovered after the war indicated that they were right. Despite knowing the cause was hopeless, Japan planned a resistance so ferocious, resulting in costs so appalling, that they hoped that the United States would simply call for a cease fire where each nation would agree to stop fighting and each nation would retain the territory they occupied at the time” (National Park Service). This forced the Americans to drop the bombs to show the Japanese the power they held. After the detonation of the bombs, Japan saw that they could not have won the war and needed to surrender quickly. The bombs forced Japan to face the harsh reality that they were not invincible and their resources and manpower were limited.“The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage”(Hirohito). Japan realized that they had to protect their citizens from the devastating effects of the bombs. The bombs made it clear to both Japan and their Emperor that the United States had an extremely powerful weapon that they can use against future aggression. The bombs were a significant factor in making Japan surrender and showed the destructive power they