During World War II, American soldiers used the atomic bomb in the Pacific Theater in order to bring an end to the war. To this day, the United States is still the only country to have used one, even though it is not the only country that has nuclear weapons in its arsenal, which is why the decision to bomb Japanese civilians in 1945 remains controversial over 70 years later. Even though thousands of civilians were injured during both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, the events had to occur. These bombings were crucial for a variety of reasons. First of all, using the atomic bomb eliminated the need to perform a land invasion. Carrying out another invasion would've been extremely costly in American lives (Walker 22), but by no means is it being implied that American lives are more important than those of …show more content…
In summary, the Americans were generally less willing to perish than the Japanese, which means that the Japanese soldiers, more than likely, would have fought until every American soldier had met his death, which had the potential of becoming highly costly. The second reason as to why using the atomic bomb was crucial is because the Japanese government had been offered peace agreements in July prior to the bombings, which they had denied. When the nuclear weapons were developed, they were, of course, tested. Moreover, the Japanese government officials were entirely aware of this. The treaty had previously been presented by Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference in 1943, where it was stated that nuclear weapons were in the processes of being constructed, yet the Japanese wouldn't accept the terms (The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb: Arguments in Support). This decision made by the Japanese further explicates their determination to win the war and unwillingness to surrender. Lastly, using the atomic