Atomic Bomb Persuasive Essay

On August 6 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima,Japan, killing a estimated total of 140,000 people.The second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki,on August 9,killing an estimated 70,000 people.The bombings were considered as a turning point of World War II as it resulted in an unprecedented loss of civilian lives and inflicted long-lasting health consequences on others.Many historians still debate the decision to use atomic weapons.The historical background of the decision to drop atomic bombs involved was that by the time the bombs were dropped the war in Europe had already ended with Germany's surrender in May 1945. However, there was still a continuation of the war in the Pacific and the US and its allies (Britain,US

The US President Harry S.Truman believed that the use of atomic bombs would have forced Japan to surrender and end the war quickly saving millions of Americans lives that would have been lost in a land invasion of Japan.According to President Truman, the decision to use atomic bombs was made to save lives. He argued that the bombs would bring a quick end to the war and save the lives of American soldiers who would have lost their lives in a land invasion. In his speech announcing the bombing of Hiroshima, Truman stated that "the world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians." (Truman, 1945).This reveals Truman’s justification for the bombing.Truman’s statement could potentially suggest a moral justification for the use of the atomic bomb. He claims that the target was a military base and that the goal was to avoid civilian casualties. This statement implies that the use of the atomic bombs was necessary to end the war quickly and to save lives that would have been lost.Additionally,Truman's statement was heavily criticised for being ‘disingenuous’. Many historians argue that the bombing of Hiroshima

The Japanese army was fully determined to fight to death. The Japanese had mobilised a large number of troops and civilians to defend the home islands and they organised a national volunteer force that was known as the “Volunteer Fighting Corps”. It was estimated that a land invasion of Japan could have resulted in the deaths of between 500,000 to 1,000,000 Japanese civilians and soldiers.Additionally,the potential loss of lives from a land invasion of Japan would have also extended the war. If the war was longer,there would be more and more casualties causing a significant disruption to many innocent lives.The use of atomic bombs was seen as a way to end the war quickly and to minimise the loss of lives on both US and Japan. According to the study by US Strategic Bombing Survey,Japan was already deciding on whether to surrender before atomic bombs were dropped.The study conducted claimed that a land invasion of Japan would have been a necessity to end the war without atomic bombs.Historians estimate that the invasion could have resulted in over a million casualties and that since Japan had suffered significant losses the leaders were considering in whether to end the war or continuing fighting.However,some historians criticised and opposed the decision to use atomic bombs and argued that alternatives were available such as a demonstration of how much the bombs