Estimates place the total death toll of World War II between a low of fifty million and a high of eighty million. While the dropping of the atomic bombs was no doubt a tragedy, its impact pales in comparison to the vast scale of destruction witnessed during the war. The death of Adolf Hitler in April 1945 marked the end of the war in the European theater. In the Pacific theater, however, Japan continued to resist and refused to agree to a surrender. The decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 was made by the United States to bring Japan to surrender and finally bring an end to World War II. In war, winning takes priority over morality and ethical decisions become less important and are ignored. With the foresight we have today, the ends justify the means. …show more content…
While countries should ideally conduct themselves honorably in war, the reality is they are more likely to prioritize their interests over the treatment of others. Honorable would be minimizing the casualties of innocents. The treatment of other human beings should be considered by every country during any conflict. As long as the war continues, pain and suffering will follow suit. That is why the United States’s decision to drop the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima was ethical because it brought a swift end to the war, saved American lives, and was considered justified retaliation. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan brought a swift end to the war by bringing Japan to surrender. This article outlines the impact the atomic bombs had on Japan. On August 6th, 1945, the United States detonated ‘Little Boy’, the first atomic bomb used as a weapon of war, over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The city was devastated by the bomb and an estimated