ipl-logo

The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Bombs

876 Words4 Pages

World War II was filled with atrocities on all sides, the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the perfect way to end a war of atrocities. In this essay we will explore the ethics of the United States dropping nuclear bombs on Japan. Firstly, we will examine the history of leading up to President Truman ordering the bombings. Next, we will explore other options President Truman could have taken other than the nuclear option and attempt to explain the logic behind his choice. Then, we will analyze the moral implications behind his choice. Finally, we will conclude with my opinions about Truman nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki and why was unethical. Throughout the history of the Japanese people have this idea of honor that is closely …show more content…

The first option was to continue taking islands in the Pacific Ocean and invade Japan with ground troops. This option would be the costliest for Allied forces and would likely cost the Japanese a massive amount of lives. The second option would be air raids on Japanese cities and destroying their ports. The problem with this option would be that planes would likely be shot down long before they even got close to Japanese territory. It would also take a decent amount of time to break though the Japanese resistance and it would be cause a decent amount of civilian causalities. The final option was the option that President Truman choose was to drop nuclear bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The benefits of this choice was that it was the quickest way to end the war with the least amount of Japanese resistance. These are the possible options that President Truman could have taken to end World War II, now we will delve into the morality on Truman’s …show more content…

Firstly, the American government was actively rounding up American citizens who had Japanese descent for fear of them being spies for Japan. For this reason, I believe it this choice was not made in the best interest of the Japanese people and it was easy for President Truman to look at the Japanese causalities as numbers, rather than people. Secondly, I feel this choice was made to completely demoralize the Japanese people from going to war again as punishment for Pearl Harbor. To support this point, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not military bases they were populated cities filled with noncombatants. I feel President Truman made this choice to end the war as quickly as possible with the smallest number of American casualties with the bonus of getting vengeance for Pearl

Show More
Related

Pros And Cons Of Truman's Decision

430 Words | 2 Pages

Truman’s Decision President Truman was justified in his decision to drop the atomic bombs in Japan. Truman faced many pros and cons of his decision, however, the pros outweighed the cons. There were very few alternatives to the extreme, the casualties in the Pacific were growing and the rate the war it would save lives. Although, there were many lives lost Truman made the right decision for his country.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Truman And The Use Of Atomic Bombs

642 Words | 3 Pages

But he had no compelling reason to do so. The bomb provided a promising way to bring about a prompt Japanese surrender without the disadvantages of other alternatives, and in Truman’s mind, its use did not require a lengthy consideration” (Walker pg. 96). After the bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people decided that the bombs were actually required. The people thought that if the bombs weren’t dropped, thousands of American lives would have died while America invaded Japan. The problem with this logic is that many people died in those bombings.

Read More

How Did Truman Use The Atomic Bomb Dbq

301 Words | 2 Pages

As stated in document A, President Truman believed that it was his duty as president to use every weapon available to save American lives. By making the decision to employ atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it successfully brought an end to World War II. Now, while these bombs did ultimately spare thousands of American lives, it did also put an end to about 200,000 lives as shown in document E. Document A stated that Admiral William Leahy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, opposed using the bomb because it killed civilians indiscriminately. He believed that an economic blockade and conventional bombing would convince Japan to surrender. As an opposite end of the spectrum though Truman’s advisor, James Byrnes thought that the use of “the A-bombs would not only cause Japan to surrender, but also impress the Soviet Union, and hopefully stop its expansion” (Doc C).

Read More

Was Truman Justified Dbq Research Paper

636 Words | 3 Pages

On August 6, 1945, the U.S. made history with a fatal blow to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended WWII. To this day there is a controversy on whether the dropping of the atomic bomb, ordered by President Harry S. Truman, was justified or not, but in fact, it was. Thousands of Japanese would perish, but this act would, in turn, saved American lives and end the war. Throughout various battles, the Japanese consistently crossed lines of ethics of warfare, and in an attempt to bring justice and an end to the war Truman put forth a plan to bomb Japan. President Truman warned Japan of the upcoming attack and gave demands, but in the end, the Japanese denied those negotiations which led to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of Dropping Atomic Bombs

310 Words | 2 Pages

Imagine being put in a predicament whereby you have to make a crucial decision, either by dropping bombs to save countless lives or to let the enemy proceed on brutally killing thousands more…What would you do? Quite frankly I feel that the answer is a “no brainer!” Harry Truman’s decision, the president of the US, on dropping atomic bombs upon Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified. Japan was the one who first attacked the American Pearl harbour, and up until this time America was completely neutral during the war.

Read More

Truman Made The Right Decision Dbq

645 Words | 3 Pages

Truman’s decision to bomb Japan was right for many reasons. One piece of evidence that shows Truman made the right decision is when Japan captured our American troops and kept them as prisoners, they beat and starved them and even went as far as executing them, he talks about this in his radio report to the American people. " against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war" (DocF). A second piece of evidence that shows Truman made the right decision is he was just trying to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans. He talks about both of these pieces of evidence in his radio to the American people. "

Read More

Was The Us Justified Dbq Research Paper

776 Words | 4 Pages

Although this atomic bomb appeared to be needed, it was seen to be an immoral instrument of destruction by many. The Nippon Times had stated, “This is not war; this is not even murder, this is pure nihilism. This is a crime against God and humanity which strikes at the very basis of moral existence” (David M., 419). In addition, there was no advantage of hurling the bomb without announcing the possession of it to Japan. Through this announcement, Japan may have been more aware of the true power America had and may have resulted in them surrendering (David M., 421).

Read More

Why We Have Dropped The Atomic Bomb Dbq

985 Words | 4 Pages

So, Truman made the difficult but necessary decision to drop the first atomic bombs. The mass destruction caused the Japanese to realize that they had already lost the war, and they needed to give up. All in all, the action taken by President Harry S. Truman was the right decision because it ended the war and saved American soldiers’

Read More

Three Narratives Of Our Humanity By John W.

1403 Words | 6 Pages

The use of the atomic bomb when strategically compared to a land invasion, in fact prevented the loss of any U.S. soldiers lives, as well as the death of many Japanese citizens. Excerpts from “Three Narratives of our Humanity” by John W, debates whether or not the nuclear bombing was necessary to shock the Japanese into surrender and describes how the Japanese recall the war through a lens of their own victimization. An excerpt claims, “it is argued that the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima was necessary to shock the Japanese to surrender”. This presents a compelling argument supporting the ethicality of the bombings through its logical and strategic worth.

Read More

Hiroshima And Nagasaki Dbq Essay

498 Words | 2 Pages

On August 6th, 1945, The United States bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing many people. The president at the time, President Truman said that he only wanted to use the bomb in military warfare because it would hurt women and children. The bombing at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was morally incorrect because the Japanese were ready to surrender, it was a crime against humanity, and it affected their physical self. The bombing at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was unsuitable because the Japanese were ready to surrender.

Read More

Dbq Essay On Hiroshima And Nagasaki

517 Words | 3 Pages

The deployment of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by President Truman during WWII is a contentious issue still debated today. With an aim to achieve victory over Japan without any further loss of life or military resources, some say that his decision was logical and ultimately successful in accomplishing national goals. However, others regard this act as immoral claiming that such violence could never be justifiable under any circumstance. In support of dropping the atomic bomb, proponents asserted that it was crucial to quickly end the war and avoid further loss of American lives. According to Document 3, Secretary Stimson believed that deploying the bomb was crucial to quickly end the conflict and avoid a land invasion of Japan, which would have caused more American lives to be lost.

Read More

Atomic Bomb Dbq Essay

937 Words | 4 Pages

As Admiral William E. Leahy, who was President Truman’s Chief of Staff explained in Document 2, they had “adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages.” This statement compared the people of the United States as barbaric, making it clear that the events that took place were as uncivilized and not morally modern. The mentioning of the ethical standards raises awareness to the fact that there was indeed a sort of unjust social outcome. In this document it also mentions how Hiroshima was filled with innocent women and children. Another wrongdoing that occurred with the dropping of the atomic bomb as many of the lives taken were not soldiers of war but innocent citizens who lived in Japan.

Read More

Manhattan Project Facts

1144 Words | 5 Pages

After Truman was notified of its success, it was up to him to decide if the nuclear bomb would be used against Japan. The President wrote ,”It is an awful responsibility that has come to us.” and awful it was indeed. President Truman had four options when it came to ending the war: option one was to continue to conventionally bomb Japanese cities; two was to conduct a full-scale invasion of Japan; three was to demonstrate the bomb to Japan in an attempt to scare them into submission; or option four, which was to drop the bomb onto an inhabited city in Japan. As you can see, none of these options were necessarily easy to choose.

Read More

How Does Ww1 Affect The Economy

1095 Words | 5 Pages

World War I, one of the most devastating conflicts in the history of human civilization, brought tremendous damage not only to the military and those on the front-lines, but the home-front the soldiers fought so hard to protect. With massive technological and weapon advancements, old strategy and methods no longer functioned in the conflict. World War I introduced the concept of total war as the conflict affected the total population. The repercussions were felt globally with food shortages, military occupations, civilian deaths, and the loss of many laborers that had left to fight. The disruption of an age of globalization extended past the end of the war.

Read More

Compare And Contrast The Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki

556 Words | 3 Pages

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been controversal for decades. Truman’s decision is correct because Hiroshima still is a symbol of triumph ending a horrendous global conflict. Truman and his advisors were confused about whether they should bomb Hiroshima or not. Also Henry Stimson wanted to warn Japan about the bomb so they could surrenodor. But Truman also affected hundred thousand lives.

Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Bombs

Related Topics

Open Document