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The Pros And Cons Of The Atomic Bombs

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In 1945 the United States was faced with an extremely difficult decision, this decision would bring a beginning to the “nuclear age” and end world war 2 but was it worth it. The decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan is thought to have been done to prevent the loss of an estimated 200,000 American troops; the bombs were an alternative to occupation/invasion .

The first crucial point to consider is the alternative options available to the United States to achieve victory in the Pacific Theater; the two primary Alternatives were a full-scale invasion of Japan or a Prolonged blockade. Both of these options would have likely resulted in Far higher casualties on both sides and an invasion of Japan would have exposed countless soldiers to brutal Warfare, leading to a catastrophic loss of life.A blockade, while potentially effective, would have inflicted immense suffering on the Japanese population through starvation and disease. The atomic bomb offered a means to swiftly and decisively end the war, ultimately saving lives that would have otherwise been lost in a prolonged conflict.

Next thing you consider is the immediate impact of the atomic bombings on Japanese military and civilian casualties. While it is undeniable that the bombings caused immense destruction and loss …show more content…

The bombings effectively demonstrated the extent of the devastation that could be unleashed, creating a powerful incentive for Nations to seek peaceful resolutions rather than engage in war. then nuclear arms race mutually assured destruction prevented a direct confrontation between the superpowers. In this sense, the atomic bomb can be seen as a spark for the avoidance of large-scale conflicts and the preservation of countless lives in the long

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(source 2)AKA THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WERE AGAINST THE DECISION EVEN THOUGH THEY WANTED THE WAR TO END They wanted a quick end to the war and agreed that the use of the atomic bombs would be an effective method but they believed it was unjustified to do so on Japan.(source 2) Unless the details of the attack were made public and Japan was given an opportunity to surrender, the atomic bomb attack would not be justified. (source 2) The sheer possibility of the use of atomic bombs would be enough to keep Japan at bay.(source 2) “The added material strength which this lead gives to the United States brings with it the obligation of restraint and if we were to violate this obligation our moral position would be weakened in the eyes of the world and in our eyes. ”(source

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The Japanese were ruthless and brutal when it came to their militaristic decisions and motives. Dropping the atomic bomb was our final hope in stopping them from performing further harm. Either way, lives were going to be taken. The question we must ask ourselves is whether we wanted those lives to be those of Americans or the Japanese. President Truman had to make a vital decision, and using nuclear warfare was the only way to stop Japan without killing American soldiers.

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Afterwards, the United States declared war on Japan, and joined allies against the axis powers. The United States’ use of the atomic bombs is justified because it saved American lives; Japan was given fair warning, and their aggressions towards the U.S. The atomic bombs on Japan saved many American lives. Document 15 reads: The entire population of Japan is

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Japan had noticed they were unprepared for the United States’ firepower. The battle that led the U.S. to control the war with Japan was the Battle of the Midway. In the Battle of the Midway, Japan had lost most of their main navy forces, allowing the United States to obtain complete ownership of the skies in the remainder of the war. Although the Japanese army would not surrender and more troops started sacrificing their own life to kill many others, also known as kamikazes, this represents that the Japanese army were already weak and they could not fight a strategic war. Because Japan was already on verge of complete defeat, the atomic bomb was obviously not needed to win the war.

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From these people's perspective, using the atomic bombs was a wise choice since it has protected many lives, families, and values. As Document 7 stated, a part of the population believed that there wouldn't have been an end to the war against Japan without the use of the atomic bombs, as the Japanese were persistent and would strive to win. According to Document 7, it states, “The Japanese refused to surrender,, fighting to almost the last man in every battle, committing mass suicide on Saipan, and unleashing suicide attacks at Okinawa.” This demonstrates that without the atomic bomb, there would’ve been more deaths on both sides as the war would’ve been dragged even further. Another reason why some were convinced that the atomic bomb was the right choice was because the Japanese were not

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They had the choice to save their people from the destructive consequences of battle, but instead they chose to keep fighting a war they had already lost (Doc. I). The Japanese refused the ultimatum because Hirohito “resisted facing reality and never acted resolutely”(OI/ history.com). In other words, the Japanese government wasn't facing the facts, and wished to continue in a war that would largely damage their cities, population, and any hope of being successful. Instead, they went on with fighting, which ended with them losing two of their major cities and an increased number of civilian casualties. As you can see, the decision to drop the atomic bombs was justified due to the fact that the Japanese weren't going to stop, so we needed to end

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“Dropping the atomic bombs on Japan saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers and some believed it was the only way to end the war quickly.” in Dropping the A-Bomb Saved Lives. As a result of dropping the bomb Japan lost lives of soldiers, civilians and land. Japan also lost power in their government because of the bombs, and many business, houses got destroyed and created some tension between the governments. The U.S. only had a few choices since Japan wouldn't surrender the U.S. had to do something.

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It can be seen as a calculated decision with the goal of bringing a sudden end to the war. Through the deliverance of a devastating blow, the bombings were intended to shock Japanese leadership with the overwhelming military might possessed by the United States. The strategic approach aimed to minimize the loss of human life a prolonged war would bring, for both American and Japanese soldiers, including the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. Considering the logical strategy behind the bombings, an argument can be made that it was ethically justifiable in the pursuit of a quick and decisive end to the

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However, this is a weak defence when taking Japan’s imminent defeat and peace efforts, as well as the likelihood of Japan’s surrender before the land invasion, into consideration. Furthermore, the usage of the bombs only accelerated the surrender of an already defeated enemy and resulted in high civilian casualty rates. This, along with the ulterior motives in the bomb’s usage, undermines any kind of justification even further. The usage of the atomic bombs was both highly immoral and militarily unnecessary, and had no function in bringing the war to an

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Imagine the sudden loss of 70,000 lives: 70,000 futures obliterated, 70,000 bodies decimated, and 70,000 families grieving. That was the impact of the bombing of Hiroshima. Similar results happened at Nagasaki. The decision of whether or not the United States should have dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been heavily debated for decades. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima was not a military necessity because there were other options, it was ethically wrong, and the United States was already winning.

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Atomic Bomb Dropping: Right or Wrong? The first usage of atom bombs were during the second world war. The first, a uranium gun-type bomb codenamed “Little Boy,” was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

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In order to end an agonizing war, the Americans felt it necessary to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, as “conventional weapons” were not as effective as needed. Once and for all the Americans hoped to pull the rug under the Japanese and stop them from standing up once more to fight a terrible war. The attack on Pearl Harbor lead to escalating tensions between America and Japan. Finally, the atomic bomb was used to save more lives than it took. Although there is no way to know how many more soldiers would have died if the atomic bombs were not dropped, there most likely would have been millions more lying dead at the end of war.

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Ending the War and Saving Lives: People who defend the use of the atomic bombings argue that they were necessary to bring a quick and decisive end to the war, and that it would stop the need for a possible costly invasion of Japan. It is estimated that an invasion would have resulted in possible millions of additional casualties on both sides. By dropping the bombs, the argument goes, the United States sought to minimize overall loss of life for themselves. Japanese Stubbornness: Supporters of the bombings also say that Japan's refusal to surrender, coupled with their extreme defence of Okinawa and other territories, left the US with no viable alternative than to use the atomic weapons. The Japanese government during the war had a saying of "no surrender" it showed their willingness to sacrifice civilian lives in defence of their country.

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What would be the first thing that would go through your mind if you woke up tomorrow and saw that a nuclear bomb had been dropped on us. Nobody wants to think about what could happen if a nuclear war started today or tomorrow. We know how dangerous nukes are because of the destruction our government inflicted on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, but why was that justifiable? Today, only a simple majority thinks it was “ok” to drop the atom bombs so many years ago, while back in 1945 more than ⅔ of Americans were all for it. The dropping of multiple nukes on Japan was completely necessary because it saved many american lives, quickly ended the war, and it showed the world what a dangerous weapon they are.

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“How, then, to weaken Japan’s will to resist quickly and efficiently without exposing U.S servicemen to unnecessary risks? Atomic weapons seemed to hold the answer” (Atomic Bomb- Justified?). The atomic bombs encouraged Japan to surrender. These bombs made them have a desperate need to end the war.

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