ipl-logo

The Pros And Cons Of The Atomic Bombs

533 Words3 Pages

In August 1945, amidst the closing stages of World War II, the United States made the monumental decision to deploy atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Leading up to that monumental decision, the Pacific and European Theaters of World War II saw fierce battles between Japan and Allied forces, particularly the United States. The conflict was marked by intense fighting, with significant losses on both sides. Specifically, the Battle of Okinawa, fought from April to June 1945, was one of the bloodiest battles. It involved intense ground combat and heavy casualties on both sides. Also, the Soviet Union was continuing to gain power throughout Eastern Europe and the United States began to fear that the Soviets were going to gain more territory in Asia. …show more content…

Despite alternate routes and solutions being available, the United States made the right decision to drop the atomic bombs in Japan because it could save at least half a million American lives, it would bring a swift end to the war, and it would show strength to the Soviet Union. Although controversial, the decision to drop the atomic bombs ultimately served to save American lives. As Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, noted in his memoirs, "I was informed that such operations might be expected to cost over a million casualties, to American forces alone. Estimates on Japanese military and civilians were estimated at four to five times greater" (Document A). This stark reality highlights the immense human cost that would have been incurred had the United States opted for a full-scale invasion of Japan instead. Stimson’s memoir also discusses that in order to create and preserve peace, the complete destruction and surrender of Japan was necessary. This was one of three major reasons why the United States’ decision was the right

Show More
Related
636 Words | 3 Pages

The death of numerous Japanese was the price for an end to the war and the ability to send Allied soldiers home-free. The bombs dropped were a strategic decision made by Truman himself to save lives, “We have used it in order to shorten the agony

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

The United States invasion of Japan led to numerous casualties and severe damage yet Japan stood its ground, proving it would fight to the death. At times violence is the answer; Japan had no intention of surrendering, no matter the consequence. U.S. Secretary of war, Henry Stimson, confirms that “only the complete destruction of her military power could open the way to lasting peace”.(Document B) Each day brought great suffering, and the only logical solution to dealing with millions of suicidal soldiers was to kill off the problem. After the Japanese repeatedly refused to surrender the United States was forced to put its nuclear warfare to use and bomb both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, doing what they believed was their only

Read More
1127 Words | 5 Pages

To conclude, the bombs dropped saved the lives of Americans and Japanese people supporting making the necessary decision by the military to drop the atomic

Read More
1166 Words | 5 Pages

Pearl Harbor; The Deciding Factor of World War II On December 7, 1941 Japan launched the biggest attack ever on U.S. soil at the Un ited States Naval Base in Pearl Harbor. This attack not only killed thousands of our American Troops, sunk our ships, broke our planes, and destroyed our Pearl Harbor Military Base, but also caused the U.S. to enter WWII. This attack brought Americans together as one, as men left to fight the war, and women took over male jobs. Unquestionably, Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor triggered the United States of America to enter World War II, and ultimately cost them the war.

Read More
555 Words | 3 Pages

First off, not disagree with the decisions of the president to drop atomic bombs in Nagasaki, Hiroshima. The reason why I disagree with the atomic weapons that were drawn in japan is because there were thousand of people who were killed, innocent peoples who died in that bomb drops. there were military men who died, but at the same time is was acceptable for united states to fight, and win the war. United states were discomforted the lost thousand of people, including military, 48,000 people from the united states, military, and innocent peoples. It was grave that the united states had thousands of life that are why they proposed the attack besides japan.

Read More
642 Words | 3 Pages

On the clear mornings of August 6 and 9, 1945, the first atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagaski. Gigantic clouds of ominous dark smoke stained the sky, signaling the end of a seemingly incessant war. Americans and Europeans rejoiced throughout the world; many lives were spared from the brutality of continuing the war. Although this was an extremely hard decision to make and the results were devastating, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a military necessity. To begin, America had already seen how ruthless and cruel the Japanese could be.

Read More
985 Words | 4 Pages

had to make to bring the deadly war to a quick end. The first reason for supporting the government's decision was that we needed to end the war quickly. Our decision saved thousands of innocent American lives and stopped the Japanese’s relentless kamikaze attacks. The second reason was that it was justified during the time of war. We were brought into this war, so we were going to end it.

Read More
721 Words | 3 Pages

In the words of past Secretary of War Henry Stimson “But this deliberate, premeditated destruction was our least abhorrent alternative. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to the Japanese war. It stopped the fire raids, and the strangling blockade;” (Document 4). Without these bombs being dropped these smaller but more destructive bombings would have caused many more casualties than both of the atomic bombings put together. In Japanese controlled areas there was an estimated twenty five million deaths from 1937 to 1945.

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

On September 2 1945, World War Two ended. 16 million soldiers left, only 4 million came back. (The Points Were All That Mattered: The US Army’s Demobilization After World War II) The dropping of the atomic bomb protected these numbers so that lives were saved causing more men to return and get reunited with their families. On August 6, 1945 the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and millions of Americans rejoiced knowing they would see their family again.

Read More
696 Words | 3 Pages

In the Pacific Theatre, similar bombing raids were conducted against the major cities in Japan. Operation “Meetinghouse”, conducted on 9-10 March 1945, killed between 90,000

Read More
1761 Words | 8 Pages

The background essay states that, “there was reason to believe that the war could be won without either the atomic bomb or a land invasion. This was because an allied naval blockade had already put a stranglehold on Japan. The Japanese people were facing the prospect of slow starvation.” The US military and government “understood that such an invasion might cost hundreds of thousands of lives,” yet they still chose to go through with the bombing. Anteceding this, the US had “cracked Japan’s diplomatic code and learned that the Japanese had approached the Soviet Union to help negotiate surrender.”

Read More
1112 Words | 5 Pages

However, it is also true that the bombs led to Japan’s surrender, saving countless lives that would have been lost in a land invasion or continued war. Critics may say that Truman’s decision was unnecessary, as Japan was already on the brink of surrender. However, this argument ignores the fact that Japan had not officially surrendered and there was a significant resistance within the Japanese military to surrender. It also fails to consider the potential consequences of a land invasion, which would have been devastating for both American and Japanese forces. In other words, Truman’s decision to drop the bombs was also criticized for its humanitarian consequences.

Read More
1021 Words | 5 Pages

The first test of a Hydrogen bomb also known as a fusion bomb immediately vaporized the island, it was tested on and left a mile wide crater. A Hydrogen fusion bomb is an atomic bomb made from nuclear isotopes of trinitan and deuterium. A neutron is fired at a nuclei and adds to the weight of the bomb, causing a chain reaction of exploding. The effects of a Hydrogen bomb are extensive. History shows this because when the first hydrogen bomb was tested it vaporized the island immediately and left nothing but a crater.

Read More
605 Words | 3 Pages

Seventy-two years after we dropped the first one, the atomic bomb and the choice to drop two of them on Japan is still debated today. Was it a just decision? Could it have been avoided? Was the decision rushed? Was the dropping of the bombs necessary?

Read More
686 Words | 3 Pages

The US had already achieved significant military victories by the summer of 1945, such as the capture of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The British and Americans also had successfully cut off Japanese supply lines, depriving them of food,

Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of The Atomic Bombs

Open Document