ipl-logo

To What Extent Did Truman Right To Use The Atomic Bomb

1479 Words6 Pages

Was Truman Right to use the Atomic Bomb?
World War II in the Pacific. August, 1945 the United States of America creates an explosion of chaos. What caused that explosion was none other than one of the strongest, newest, and most advanced pieces of war technology to be created yet. The Atomic Bomb. President Truman was right to use the atomic bomb on Japan because it ended World War II in the pacific, saved more lives in the long run, and strategically, caused destruction to Japan that was enough to draw the Japanese to surrender.

To begin, the atomic bomb was seen as a way to shock the Japanese into surrender, according to the short film about the bombing on Hiroshima shown in class. Prior to the large atomic bombing in Hiroshima, there were …show more content…

Morally, Truman’s decision was correct, because he could either invade Japan and lose tens of thousands of American soldiers, or he could drop a bomb and kill tens of thousands of Japanese. While Truman did not want to in any way kill large numbers of people in Japan, he did not want American lives put in jeopardy. Truman wanted to end the war and have Japan surrender in a way that would not cause harm to thousands of people, but in the end, what he is going to care about most as President of the United States is the safety and security of his country, and the lives of its citizens over the enemy in …show more content…

But, if it is looked at closely as to why Truman dropped the atomic bomb, this is a great way to think of what could have happened if the event never took place: If President Truman wouldn’t have chosen to drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan, then he would have lost many lives of American soldiers who would have gone into the invasion of Japan. Ultimately, what Truman decided to do saved more lives than anything, and not just American lives. Reason being is that there would have been a good chance that an invasion of Japan wouldn’t have ended the war, which would have led to continuous fighting, costing the lives of many people fighting in the Pacific. The dropping of the Atomic Bomb eliminated continuous years of war, and in the long run, preserved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. If this idea is examined even further, it is possible that if it weren’t for the Atomic Bomb, the Pacific could still be in war, meaning that World War II could have lasted 72 years longer, including the years prior to the war’s ending in 1945. That is a grand total of 78 years of fighting, and countless lives taken. So, in a way the world is lucky for the decision that President Truman made regarding the dropping of the Atomic Bomb, so many years

Show More
Related

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

Was Truman Justified Dbq Essay

803 Words | 4 Pages

According to President Truman, he states “Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor” (Doc 1). Therefore, dropping the atomic bombs isn’t right because the quote talks about how Truman used the atomic bombs because Japan attacked the U.S. This shows that Truman dropped the atomic bombs as a way of revenge against Japan.

Read More

Truman Justified Dbq

798 Words | 4 Pages

It stopped the fire raids, and the strangling blockade; it ended the ghastly specter of a clash of great land armies” (Doc 5). This quote from Henry Stimson explains how the fighting between Japan and America was like no other, the militaries were very powerful and that meant there would be more blood, and more death, and the use of the Atomic bomb was the least horrific outcome to the war. Secondly, the use of the atomic bomb saved many lives on both sides of the war, and that is another example of why Truman’s decision is justified. The reason President Truman’s decision is justified is because the bomb saved many lives on both sides of the war, even though there were innocent deaths, there would have been hundreds of thousands to even millions of deaths on each side of the war, so yes the decision is justified because it ended the chances of dying in war drastically. One piece of evidence from the pilot of the Enola Gay states “I am convinced that we saved more lives than we took.

Read More

How Did Truman's Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb Dbq

719 Words | 3 Pages

The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb is one of the biggest and deadliest controversial turning points in history. America’s president, Truman, decided that on August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb would be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II. President Truman’s choice to drop the bomb on Japan was considered one of the most debatable turning points. The settlement to drop this bomb was a wrong decision because this bomb killed more than 70,000 innocent people with 10,000’s dying later. Also, bombing a country that was going to surrender in a few months would not be necessary, and last but not least, the atomic bomb could give ideas for the world to start nuclear warfare.

Read More

Did Truman Have Enough Justified Reasons In Dropping The Atomic Bomb?

396 Words | 2 Pages

Justification of the Atomic Bomb Did Truman have enough justified reasons in dropping the Atomic bomb to end the war? On April 12 President Roosevelt died, vice president Truman had to take office and was suddenly forced to gain total victory over Japan. He had two options, the first one was to invade Japan with the planned Operation Downfall, he found out about his second option 12 days after he became president, after this weapon was explained in detail Truman immediately began to see the diplomatic implications of the bomb. To end the war the Atomic Bomb over Japan was totally necessary. “In conclusion, I would like to explain why Japanese soldiers do not surrender.

Read More

Truman's Decision To Drop The Atomic Bombs

1889 Words | 8 Pages

Sure, Truman may have realized that he might be able to “put down” the Soviet Union and force the Japanese to surrender, sort of a kill two birds with one stone. However, implying that this was the impelling reason for President Truman wanting to drop the bomb is absurd. Two major pieces of evidence used in this argument are the fact that the Soviet Union’s entry into the war almost certainly pressured the Japanese into surrender, and that General Dwight D. Eisenhower asked Secretary of War Henry L Stimson personally to not drop the bomb while at Potsdam. With the Soviet Union’s entry into the war, it was only likely that Japan would surrender. If they didn’t, that would still lead to Operation Downfall, and that was not an option President Truman wanted.

Read More

Atomic Bomb Justified Dbq

882 Words | 4 Pages

The United States and Japan fought in World War II during 1941 to 1945. Japan planned to expand their land and gain resources- which led them to invade China whom was an ally of the U.S. In result, the United States cut off the supply of oil to Japan. On December 7th 1941, Japan’s air force did a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor because that is where their military base is located.

Read More

How Did Harry Truman Make The Right Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb

378 Words | 2 Pages

Paul Ryan once said, “If we don't make tough decisions today our children are going to have to make much, much tougher decisions tomorrow.” This is relevant to Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb because he had to make a difficult decision that affected many people and their children. Harry Truman made the right decision in dropping the atomic bomb. The atom bomb should have been dropped because it saved millions of American lives. Also, the atomic bomb was an extreme form of revenge for the attack of Pearl Harbor.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of Two Atomic Bombs

601 Words | 3 Pages

Radiation was a big factor in the Japanese cities bombed; many people were burned or at least affected by the radiation from the bombs, “15 - 20 % died from injuries or illness attributed to radiation” (Document 8) people were seriously injured or died later in life from radiation poisoning. The long-term effects of the radiation were leukemia, cancer, and lung problems. Because of the radiation, well after the war had ended people were still very much affected. Imagine if Truman didn't drop the atomic bombs and ended the war, there would be even more suffering from many sources that would have affected even more

Read More

How Did Truman Use The Atomic Bomb

119 Words | 1 Pages

Even though Truman didn 't want to use the atomic bomb on a populated area I think it 's a good idea because that what made them

Read More

Should We Have Dropped The Atomic Bomb Persuasive Essay

852 Words | 4 Pages

In the twentieth century, the United States dropped two atomic bombs, which were the most powerful weapons at that time, on Japan. It happened on August 6 and August 9, 1945. The atomic bombs killed 226,000 Japanese and ended the war. However, America should not have dropped the atomic bombs for two reasons. First, it was not necessary to drop the bomb to win the war militarily or to get the Japanese to surrender.

Read More

Analysis: Was The Atomic Bomb Necessary?

700 Words | 3 Pages

Was the Atomic Bomb Necessary? It was necessary for the United States to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Truman’s decision to do this was because of the american lives, the Pearl Harbor in general, and bringing an end to it all. This all began when Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor and, for precautions, the U.S. Interned Japanese people here in our country.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Hiroshima And Nagasaki

965 Words | 4 Pages

By 1945, those involved in the Second World War were exhausted. There had been millions of casualties, millions were still suffering and countries were in turmoil. After six years of war, those involved were ready for it to be over. By the end of 1944 the Axis had collapsed. Once Germany unconditionally surrendered on May 8, 1945, the Allies were hoping Japan would surrender too.

Read More

Argumentative Essay On Dropping The Atomic Bomb

863 Words | 4 Pages

However, the Japanese were committed to fight to the bitter end of the war and see it all the way through, regardless of the fact that the United States demanded unconditional surrender from the small country of islands. This further emphasizes that since the Japanese were not simply going to give up, Truman came to the conclusion that in order to save millions of lives, he had to take thousands. President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb on Japan to warn the world about the new found power of the United States, force an unconditional surrender of the Japanese, and save millions of lives. With the controversy over whether or not Truman should have dropped the bomb, some consider the decision irrational and unnecessary.

Read More

The Atomic Bomb Argumentative Essay

581 Words | 3 Pages

President Truman was treating people even worst by putting them through the torture of the bomb and the resulting effects of the bomb. Time became a major factor into the decision, and dropping the bomb was a result of that fear. On the other side of the argument, the Japanese did bomb Pearl Harbor which was the catalyst that got America involved in the first place. We as a country should not need to compromise with the nation who started the battle.

Read More

More about To What Extent Did Truman Right To Use The Atomic Bomb

Related Topics

Open Document