Atomic Bomb Decision Essay

One of the most controversial events from World War II (WWII) was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 6, 1945, America dropped the world’s first atomic bomb, code name “Little Boy, over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion resulted in over 90,000 deaths. August 9th, 1945, a second bomb was dropped, code name “Fat Man”, on Nagasaki, instantly killing an estimated 70,000 people. On August 15, Japan surrendered unconditionally. President Truman decision to drop these atomic bombs on these cities changed the course of history and modern warfare. After this pivotal moment begun an arms race to develop the most nuclear bombs between many nations. The decision to drop the atomic bombs over Japanese cities had to involve a lot of pros and cons. This paper will discuss the reason why the bombs were dropped, how historians look back on that decision, how the culture of the time affected that decision, and what, in my opinion, was the deciding factor. “It is an awful responsibility that has

Truman has stated it was the only decision at the time. Given the choice between millions of American lives being lost in a prolonged war or dropping the atomic bomb, some historians agree with Truman’s decision. While the decision was based on a militaristic view, some historians and Truman’s peers at the time agree with his decision. “The longer the war lasted, the more Americans killed." Robert J. Donovan (1977), author of an extensive history of the Truman presidency, Conflict and Crisis. While other historians focus on the what happened after the bombing. The atomic bomb became the first of step, of many, in an arms race between Russia, The United States, and China. During the Cold War there were millions of people living in fear of the next atomic bomb to go off over an inhabited city. Other Historians believe it was a tactic to demonstrate the U.S. might to the rest of the world, specifically