The decision to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II is one of the most controversial and morally complex events in human history. On the 6 & 9 of August, 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on these two cities, resulting in the deaths of over 200,000 people that left many lasting scars on the collective morality of humanity. In this essay, I want to find out and examine the various factors and perspectives surrounding the decision, to see if the United States was justified in its use of the atomic weapons against Japan. To understand the decision to drop the atomic bombs, it is important to understand the events leading up to it. By mid-1945, World War II had been going on for over six years, resulting in millions of casualties, destruction and deaths. In the Pacific, the US and its allies were …show more content…
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. An example of this was their kamikaze pilots who were essentially suicide bombers. These pilots would crash their planes into targets sacrificing their life for their country, in Japan this was considered