How Did The Second World War Change The World

The Second World War changed the history of the world forever. Super powers emerged and other countries crumbled. Economies changed and new ways of life were becoming present. The United States emerged from the war as a world leader in government, economy and industry. Most credit is deservingly given to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for the success and victory for the United States in the war. But in April of 1945, Roosevelt’s term came to an end with his unexpected death, and the weight of the war was put on Harry Truman.The German Army surrendered only eight days before Truman took office. For the war to come to a close, Truman would have to make vital decisions to bring the surrender of the Japanese. The decision that Truman made is questioned to this day. Were the bombs necessary?
On August 6, 1945, a B-29 Super Fortress by the name of the “ Enola Gay” dropped the first atomic bomb code named “ Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The Staff at History.com stated, “The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people.” The decision was made, and it changed the economy and relations with Japan forever. But was it justified? Truman decided that to avoid invasion and even more young American casualties, the bombs would be dropped. Zachary Keck says in his article, “It’s impossible to know how many people would have perished if allied forces invaded Japan. However, given the stiff resistance U.S. and allied forces faced during the island-hopping campaign of the Pacific War, it would have been many, many times greater than the 200,000+ people that died from the atomic bombings.” So from this perspective, the dropping of the bombs potentially saved more lives than lost