Preview

The United States' Decision to Use Atomic Bombs Against Japan

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2627 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The United States' Decision to Use Atomic Bombs Against Japan
Audrey Ng
Society and History: Making of the Modern World Australia
World War II Research Essay
2013

Question 4:
Discuss the issues surrounding the United States’ decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. What motives were behind this action, and what arguments have been made against it?

“I wonder if I can ever have children in the future.” - Words written from a young girl exposed to radiation from the A-bomb – Nagasaki.
Hiroki Sato and Kentaro Okada. (-). A-Bomb Radiation Sickness, 14 May 2013
<http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/13/national/a-bomb-survivor /#.UZIEcfBArIU.>

During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted the atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 6, 1945, the United States B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb intended for the purposes of attack. Ironically dubbed as ‘Little Boy’, the bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima instantly killing approximately 80,000 people. Three days later, on 9 August, a second bomb, ‘Fat Man’, was descended on Nagasaki killing 40,000 people. Shortly after successfully testing history’s first atomic explosion in New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, the order to drop the atomic bomb on Japan was issued on July 25. The decision to drop these bombs was influenced by the order of US President, at the time, Harry Truman. The two events are the only examples of use of nuclear weapons in war to date and this is because of the horrendous outcome and consequences that were inflicted on Japan, as well as the United States. In the years that the two atomic bombs were dropped, Revisionists have concluded that the use of the weapons had a ‘two-pronged objective’. The Revisionists are the historians attempting to revise common perceptions of history, proposing alternative theories and motives. The first intention was to bring the war with Japan to an end; solely a military purpose. This allowed the United


Bibliography: [ 3 ]. "Pearl Harbor." World War 2 on History. N.p., 2006. Web. 14 May 2013. . [ 4 ]. “J. Robert Oppenheimer.” J. Robert Oppenheimer Quotes. (Author of Atom and Void), (1945). Web. 14 May 2013 [ 5 ] [ 6 ]. "Dropping the Atomic Bomb: Historiography." Dropping the Atomic Bomb: Historiography. Ed. Unknown. N.p., 2009. Web. 14 May 2013. . [ 8 ]. Harrow, L. "World War II: The Manhattan Project." About.com Military History. N.p., 2008. Web. 14 May 2013. . [ 9 ]. A report by the Federal Council of Churches entitled Atomic Warfare and the Christian (1946) [ 10 ]
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Was America Justified In Ww2 Research Paper
    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Was America Justified In Ww2 Research Paper

    In this essay I will discuss the reasons for and against whether America was right to drop the two atomic bombs. These two bombs were unloaded on Hiroshima, 6th August 1945, and attempted to hit Nagasaki, 9th August 1945. America gave the two bombs code names, the one that was dropped on Hiroshima was called ‘Little Boy’. This bomb was made of uranium. The final death toll added up to 135,000. The nuclear bomb that fell on Nagasaki was called ‘Fat Man’. This bomb was made of plutonium. The final death toll was about 70,000. This was because the bomb had missed its allocated target and instead fell into a valley.…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Enola Gay Controversy: A Historian’s Point of View
    • 2317 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The Enola Gay Controversy: A Historian’s Point of View

    On January 30th, 1995 Martian Harwit, the National Air and Space Museum, or NASM, director, announced the cancelation of the exhibit “The Last Act: The Atomic Bob and the End of World War II.” This exhibit was at the center of a yearlong controversy about the Enola Gay, the United States Air Force B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb known under the code name “Little Boy” on the Japanese city Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. This act was known as the act that ended World War II and saved the lives of many American soldiers that otherwise were to invade Japan. Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay sated that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was a “peace keeper…the harbinger of a cold war kept form getting hot.”2 While others believe that it was the beginning of a new holocaust due to it killing over 200,000 people, most of them civilians, not to mention the long term illnesses…

    • 2317 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pros And Cons Of Truman Decisions
    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Pros And Cons Of Truman Decisions

    During World War II, the Japanese and Americans were at war. Japan had an advantage over American military troops with a greater number of troops being put out into the war. On the other hand, American troops and military bases had a technological advantage, which ultimately helped the Americans succeed during the war. President Truman made one of the most difficult decisions in American history. Truman’s decision would kill many Japanese soldiers but would save many of the Americans. An atomic bomb would be the last resort, which would wipe out countless miles of land, military bases, and anyone who was close by. As Truman had to think about the pros and cons of this decision, it was ultimately Truman’s say so in whether to proceed and…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Bergamini's Atomic Diplomacy
    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Bergamini's Atomic Diplomacy

    In addition, Bergamini returns to several of Butow’s traditional arguments to prove his claims. Agreeing with Butow’s statement that the use of the bomb would leave Japan “practically powerless”, Bergamini writes that the atomic bomb lead to Emperor Hirohito’s decision to surrender. Returning to Butow’s claims Bergamini expands the traditionalist perspective by examining the influence that the atomic bomb had on emperor Hirohito’s decision to terminate the war. Providing evidence to his claims, Bergamini writes that while Hirohito believed that Japan could continue the war until the fall of 1945. He affirms the traditional opinion that the atomic bomb motivated the surrender by quoting Hirohito’s remarks to General MacArthur. Citing Hirohito’s statement that the atomic bomb “gave Japan an excuse to surrender”, the author offers historians with an additional account to consider for what motivated Japan’s surrender. Bergamini’s statements advance the traditionalist view of Japan’s motive to surrender by demonstrating Hirohito’s power in starting the war with the United States. Leaving historians to consider the influence of the emperor, the author shows how the atomic bomb moved Hirohito to…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Was The Decision To End Simply Involved In Bombing Japan?
    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Why Was The Decision To End Simply Involved In Bombing Japan?

    On August 6, 1945, citizens of Hiroshima were greeted with a brilliant flash of light, instantly vaporizing seventy-thousand Japanese citizens. This was the atomic bomb Little Boy. Only three days later, the atomic bomb Fat Man fell on Nagasaki, resulting in eighty-thousand deaths. In addition, hundreds of thousands would later perish at the hands of radiations sickness, which was not yet understood at the time. It was then and still is a point of contention between scholars, but, ultimately, President Truman made the right and just decision in bombing Japan.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    After the Bomb Hsc English 2012
    • 2185 Words
    • 9 Pages

    After the Bomb Hsc English 2012

    Particular events have such broad and long-lasting ramifications for our society that they shake the very pillars upon which our world is built. The dropping of the atomic bomb upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki was one such event. The very foundations of our society – traditional philosophical concepts such as totalising metanarratives, absolute truth and the purposefulness and rationality of life – were shaken by contestation fuelled by the uncertainty that was generated by the absolute destructive power of the atomic bomb. The uncertainty generated by this cataclysmic event also gave rise to the aggression, paranoia and irrationality that drove the Cold War – a conflict which rocked the foundations of our world by threatening it’s annihilation in a nuclear apocalypse.…

    • 2185 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Truman's Decision: Necessary Or Justified?
    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Truman's Decision: Necessary Or Justified?

    With Japan’s relentlessness, it was unclear how many more lives would be lost and how many more months the battle would be fought. The use of the atomic bomb on Japan was indeed necessary due to Japan’s unwillingness to surrender, the fear of more American lives being lost, and the prior existence and investment in America’s…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Petition to the President
    • 569 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Petition to the President

    How much different would the world be if the United States would have used atomic bombs against Japan in World War II? The world will never know thanks to physicist and inventor Leó Szilárd. This essay will support Szilard’s views on the use of atomic weapons against Japan in WWII. It will do so by providing examples as well as evidence to support Szilard’s claims.…

    • 569 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Atomic Bomb Pros And Cons
    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Atomic Bomb Pros And Cons

    The atomic bomb dropped on Japan was the correlated decision of the president at the time, Harry Truman, and his chief advisors. While the pros and cons were weighed heavily, it was decided that the least blood shed would be wrought if we shed the most blood on the first strike. On August 6, 1945, the enola gay, a class B-29 heavy bomber, departed from Tinian, an island to the southeast of Japan, carrying a heavy payload which would effectively be the beginning of the end of Japan’s war against the United States. The payload at hand would be called “Little boy”, a Uranium comprised atomic bomb created for the simple purpose of mass destruction. The target of this weapon would be a bridge formed at a junction between two rivers in the downtown…

    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Truth On If The Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki Was Necessary
    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Truth On If The Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki Was Necessary

    In 1947, the United States was put in a difficult position. While the Japanese emperor did not want to lose his position, or lose honor, they could either fight until the last man stands or find another way. With the creation of an atomic bomb becoming more and more feasible, with the help of Mr. Einstein, it seemed like a great idea. But, there were many things they didn’t think about when they jumped to the idea of dropping the bomb; some were Japan’s surrender and the future of the civilians. The bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima was not necessary.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Hiroshima Research Paper
    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hiroshima Research Paper

    On August 6th, 1945, the world was forever changed when the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. The attack was made as an attempt to end World War 2, and it succeeded at a devastating price. John Hersey’s Hiroshima depicts six different accounts of victims of the bomb. The journalistic novel tells how each of the people began their day, how they survived the explosion, the response, and where they were 40 years later. Each account is different, and they all represent the various ways that the bomb hurt the people. These six individual catastrophes illustrate the horrible effects of atomic bombs and how the use of them should not be even considered by any empathetic human being.…

    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hiroshima Outline
    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hiroshima Outline

    A. Restate Thesis: Clearly the atomic bombing of Japan was justified because of the tremendous amount of lives, both Japanese and American, which would have been lost in a conventional invasion. The Japanese fighting style also precipitated the need for drastic measures to be taken to bring…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Hiroshima Bombing Persuasive Essay
    • 1933 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Hiroshima Bombing Persuasive Essay

    One of the most controversial issues of World War II is the debate on whether or not the United States should have used an atomic bomb against the Japanese. People who tend to oppose the use of the atomic bomb tend to ignore, or are ignorant, of the history of Japan during World War II. One factor to consider is the treatment of prisoners of war and civilians in countries that Japan had conquered. Another aspect was the “never surrender” mentality of the Japanese military in the territories they controlled during World War II. The final point is the estimated number of casualties for both sides. Due to these factors, the U.S. should have dropped the bomb on Japan to save lives on both sides.…

    • 1933 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Pros And Cons Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki
    • 6642 Words
    • 27 Pages

    Pros And Cons Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki

    “Hiroshima and Nagasaki became a common place of death, and living became the exception. People’s eyes came out of their sockets and peeled skin hung off their bodies. Many flocked to the rivers looking for water. People no longer looked human. Parents had to abandon their children, children could not rescue their parents, and family members were unable to recognize one another. Victims overflowed out of hospitals and…

    • 6642 Words
    • 27 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Causes And Consequences Of Dropping The Atomic Bomb
    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Causes And Consequences Of Dropping The Atomic Bomb

    On August 6, 1945, over 70,000 people died all at once in the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Then, just three days later on August 9, over 60,000 people died in the city of Nagasaki (Swain, 2006). Many more people died weeks, months, and even years later, and at the end of all of the destruction, almost 200,000 people were left dead (Rossenfeld, n.d.). The causes of all of this were two atomic bombs dropped by the United States. At first glance, it may seem that dropping these two bombs was a terrible and horrific thing to do. However, the use of atomic weaponry was actually a necessity in how well our conflict with Japan played out. Without the bombs, we would have fought longer, and more lives would have been lost. Dropping the atomic bombs on…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics