Were The Americans Justified In Dropping The Atomic Bomb On Hiroshima In August 1945?
Were the Americans justified in dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima in August 1945?
The United States of American became the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry in warfare, when they dropped the first of two atomic bombs 2000 feet over the city of Hiroshima in japan on August 6th 1945, killing 80000 civilians and militants instantly and eventually leading to the total destruction of up to 90 per cent of the city. This bomb along with a second bomb led to the surrender of japan just days after, ending the Second World War. The reasons behind the bombing causing the surrender of japan and the ethical issues still are widely controversial to this day. Historians have investigated whether the dropping of the atom bomb was necessary and what effect the bombs had on ending the war in the pacific. The government of the United States of America were divided in opinions on how to use this weapon of mass destruction, and its impact on history. However now, the decision for dropping the atom bomb was an extremely complex and connected to a wide array of problems, and many of them simply went beyond the goal of the surrender of japan. Through analysing the many intertwined issues, I personally believe that the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was justified, as it had saved more lives, not just for the allied forces, but also …show more content…
the Japanese people.
One cannot simply overlook the morality of dropping the bomb, the aftereffects of radiation and psychological trauma, still recognised to this day. In Hiroshima alone, approximately 60000 civilians including school children, women, the elderly and militants alike were vaporised, leaving only shadows. Death tolls rose continuously for about two weeks after the bombing due to severe wounds and trauma, with a more accurate death count of 130000. Survivors were forced to deal with extreme radiation burns and doses, leading to a variety of injuries, such as scar formations, sterility, psychosomatic disorders, leukaemia and various others. Even future generations not involved in the war suffered birth defects, simply for being a child from being a Japanese civilian in Hiroshima/Nagasaki.
But was it really necessary to bomb a country whose military was already essentially defeated? The navy, air force and army of japan had essentially been destroyed, as there were very few soldiers and machines. The remaining factories struggled to produce machines, weapons and goods, as there was not enough workers and materials, as there was a naval blockade setup by the U.S, cutting off import of raw materials. Without any direct combat, the U.S could have just starved japan of vital supplies and its economy, forcing a surrender.
Even months before the surrender of japan, the defeat of japan was certain. As Germany was taken out of the war, the full fury of the allies bore down on japan. It was simply a matter of months before the inevitable surrender. Japan had already attempted a peaceful surrender, through neutral countries with reasonable terms, as the top priority of the japanese people is to allow the emperor to remain in place. However America had simply ignored the simple terms and had proceeded with the bombings.
Relations between the United States and the soviet union had deteriorated near the end of the war, as their military control over eastern Europe strengthened, and that the two nations emerged as superpowers which saw each other as a threat and competition, both trying to outdo each other. The development of an atomic weapon was a project both nations had been developing, however the united states was the only successful nation. The Manhattan project was a project aimed which developed the first atomic bomb, which was kept quiet from the soviets, with an estimated $188960400 funded by the government. Using the bomb was justifying the costs of the project, which was not necessary to many people.
The fact the soviet involvement in the pacific was certain, the use of the atom bomb had been partially used as a way to influence the soviets to make concessions, however it could be interpreted as a threat to the soviets, or possibly used for studying the effects of an atom bomb on a city which is undamaged.
Towards the summer of 1945, japan had shown numerous signs of weakness, and that surrender was inevitable, even without the use of the atom bomb, as there were a large amount of alternatives.
As world war two begun, the United States of America had remained in a neutral position, as the congress of the United States had passed a series of neutrality acts , intended for America to remain neutral and to avoid conflict with axis powers. December 7th 1941 was a tragic day in the history of the United States. The intention behind this attack was to cripple America’s pacific fleet, therefore stopping any form of intrusion in Japan’s invasion of pacific islands. Roosevelt gave his speech with the famous words “date that would live in infamy” The citizens of America were torn between whether to enter or stay out of the war, but eventually entered the war and shared a hatred of the Japanese, with the intent for retaliation . Japan had provoked the war between not just the United States of America, but also other invaded numerous other islands/countries.
The Potsdam declaration was a document outlining the terms of surrender for the japan, issued by the U.S president Harry S. Truman, U.K Prime Minister Winston Churchill and chairman of the nationalist government of china Chiang Kai Shek. The entire statement had been for the benefit of the population of the Japanese people, stating they will not be destroying japan as a country, yet simply just reinforcing the democratic tendencies of the people, as the only catch was for the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of japan. Whereas the alternative was japan would face “prompt and utter destruction” . The right choice would save hundreds of thousands of civilians and militants alike, however japan had refused, and therefore the atom bomb was used. Leaflets intended for civilians were dropped on potential targets for the atom bomb, yet the government simply destroyed the leaflets and arrested anyone caught in possession of one. The very government the people work for had been one of the reasons there were so many casualties. Japan did receive a fair warning, yet no action was taken.
The atom bomb was in a way perhaps a retaliatory strike, as the philosophy of justice goes, it was payback for the horrific tactics used by the Japanese while in combat and treating POW’s and civilians. The actions committed by the Japanese were incredibly brutal, and widespread. An example of this atrocity is the development and testing of chemical and biological weapons on humans was incredibly inhumane, which included injections of lethal viruses, which was common in the renowned Unit 731.
As saving lives was one of the main goals, it was a pro for both sides. The samurai code of Bushido was taught to military service men during world war two. It taught that war was purifying and that soldiers should live up to it, as it was a way to fulfil their duty as soldiers including death during battle as it was a duty. This then lead to brutal tactics used as a last resort such as kamikaze attacks, banzai charges, and suicides used on the islands of the pacific and on the ocean. A Banzai attack was an extremely fatal death charge for the Japanese, attempting to kill as many opposing soldiers as possible leading to a massacre on both sides. The kamikaze attacks w were usually carried out by young men, motivated by his dedication to japan. They all believed that they would be helping achieve salvation, and would fly aircraft or drive submarines filled with explosives into allied forces causing maximum damage. Any amphibious landing attempted on the mainland of japan would have seen unprecedented death tolls for both sides.
Approximately one month before the surrender of japan, the Soviet Union had amassed more than one million troops along the north Japanese border, namely Manchuria.
On august 8th, the Soviet Union declared war on japan, and swiftly followed with a quick invasion of the Japanese occupied northeast china. America had a similar operation planned, named operation downfall, with an amphibious landing, it would have led to an enormous losses on both sides, with an approximated 1.2 million casualties just for American soldiers. The use of the atomic bomb on japan had led to a swift surrender, therefore the casualty rate lowered on both
sides.
In conclusion, the dropping of the atom bomb was both a tactically and morally justified decision. It was the Allied military and political planners, who carefully weighed the benefits and losses for humanity, present and future. As the main goal of the atom bomb was to end the war with as few casualties as possible. In hindsight, the costs of the atomic bombings were relatively low, as it had definetly saved more lives than it took.
The United States of American became the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry in warfare, when they dropped the first of two atomic bombs 2000 feet over the city of Hiroshima in japan on August 6th 1945, killing 80000 civilians and militants instantly and eventually leading to the total destruction of up to 90 per cent of the city. This bomb along with a second bomb led to the surrender of japan just days after, ending the Second World War. The reasons behind the bombing causing the surrender of japan and the ethical issues still are widely controversial to this day. Historians have investigated whether the dropping of the atom bomb was necessary and what effect the bombs had on ending the war in the pacific. The government of the United States of America were divided in opinions on how to use this weapon of mass destruction, and its impact on history. However now, the decision for dropping the atom bomb was an extremely complex and connected to a wide array of problems, and many of them simply went beyond the goal of the surrender of japan. Through analysing the many intertwined issues, I personally believe that the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was justified, as it had saved more lives, not just for the allied forces, but also …show more content…
the Japanese people.
One cannot simply overlook the morality of dropping the bomb, the aftereffects of radiation and psychological trauma, still recognised to this day. In Hiroshima alone, approximately 60000 civilians including school children, women, the elderly and militants alike were vaporised, leaving only shadows. Death tolls rose continuously for about two weeks after the bombing due to severe wounds and trauma, with a more accurate death count of 130000. Survivors were forced to deal with extreme radiation burns and doses, leading to a variety of injuries, such as scar formations, sterility, psychosomatic disorders, leukaemia and various others. Even future generations not involved in the war suffered birth defects, simply for being a child from being a Japanese civilian in Hiroshima/Nagasaki.
But was it really necessary to bomb a country whose military was already essentially defeated? The navy, air force and army of japan had essentially been destroyed, as there were very few soldiers and machines. The remaining factories struggled to produce machines, weapons and goods, as there was not enough workers and materials, as there was a naval blockade setup by the U.S, cutting off import of raw materials. Without any direct combat, the U.S could have just starved japan of vital supplies and its economy, forcing a surrender.
Even months before the surrender of japan, the defeat of japan was certain. As Germany was taken out of the war, the full fury of the allies bore down on japan. It was simply a matter of months before the inevitable surrender. Japan had already attempted a peaceful surrender, through neutral countries with reasonable terms, as the top priority of the japanese people is to allow the emperor to remain in place. However America had simply ignored the simple terms and had proceeded with the bombings.
Relations between the United States and the soviet union had deteriorated near the end of the war, as their military control over eastern Europe strengthened, and that the two nations emerged as superpowers which saw each other as a threat and competition, both trying to outdo each other. The development of an atomic weapon was a project both nations had been developing, however the united states was the only successful nation. The Manhattan project was a project aimed which developed the first atomic bomb, which was kept quiet from the soviets, with an estimated $188960400 funded by the government. Using the bomb was justifying the costs of the project, which was not necessary to many people.
The fact the soviet involvement in the pacific was certain, the use of the atom bomb had been partially used as a way to influence the soviets to make concessions, however it could be interpreted as a threat to the soviets, or possibly used for studying the effects of an atom bomb on a city which is undamaged.
Towards the summer of 1945, japan had shown numerous signs of weakness, and that surrender was inevitable, even without the use of the atom bomb, as there were a large amount of alternatives.
As world war two begun, the United States of America had remained in a neutral position, as the congress of the United States had passed a series of neutrality acts , intended for America to remain neutral and to avoid conflict with axis powers. December 7th 1941 was a tragic day in the history of the United States. The intention behind this attack was to cripple America’s pacific fleet, therefore stopping any form of intrusion in Japan’s invasion of pacific islands. Roosevelt gave his speech with the famous words “date that would live in infamy” The citizens of America were torn between whether to enter or stay out of the war, but eventually entered the war and shared a hatred of the Japanese, with the intent for retaliation . Japan had provoked the war between not just the United States of America, but also other invaded numerous other islands/countries.
The Potsdam declaration was a document outlining the terms of surrender for the japan, issued by the U.S president Harry S. Truman, U.K Prime Minister Winston Churchill and chairman of the nationalist government of china Chiang Kai Shek. The entire statement had been for the benefit of the population of the Japanese people, stating they will not be destroying japan as a country, yet simply just reinforcing the democratic tendencies of the people, as the only catch was for the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of japan. Whereas the alternative was japan would face “prompt and utter destruction” . The right choice would save hundreds of thousands of civilians and militants alike, however japan had refused, and therefore the atom bomb was used. Leaflets intended for civilians were dropped on potential targets for the atom bomb, yet the government simply destroyed the leaflets and arrested anyone caught in possession of one. The very government the people work for had been one of the reasons there were so many casualties. Japan did receive a fair warning, yet no action was taken.
The atom bomb was in a way perhaps a retaliatory strike, as the philosophy of justice goes, it was payback for the horrific tactics used by the Japanese while in combat and treating POW’s and civilians. The actions committed by the Japanese were incredibly brutal, and widespread. An example of this atrocity is the development and testing of chemical and biological weapons on humans was incredibly inhumane, which included injections of lethal viruses, which was common in the renowned Unit 731.
As saving lives was one of the main goals, it was a pro for both sides. The samurai code of Bushido was taught to military service men during world war two. It taught that war was purifying and that soldiers should live up to it, as it was a way to fulfil their duty as soldiers including death during battle as it was a duty. This then lead to brutal tactics used as a last resort such as kamikaze attacks, banzai charges, and suicides used on the islands of the pacific and on the ocean. A Banzai attack was an extremely fatal death charge for the Japanese, attempting to kill as many opposing soldiers as possible leading to a massacre on both sides. The kamikaze attacks w were usually carried out by young men, motivated by his dedication to japan. They all believed that they would be helping achieve salvation, and would fly aircraft or drive submarines filled with explosives into allied forces causing maximum damage. Any amphibious landing attempted on the mainland of japan would have seen unprecedented death tolls for both sides.
Approximately one month before the surrender of japan, the Soviet Union had amassed more than one million troops along the north Japanese border, namely Manchuria.
On august 8th, the Soviet Union declared war on japan, and swiftly followed with a quick invasion of the Japanese occupied northeast china. America had a similar operation planned, named operation downfall, with an amphibious landing, it would have led to an enormous losses on both sides, with an approximated 1.2 million casualties just for American soldiers. The use of the atomic bomb on japan had led to a swift surrender, therefore the casualty rate lowered on both
sides.
In conclusion, the dropping of the atom bomb was both a tactically and morally justified decision. It was the Allied military and political planners, who carefully weighed the benefits and losses for humanity, present and future. As the main goal of the atom bomb was to end the war with as few casualties as possible. In hindsight, the costs of the atomic bombings were relatively low, as it had definetly saved more lives than it took.