Why Did Truman's Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb

The bombs caused survivors to have detrimental psychological ailments which followed them for the rest of their life. Because the atomic bombs were much more powerful that any other bombs dropped before it, the consequences were much more serious and widespread. Many survivors of the attacks describe the aftermath of the bombings as a sight of hell, or even a “nuclear apocalypse” with the flash of the bombs being so bright and the dust covering bodies, both dead and alive (Nicholls, 66). The radius of destruction caused by the barn spanned from the center of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to the the nearby countryside, taking thousands of lives and harming many more. Buildings were decimated, with many thousands of people dying under
Warfare would be forever changed after the introduction of nuclear weaponry and through the United State’s unprecedented newfound power, they would play a major role in the conflicts to come. The atomic bombings introduced an age of nuclear weaponry, and resulted in the increased tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States after the Potsdam Conference, which eventually lead to the Cold War. Had Truman not decided to show Stalin the extents of his country’s power, and been backed by the confidence of this nuclear failsafe at the Potsdam conference, tensions may not have risen to such an all time high in the years to come, however one thing that is for sure is that the destruction caused by these bombs not only heightened international conflicts, but also had detrimental effects to residents who survived the bombings. Even today, Hiroshima and Nagasaki have higher concentrations of radiation and diseases which arose after the bombings continue to ail those who live there. Hiroshima and Nagasaki never truly will always be in the shadow of the atomic bomb, and the decimation of these cities will go on in history as one of Truman’s biggest