Why The War Was Justified

Mass destruction, radioactive contamination, and certain mortality were the United States way of showcasing its barbaric dominance to the entire world. But could these merciless attacks and devastating effects ever truly be justified? War is the aggressive conflict between societies, and should only be fought using military forces against other military forces. In the event of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, “Never before had civilian populations been so ruthlessly targeted.” (Foner, 888). While the bombing of Hiroshima may hold very little justification, the brutal attack on Nagasaki, just 3 days later, lacks any moral substance and cannot be defensible. On December 7, 1941, Japan launched an attack on an American Naval base near
130,000 people were killed immediately. President Harry S. Truman, described the bomb as the “greatest thing in history.” (The Greatest Thing in History, 2). Only 3 days later, Nagasaki was hit with another atomic bomb. Many more men, children, and women perished. Shortly after the horrifying attacks, Japan surrendered. This was the end of WWII. Sadly, it took something so devastating, to bring the war to a close. The United States acted unwarily, which caused the death of thousands of innocent
Was he only looking for a swift way to end the war? Or was the excuse that an invasion would take a large toll on both American and Japanese lives, being used as justification? Either way, the bombing was harsh and inhumane. 130,000 or more innocent lives were taken that day, and many more lives were lost in the years to follow, due to injury and illness. As Admiral William D. Leahy stated, “wars cannot be won by destroying women and children.” (The Greatest Thing in History, 3). Before the Hiroshima bombing, Japan was weak and defeated. They were already near the point of surrender, and negotiations to end war were already taking place. For this reason alone, the bomb in Hiroshima wasn’t justified. There could have been a means to an end without the use of atomic warfare. The actions to follow, showed a complete lack morality and caused many to question the actions of our government. Following the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Truman warned, “expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.” (The Greatest Thing in History, 10). That day, another 60,000 people were heartlessly killed. It was said that this atomic bomb