Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Atomic Bomb

The very first bomb was the Little Boy—dropped on August 6th of 1945—hitting Hiroshima and wiping out almost ninety-percent of the population. Tens of thousands people later died from radiation exposure ("History.com"). This atomic bomb was the start of nuclear warfare between Japan and the United States and showed the world our true power. Truman’s decision to drop both bombs on Japan had as many disadvantages as it did advantages. The second bomb—Fat Man—was dropped only three days later effectively ending World War II. This atomic bomb was much bigger than the Little Boy. Although the second bomb was much bigger, the death toll was not as great; it only stood at about 80,000 ("AtomicBombMuseum.org - After the Bomb"). Although it as bombed, the hills surrounding Nagasaki did a better job containing the blast ("History.com-Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki"). Nagasaki was not the intended target, but it was a great choice to bomb considering it was a port. Once attacked, it lessened the amount of ships that could bring in weapons as well as slow the rate that they could build warships. The disadvantages came in abundance. The first disadvantage is how many lives were lost. Many of lives lost were civilians, children, and the elderly. The numbers grew over the three days of the nuclear
Truman wanted to avoid losing up to a million United States citizens with the continued bombings and a follow up invasion ("AtomicBombMuseum.org - After the Bomb"). Truman made the tough choice of dropping the two atomic bombs in light of ending the war. Because of his choice, many lives were Japanese, Korean, and even American prisoner’s lives that were lost. The Japanese lost their homes, lives, and loved ones. Truman finally got the surrender he needed and effectively ended the war, only after destroying the lives of