Hiroshima

Tens of thousands of people died in the explosion, and later, many more people died from radiation exposure. First of all,I personally believe that the United States made the wrong decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima, because the Japanese were ready to surrender. “The Japanese were already defeated and were ready to surrender beca... ... middle of paper ... ...apanese, because they killed about 2,400 people. Secondly, the Americans viewed the Japanese as being “determined not to give in that they were literally prepared to commit suicide”(Source Card 2). Japanese pilots were volunteering themselves to be Kamikazes, or suicide pilots.

A land invasion would result in heavy casualties against on either side. The United States would be facing a different type of enemy as well. The only choice was to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. While some may argue moral and ethical beliefs, they cease to think about who the real victim was and how many lives it saved on either side. On December 7, 1941 Japan surprisingly attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, killing 3,000 Americans.

The American government rationalized dropping the bombs by stating that it would terminate the war with Japan and save a plethora of American lives. America did issue an ultimatum declaring that Japan should cease to resist and in return conditions would be provided for Japan to finish the war with honor. This ultimatum was ignored and the alternative was absolute destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Dollinger) Most officials believed that taking this last step would force Japan’s surrender and shorten the war which would result in a decrease of American casualties. (Barnes) Winston Churchill approximated that one million American lives were preserved by utilizing the atomic bomb.

That is why three days after the first bomb was dropped; another was aimed at Nagasaki killing thousands more. The very next day Japan offered to surrender with one condition, that their “sacred” emperor remained unharmed and on the throne. Normally the Allies insisted on unconditional surrender but were willing to make an exception to save hundred of thousands of lives (Colli... ... middle of paper ... ...e. The decision to produce the atomic weapon was made during a tumultuous and bloody time. Military aggression was coming from all over the world, from Germany, to Japan, to Italy. The war showed no signs of ending any time soon, so the United States decided to take the security and freedom of nations around the world into their own hands.

In August 1945, a uranium-type atomic bomb was dropped by the United States on Hiroshima, Japan, during the final stages of World War II. The following months after the bomb was dropped, many people were killed by burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries. These effects lasted about 4-6 months. Around 90,000 to 166,000 people died either instantaneous or the lasting effects. On August 15th, just days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan announced their surrender to the Allies.

At this site, scientist and laborers were separating U-235 from U-238. Here the Hiroshima bomb was built in huge buildings and the locals could only imagine... ... middle of paper ... ...s. On April 6, 1945 at about 8:15 AM, before air raid alarms could go off, little boy exploded. The temperature was estimated to reach over 1,000,000 degrees Celsius. This bomb initially killed about a hundred thousand people, then injured about the same amount, and that does not include how many it killed after the blast from exposure to the radiation. Two days after the first bomb was dropped the U.S.S.R declared war on Japan.

For example, the night of March 9th, 300 American bombers attacked Tokyo, killing 100,000 residents (Weber, “Was Hiroshima Necessary?”). The bombers dropped nearly 1,700 tons of bombs and burnt out 16 square miles and destroyed a quarter of city infrastructures (Weber, “Was Hiroshima Necessary?”). By July 1945, many Japanese cities were severely damaged from the fire bombings, for example, the cities’ infrastructure had been severely damaged and many civilians had no choice but to endure through starvation. Along with the continuous... ... middle of paper ... ... Apr. 2014. .

Whether or not to drop the atomic bomb was president Truman’s decision, faced with this decision Truman researched and asked advisors to share their ideas about the bomb and then made the best decision for the American and Japanese people. “ In an invasion of Japan,the fighting would have been more savage, and the number of lives lost on both sides would of been tragic.”(O’Neal 35) The Atomic bomb was essential in helping to put and end to the war and saving lives. The decision to drop the atomic bomb was made by President Truman . In his decision he states, “ The only thing that was the right thing to do for the American and Japanese people was to end the war through the use of the atomic bomb.” ( O’Neal 36) Why all the controversy over the bomb? Historians and people today continue to ask this question along with others.

The short term consequences included the imminent obliteration of around one hundred thousand Japanese lives. Because of this President Truman was able to save the many lives of the American people. The long term effects of the Atomic bomb dropping can be measured simply by looking at Japan after the bombs first hit. The passage accurately describes the effect of the bombs by stating “They said that the air raids, more than any other military tactic, had devastated Japan” (). To elaborate more on this Mark Weber(director of the Institute for Historical Review) states, “300 B-29s bombed Tokyo, killing 100,000 people and burning 16 square miles of the city; further raids by U.S. B-29s later in May obliterated 56 square miles of Tokyo (one half the total area of the city).

(Hoare, 1987, 18) When Harry Trum... ... middle of paper ... ...p;    The United States, as well as the Allied forces, saved many lives by dropping the atomic bomb. The dropping of the atomic bomb, even though it killed hundreds of thousands Japanese people, saved more Americans and other Allied soldiers that would have been killed in battle. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki may not have been exciting battles, but they may have been the most important weapons used in World War II. If Japan had not surrendered, more atomic bombs may have been dropped and it would be very significant that the United States had made them. Even though only two were dropped, they killed many Japanese, making the government fearful that more would be dropped if they did not surrender (Conrad, 1982, 20-22).