Hiroshima: Killing Thousands of People

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Hiroshima: Killing Thousands of People At 8:15 in the morning, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first nuclear weapon ever used in a war. Little Boy was dropped from a B-29 bomber over the Japanese city of Hiroshima1. The blast itself and the radioactive fall out killed around one hundred thousand people and demolished the city. Did the Japanese bring this upon them selves? What was the role of the Japanese civilians in the United States decision to drop the bomb? In actuality, the Japanese citizens had no role in the decision to use the bomb. Historians say, "hindsight is twenty twenty," so now we have a better picture of what really happened, and can also better evaluate the decision to drop the bomb. The most frequently cited reason for the United States dropping the atomic bomb was that the bomb ended the war. Which then saved more American soldiers from dying in combat. This assertion could very well be true, but even if the bomb ended the war does that mean that it was the only thing that would have ended the war? Absolutely not. Many different offensives and approaches could have also ended the war. The goal of the United States was to win the war, and do it with the least number of casualties as possible. If the United States ended the war diplomatically it would be the most life preserving end to the war. The Japanese were almost at the point of surrender. However, they would not unconditionally surrender, because of their emperor's position in their lives. He was seen as a god2. An unconditional surrender by the Japanese would dishonor their emperor and their country. If the United States wanted to keep more people from dying in the war they could have done it without the using the ... ... middle of paper ... ...iroshima: Was It Necessary?" (November 22, 1999) WORKS CITED - Dannen, Gene. "Leo Szilard." . (November 22, 1999) - Katayama, Hiroaki. "The History of A-bomb in Hiroshima." (november 26, 1999) - Long, Doug. "Hiroshima: Was It Necessary?" (November 22, 1999) - Takaki Ronald. "What Scientists Knew and When They Knew It." Technology Review 98 (Aug./Sept. '95) : 55-56. - Tsuruya, Mayu. "Hiroshima Archive." (November 22, 1999) - United States Strategic Bombing Survey. "The Effects of Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki." June 30, 1946.

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