The Atomic Bomb in World War Two

1304 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: the use of the atomic bomb in World War II

The Atomic Bomb in World War Two In 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the armed forces of the United States and her allies had been at war with Japan. The combined land, sea and air forces of the allied forces fought back against Japan, until only the Japanese homeland remained in Japanese control. On July 26,1941 President Truman issued the Potsdam Declaration,which called for Japan’s unconditional surrender and listed peace terms. The Japanese were warned of the consequences of continued resistance by the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, signed by President Truman, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom with concurrence of Chang Kai-Shek, President of the National Government of China. When Japan rejected the ultimatum the Untied States unleashed the fury of the most powerful destructive force known to man the Atomic Bomb. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not necessary. Atomic science began many centuries ago with ancient philosophers and alchemists experimenting and probing into the nature and structure of matter. Science began emerging when Thales of Miletus, the Ioian Greek in (634-546 BC) described the power of attraction in electricity long before electricity was known. In (460-370 BC) a Greek philosopher named Demoncritus was called the “father of the atom”. Although he had no experimental evidence to support himself, Demoncritus argued that all matter must consist of a number of fundamental pieces. He called these pieces “atoms” from the Greek word “atomon” which means indivisible. In (79 BC), the Roman poet-philosopher Titus Lucretius developed atomic theory. After the fall of the Roman Empire and throughout the middle ages the theory of the atomic view of matter was almost lost. Then ... ... middle of paper ... ... demand the unconditional surrender. If we had offered Japan the same kind of peace treaty, which we gave her we could have had a negotiated peace. We could have communicated with Japan through regular diplomatic channels, and explained to the Japanese that we didn’t want to kill anybody and demonstrated the effects of the bomb. I am positive that if the Japanese and the rest of the world would have witness a nuclear test we wouldn’t have killed hundreds of thousands of people. Bibliography: http://www.atomicarchive.com http://www.nuclearfiles.org http://www.city.hiroshima.jp Garner R. J (1972) Transfer of Radioactive Material from the Terrestrial Environment to Animal and Man. OH: CRC Press Lindee Susan M. (1994) Suffering Made Real Chicago: Chicago Press Fowler Eric B (1965) Radioactive Fallout Soils, Plants, Food and Man NY: Elsevier

Show More
Related

  • Truman's Decision to use the atomic mom

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e forever by the bomb. On the Japanese side they did decline the Potsdam Declaration. Truman gave the Japanese the choice to accept but the declaration. I admired the United States for giving warning.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Atomic Age

    1593 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, it was not the case, the Soviets acknowledged the atomic bomb and wanted to create as many as possible so they could yield the control not only in the Pacific, but in the Eastern Europe. In the words of former US senator from South Carolina, James F. Byrnes, claimed “the bomb provided a unique opportunity to check Soviet control of Eastern Europe and Asia in the postwar years, and he very much wanted to delay or avert the entry of the Soviet Union into the war with Japan” (59). In the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, all the Allied countries, except the Soviets, stood together in preparing for the end of the World War 2. President Truman, learning of the success of the Manhattan project, and understanding that he must make a choice whether to drop the atomic bomb or not turned out to be the most difficult decision to make in his life. They came up with a decision to make Japan “unconditional surrender” (59) but they were afraid the Japan would not step down and refused to give up their fight.

    Read More

  • Atomic Bomb In World War 2

    385 Words  | 1 Pages

    Atomic Bomb in World War 2 During World War II the United States government launched a $2 billion project. This project, known as the Manhattan Project, was an effort to produce an atomic bomb. This project was taken on by a group atomic scientists from all over the world.

    Read More

  • The Devastating Aftermath of Nuclear Detonations

    484 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ultimately, the American Air force dropped not one, but two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing up to 220, 000 people. Immediately following the war, then President, Harry Truman, received harsh criticism for his decision for his controversial decision on using a nuclear weapon on Japan. However, America had warned the opposition to surrender not once or twice, but three times via a leaflet, national declaration and a bomb of necessary means. No matter which way it is viewed, the decision stopped the fighting completely and concluded the War; potentially sparing the lives of millions. Unlike person conflict, war does not have a governing body to enforce rules or laws on a Country. However there can be sanctions or Treaties to defer from conflict, like the Treaty of Versailles devised after World War I. Therefore the many treaties, pacts, embargoes and warnings issued by the Americans- all neglected or declined by Japan- is more than enough caution taken to ultimately justify the actions taken in dropping both bombs. Also, given the extreme circumstances the United States were put under after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the two Nuclear bombs were also justified in the sense that it resulted in the surrender of the

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Pearl Harbor

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    In my personal opinion, after gather as much information as possible, I think that the use of the atomic bomb is impracticable and a waste of time, money, and lives. If I were President of the United States I could have made the decision to not use the Atomic bomb on Japan. Using this weapon would only open the door to more destruction. After dropping this bomb, I don’t think it would have ended the war. It probably would have ended World War II, but I think that it would have created more wars to come. People, most likely Japan, would have wanted revenge and find a way to counterattack. They would try to create a more dangerous destruction weapon that would allow them to retaliate and destroy. I, as President, would have wanted to prevent that. And in the best interest of my country I would have made the decision to keep this nuclear weapon out of war.

    Read More

  • Atomic Bomb Morality

    1771 Words  | 4 Pages

    The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan were ethical decisions made by President Harry Truman and the United States government. By the time of the atom bomb was ready, the U.S. had been engaged in military conflict for over four years and lost over 400,000 soldiers. Truman claimed, "We would have the opportunity to bring the world into a pattern in which the peace of the world and our civilization can be saved" (Winkler 18). The bomb was aimed at ending the war immediately and avoiding prolonged battle in the Pacific Theater and the inevitable invasion of Japan. President Truman hoped that by showing the Japanese the devastating weapon the U.S. possessed, that the war could be brought ...

    Read More

  • The Unjustified Use of Atomic Bombs on Japan

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    Continuing on, the bombing of Japan was also unnecessary due to the unacceptable terms of the Potsdam Declaration. After Germany’s surrender on May 7, 1945, the U.S. created a treaty, called the Potsdam Declaration, with terms of surrender for Japan (Lawton). Among those terms was one which stated, “We call upon the government of Japan to ...

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bomb

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    The decision to drop the atomic bomb was contemplated by officials in the American government for a prolonged period of time. Ultimately the conclusion was that dropping the bombs would be beneficial to America. 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.

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bombs

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    As World War 2, came to a close, The United States unleashed a secret atomic weapon upon the enemy nation of Japan that was quickly recognized as the most powerful wartime weapon in human history. They completely destroyed the entire Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and essentially vaporized countless innocent Japanese lives. Some historians believe that it was a foolish, brutal decision to use the atomic bomb on a weakened Japan, and that the civilians of the country did not deserve that kind of mass-annihilation. On the opposite side, other historians assert that dropping the bomb saved countless American and Japanese lives by ending the war faster than a regular invasion would have. What is undisputed is that this sad event dramatically changed the course of human history.

    Read More

  • Examing the Factors That Led To Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    The potential use of atomic weapons against the Japanese was appealing to the United States because it was seen as a dramatic and decisive way to end the war (Walker, ). Prior to the decision to use nuclear weapons, Japan and the United States were at odds over the terms by which the Japanese would surrender to the Americans, which did nothing but prolong the military conflict (Walker, ). Japanese leadership had expressed its desire to end the war to third parties, but could no...

    Read More

  • Ronald Takakis Hiroshima

    2111 Words  | 5 Pages

    The United States entered WW II immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The U.S. entry was a major turning point in the war because it brought the strongest industrial strength to the Allied side. The Americans helped the Allies to win the war in Europe with the surrender of Germany on May 7, 1945. However, the war in the Pacific continued. The war with Japan at this point consisted primarily of strategic bombings. America had recently completed an atomic bomb and was considering using this weapon of mass destruction for the first time. The goal was to force the “unconditional surrender” of the Japanese. Roosevelt had used the term “unconditional surrender” in a press conference in 1943 and it had since become a central war aim. Truman and his staff (still feeling bound by FDR’s words) demanded unconditional surrender from the Japanese. Consequently on July 26, 1945 Truman issued an ultimatum to Japan. This ultimatum stated that Japan must accept “unconditional surrender” or suffer “utter devastation of the Japanese Homeland”. This surrender included abdication of the throne by their emperor. Japan was not willing to surrender their dynasty and ignored the ultimatum. On August 6th and August 9th, atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively.

    Read More

  • Atomic Bomb Decision

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    One alternative was to showcase the power of the atomic bomb in a non-combat demonstration. The dropping of the atomic bomb on an unpopulated area of Japan with international observers would have shown Japan the power of the bomb and they would probably have surrendered.

    Read More

  • Why the United States dropped the Atomic Bomb

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    The effects of the atomic bomb might not have been the exact effects that the United States was looking for when they dropped Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively (Grant, 1998). The original desire of the United States government when they dropped Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not, in fact, the one more commonly known: that the two nuclear devices dropped upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki were detonated with the intention of bringing an end to the war with Japan, but instead to intimidate the Soviet Union. The fact of Japan's imminent defeat, the undeniable truth that relations with Russia were deteriorating, and competition for the division of Europe prove this without question. Admittedly, dropping the atomic bomb was a major factor in Japan's decision to accept the terms laid out in the Potsdam agreement, otherwise known as unconditional surrender. The fact must be pointed out, however, that Japan had already been virtually defeated.

    Read More

  • Justification Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    ]. They had to weigh carefully the present and future costs and benefits for the American people. They decided to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The choice they made was justifiable.

    Read More

  • Hiroshima And Nagasaki Justified Essay

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Japanese’s stubborn ways and refusal to cooperate were why the United States was forced to drop the two atomic bombs onto the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Read More

More about The Atomic Bomb in World War Two

Open Document