What in your opinion was the short term significance of the use of atomic weapons in 1945? (25) It would be simplistic to argue that the end of the war in the Pacific was the most important short term significance of the use of atomic bombs in 1945 against Japan. While the use of Little Boy prompted the Japanese Emperor’s ‘ordered surrender’ , and claimed the lives of thousands of Japanese civilians, it is my opinion that the bomb sparked the onset of the Cold War. As Eisenhower said ‘Before the atom bomb was used, I would have said, yes, I was sure we could keep the peace with Russia’. , highlighting that he believed without the use of atomic weapons, the Cold War was not an inevitability.
And was the reason behind the decision to drop the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki purely to ‘save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans’? “We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.” One of the biggest arguments in the debate on the necessity of dropping the atomic bombs is the argument that it saved American lives, which would have otherwise been lost in the proposed alternative: a land invasion of Japan. It was necessary to ‘completely destroy Japan’s power to make war’, and the best way to do this, to save American lives, was to drop the bombs. “Operation
With the bomb came advances in technology, the possibility to end millions of lives, and the beginnings of the Cold War. Behind Truman were three important factors that influenced his decision: the scientists who created the bomb, the geopolitics and politicians circling the bomb, and the general military outlook involving the bomb. From each of these key perspectives, the decision is shown to be influenced far more by politics and persons than the battle of Okinawa. To evaluate this claim, the scientists and their influence on the decision must first be examined. 1 Scientist Interventions The U.S’s introduction to the atomic bomb was through the renowned physicist Albert Einstein and
(Rodreyer, Smith) The creation of the bomb was considered by many scientists during the 1930’s and 1940’s. Mainly because It was thought that another force would be creating a mass destructive device similar to what the scientists had in mind. This whole project took a course of several years and much dedication. This project is known as, “The Manhattan Project.” The Manhattan Project was the code name for the U.S. creation of the atomic bomb during World War Two. An atomic bomb is a powerful explosive weapon that derives its force from the sudden release of energy in a nuclear reaction called fission, or splitting, of the nuclei of such heavy elements as plutonium and uranium.
Model Essay Student’s Name Section Number Why the Atomic Bombs Saved Japan. The decision to use nuclear weapons to stop the War in the Pacific by President Harry S. Truman in August, 1945 remains controversial to this day. Most of Truman’s critics, the so-called revisionist historians, argue that Japan wanted to surrender and had already been defeated, making the use of atomic bombs unnecessary. They say the bombs were used mainly to demonstrate America’s power to intimidate the Soviet Union. The historians who support Truman, sometimes called the traditionalists, agree that Japan had been defeated but argue that Japan was not ready to surrender and was, in fact, preparing for one last great battle that would have cost millions of lives.
This was morally acceptable to the Japanese; though the United States saw this as inhumane. The United States goes on to drop the atomic bomb which kills thousands of civilians.It is widely accepted, with some discrepancy, that Truman made this decision to save Japanese and American lives that would be lost in a land invasion. This also was considered morally wrong by other nations. This is where Blackburn’s argument of relativism threatens ethics. What may be seen as ethically acceptable to one region may be seen as a monstrosity to ethics in another.
In order to end the conflict of the World War II, a weapon that surpassed all other conventional weapons of that time would need to be created. In 1939, rumors of Nazi Germany pursuit to manufacture an atomic bomb and insure their victory in the war terrified the scientist that sought refuge in America. It also heightened the urgency for America to create the atomic bomb first. Albert Einstein was the one of those refugee scientists that was alerted to Germany's intent and wrote letters
It can be argued that the Manhattan project was first conceptualized by a group of physicist, which included Italian physicist Leo Szilard, who feared that atomic research performed by Germany could essentially materialize into a weapon of catastrophic power. With this in mind, the visionaries attempted to inform the United States’ President of the possible impending doom; unfortunately their warnings were not headed (Davidson 2010). It wasn’t until Leo Szilard spoke to Albert Einstein, a scientist with celebrity like status and political influence, that a letter was drafted which eventually informed Franklin Roosevelt of the possible threat (Gosling
Many Americans believe that the Japanese deserved to be bombed based on how they had previously treated the United States, which is another reason why it might have been justified. It was also a way for the United States to show the power and knowledge it possessed to the rest of the world. Devastating things came to be because of this monumental moment in history, but the debate is whether or not these horrible things were justified. It’s a matter of Machiavelli’s famous saying; does the end justify the means? For starters, fewer American soldiers and Japanese civilians died.
Although he did approve of the bomb, Roosevelt was unconcerned about actually dropping the bomb on Japan. Instead he supported the idea that since Germany was possibly looking into the same type of destructive weapon, the U.S. needed to advance in the field in order to prevent detrimental attacks against them. He had the Great Depression on his hands as well and was less motivated during his time to destroy Japan to end the war more efficiently. On the other hand, Truman saw his opportunity of bringing the United States to the end of the war in a quick manner by releasing the bombs since Japan had no intentions of taking an easy surrender. To prevent going through an invasion, Truman made a hasty decision to drop the bombs.