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. Popular opinion tends to side with the revisionists, but I will argue that Truman made the right decision, not only for the United States but also for Japan; in fact, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved Japan. Revisionists argue that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima after Japan’s armed forces and over sixty of its major cities had been already been destroyed. Moreover, historians such as Howard Zinn argue that Truman knew that the Japanese were trying to surrender but that he ignored them because he wanted to use the Bomb (23). Gar Alperovitz, another revisionist, says that Truman’s main purpose in dropping the bombs was to demonstrate its power in order to intimidate the Russians (127).
Using the bomb pretty much guaranteed that the U.S. would occupy Japan without the Soviets as well as sending a clear message to the Soviets to go slow and careful in Europe and it’s territories. Also, the billions spent on the bomb project was only to be justified by proving the military worth of the Atom Bomb in actual use. In his diary, President Truman stated that he and the Secretary of War, Mr. Stimson were in agreement on the bombing. The targets were to be purely military to save innocent lives. A warning was to be issued to the Japanese government in the hopes that they would surrender before the bomb fell.
Discuss the decision made to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. By August 1945 the Second World War was as its final stages. Only one last victory was need for the Allies in order to win the war, a victory over Japan. Ending the war with Japan during World War 2 was both difficult and problematic for the Americans. The decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had many influential factors effecting the decision.
It is important to United States History as it marks the first time war had been brought to the country’s shores. It ended the belief that the United States was untouchable because of its distance from other worldly powers and it propelled the country into the spotlight as a world power to be reckoned with. In the early morning hours of December 7th 1941 an intelligence report was obtained by United States government officials indicating that an attack on a United States port by the Japanese was imminent. But the information was not passed on to officials at Pearl Harbor until after the attack was already in progress. The attack came in two waves, the first of which consisted of 183 planes and the second of which consisted of 167 additional planes.
The book starts off with a summary and detailed description of the March 9-10th raid over Tokyo. The significance of this raid is of more importance than commonly thought to manifest, for this was an event that enlightened the Japanese of their own ignorance of American potential. Japan was convinced that Tokyo would never be under American attack because they felt powerful after the victories over China and the early victories over the United States. The Doolittle’s Raid was the foundation for proving the Japanese wrong. After the overview of the event is established in the beginning of the chapter, the author proceeds with details to paint a clearer picture of the effects that ensued.
The Allies forced Japan to retreat and go on the offensive. When the Allies captured Guadalcanal in 1943, the Japanese went into full retreat back to Japan. While victories in the Pacific were occurring, the Soviets had defeated the Germans at Stalingrad, and Allied troops were removing the enemy from North Africa. The Allies were winning, but the war was not over. Every Little Bit Helps During the war, Germany occupied many European nations.
earA Rhetorical look at Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation Given by Franklin Delano Roosevelt David Thayer English 112 This speech was in relations to the horrible and reprehensive attack on Midway. It was the start of the Unites States in World War II (WWII). The influence this speech had on the American people was of great importance to the acceptance of our entrance to the war. It showed that by allowing the people to know the gravity of this incident it would get their approval. President Roosevelt used Pathos and Logos to attract the nation to the idea that if we did not act swiftly with force we would get attacked again and many more innocent lives would be taken.
However, the reasons for US involvement in Korea can’t be explained simply by their interests in Japan. The USA was anti-appeasement as appeasement had failed in the past and they had learnt their lesson from World War 2. Kim in North Korea reminded the USA of Hitler, as Hitler could never be appeased and invaded anyway, just like Kim did when North Korea attacked the South. Also, Containment was part of US foreign policy in 1950, where Communism had to be contained to stop it spreading. This was similar to the Domino Theory
The barren island is a strategic location for the American navy and would be the spot of one of the greatest sea battles in which the Americans would force Japan to go on the defensive. The sneak attack prior to Midway at Pearl harbour left Japan as the superior force in the Pacific which helped Japan capture various territories such as Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The victory at the battle of Midway was crucial in turning the tides of the Pacific war and helped pave the way to an American victory. On December 7th, 1941, A Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto attacked a U.S. Pacific fleet located at Pearl Harbour. The aim of the Japanese navy was to cripple the Pacific fleet of the U.S. by targeting the series of battleships at the southern tip of the island.
However, before invading the USSR in 1941, Hitler was convinced Germany can maintain their strength and beat all of its enemies. That year he was proven wrong as he invaded the USSR in 1941, instead of focusing on destroying the Russian army and conquering Moscow before winter, he diverted to other directions which caused significant delays. He re-focused on Moscow only in September, when he realized that winter was too close and it cost him the entire war, as he lost thousands of men. Hitler also knew that Germany's ally Japan was considering attacking either to the North (USSR) or to the South (USA). He didn't try to coordinate his invasion of the Soviet Union with Japan or even inform it.