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.
In fact, the debates behind using the atomic bombs against Japan began even before the decision was made. Many of the scientists such as Leo Szilard and Dr. James Franck, who made great contributions towards the creation of the bomb, campaigned against its use. President Truman said “We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Amercicans”. It is completely understandable that President Truman’s aim was always to save the lives as many American people, but was it necessary to do it by dropping the atomic bombs on Japan? 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’?
The attack came in two waves, the first of which consisted of 183 planes and the second of which consisted of 167 additional planes. This surprise attack had been building for some time, ever since the United States imposed sanctions and an embargo against Japan earlier in the year. This was done as an attempt to disrupt Japan’s military action against the rest of Asia, which Japan did not appreciate and so Admiral Yamamoto began planning an attack, which would bring the United States into World War 2 despite its multiple declinations to get involved militarily. “A day which will live in infamy,” a declaration from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, made on
After the Attack on the United States by the Japanese, the citizens of the United States viewed the world differently. Even after Japan concluded that it seemed useless to continue existing diplomatic negotiations just one hour after Japanese air squadrons bombed the American Island of Oahu. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy gave his speech to the nation using ethos, logos, and pathos to convince the nation that going to war with Japan was necessary. ! !
I disagree that the Japanese in WW2 were defeated more because of their weakness rather than the strength of the Allied forces. The Japanese weaknesses included their incapability in managing the empire they took on. The strengths of the allied powers included their intelligent military strategies, an example was the "Island Hopping Strategy of Attack" used by America. Also, the dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had an impact on Japan which caused them to surrender. The term "defeated more" refers to the factor which had the greatest impact on Japan, causing them to be drove to a state of devastation and have no other way than surrender unconditionally.
Was Japanese-American relocation a military necessity? In the 1940s the United States displayed an unconstitutional act of discrimination. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese infiltrated a naval base, instilling fear into the American minds. After the Japanese caught the Americans by surprise in an attack, the American people were lead to believe that the Japanese were tricky, inscrutable, deceitful and treacherous people (Japanese Relocation: A Loaded Weapon). There were reports that some Japanese people were spying and developing a plan to sabotage the West Coast, however none of these claims were ever proven (Powell, page 135).
The United States reaction to the bombing on Pearl Harbor leads to the fall of the Japan Empire, due to the United States involvement with the Doolittle Raid, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and the Atomic Bombs. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told the Joint Chief of Staffs to bomb the Empire of Japan. He wanted the Japan Empire to be bombed as soon as possible to boost patriotism throughout the United States. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle planned and led the attack. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle’s plan to attack the Japan Empire was to use B-25 aircrafts to drop on Japan and then to land in China were there would be Chinese Aircrafts to help guide and refuel the B-25s to the Chongqing Chinese military base.
“Ending the War Against Japan: Science, Morality and the Atomic Bomb” Summary The author of this essay gives three different options to end World War II. Option one states that the United States should make peace with japan. The United States knows that japan is very close to surrendering but has not surrendered because they are afraid that we will put their emperor on trail as a war criminal. The Japanese feel that the emperor is a descendent from the gods and they will do everything to protect him. If the United States is clear that they do not want to make him a criminal but instead a national symbol then maybe the Japanese might agree and surrender.
While Japan wanted to expand in Asia-Pacific and build an Empire. America tried to get Japan out of China to maintain the balance of power. As WWII continued, Japan needed resources like oil, which the US imposed economic sanctions on to halt Japan. This meant Japan felt a war with America was inevitable if they were to achieve their goals in the Pacific. These factors led the Japanese to launch an attack on an American shore in the Pacific, Pearl Harbour.
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii on December 7, 1941 “a date which will live in infamy”. From 8am Pearl Harbour was bombed, although the event lasted just 2 hours, the loss of life and naval vessels was devastating for the Americans. The attack occurred within the time frame of World War Two, and is considered a prominent historical event as it drove the United States, “the world’s most powerful economy” into the war which thereafter had considerable impacts. The causes of the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbour include; Japanese imperialistic tendencies and ambitions, the tripartite axis agreement which encouraged Japan into aggression and the war. Other causes of the bombing of Pearl Harbour consist of the harsh impact the Great Depression (1929-1939) and the freezing of assets and exports from USA on Japan.