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The Decision to Drop the Bomb - Essay Example

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In the paper “The Decision to Drop the Bomb” the author discusses the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was one of the most devastating effects of the Second World War. The atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima killed an estimated 140000 people while the Nagasaki bomb killed 80000…
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The Decision to Drop the Bomb
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The decision to drop the bomb to Japan was considered after Germany surrendered (Studs).Critics also argue that there was an element of racism, why was the bomb drooped on Japan and not Germany, was it because greater precautions were exercised in considering to drop the bomb on Germany which was a "white" nation and less care was taken against Japan as they were "yellow". If America really wanted to use the bomb in Germany then, the Manhattan project would have been accelerated (Edward).The assertion that the USA bombed Japan to end the war wasn't correct but a war gimmick to justify the massacre of innocent civilians asks (Tony).

The USA had to show its rival, the USSR that they were capable of destroying a city completely. To prove to this the bomb had to be tested on human beings. The Japanese squadrons were fighter jets, piloted by Japanese suicide pilots in an effort to fight the Americans. These suicide pilots died in an attempt to bomb American ships and military bases. In this context, it wasn't necessary to bomb Japan as their weapons and military equipment were inferior. By the end of the war, the Japanese were fighting a losing battle.

It did not necessitate the use of such massive force to make them surrender.According to Edwards, the use of the atomic bomb on Japan triggered the start of the cold war, Historians record that the killings of close to 200000 people were to show that Trumann was capable of annihilating a whole town. Supporters of the use of the atomic bomb argue that Japan would not have surrendered, in fact even after dropping the two bombs, the Japanese dint surrender immediately promoting the USA president to make threats that they would drop other bombs.

The emperor wanted to surrender but his general never wanted to (Stimson).According to Stimson, the bombing of Hiroshima was necessary since it was the center for manufacturing military weapons. The decision is viewed as an act to incapacitate the Japanese war factory and also kill all the workers surrounding the factory. But does it warrant the killing of innocent people to attain political goals? The USA could have used other means to defeat Japan other than bombing a city full of civilians.

Critics also argue that if the bomb was meant for warfare why it wasn't dropped near an infantry camp. This was just an act of mass killing by the USA to attain its hidden objectives.The selection of the city to drop the atomic bomb target was accurately determined by the USA soldiers, their main aim was to make its effect very severe. The site to bomb would be an urban area at least 3 miles in diameter and where there would be no air raids. The cites chosen by the Manhattan project were Nagasaki, Kokura and Niigata, and Hiroshima.

Hiroshima was chosen as they were no allied forces prisoner camp there. The target for the bombing was thus on civilians so that the United States could show its allies that they had superior cruel weapons which could annihilate the life of an entire city. Prior to the dropping of the bomb, the Japanese were looking for terms of surrender; however, the USA wanted no terms, no conditions for surrender. Even the emperor's safety wasn't guaranteed. However, after dropping the bombs, these terms, conditions, and emperor safety were guaranteed.

The United States was not justified in using such excessive force on a nation that was just about to surrender (Fink).In conclusion, it was a crime for the USA to have dropped the two bombs, though it resulted at the end of the war. The killing of thousands of innocent Japanese civilians was a barbaric act.

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