StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Was the US justified in using the Bomb against Japan - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The dilemma rotates around military, ethical, and legal controversies. On July 26th, 1945, Harry S. Truman, the president of the US,…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.2% of users find it useful
Was the US justified in using the Bomb against Japan
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Was the US justified in using the Bomb against Japan"

Download file to see previous pages

The bombing was necessary to prevent massive causalities on either side in the planned invasion since it precipitated the surrender. Japan’s plan was to inflict very heavy losses, which the war-weary Americans would not stand; neither would they negotiate for peace. Had the US continued with the plan to land on Kyushu, they would have suffered horrendous causalities. Pre-inventing causalities approximation anticipated the loss of between 100,000 to 1 million American soldiers, with 5 to 10 million Japanese civilians and military losing their lives ( Chappell 145).

It has been estimated that between 250,000 to 400,000 Asians under Japanese occupation would have lost their lives for every month that the war went on. In this context, the fact remains that the atomic bombing against Nagasaki and Hiroshima resulted to the end of the World War II much sooner than any other alternative that could have been used and in so doing, millions of lives were saved. Given the reason that the Japanese had caused 17 million deaths, it is justifiable that the atomic bombing on Japan was to end the war.

According to President Truman, an atomic bomb was to be used on Japan without a warning. In a radio broadcast following the atomic bombing on the two cities, President Truman announced that he realized the disastrous implication of the atomic bomb, which they had used against those who attacked Americans without caution, at Pearl Harbor. The bomb was to attack those who have beaten and starved and executed American war prisoners against those who deserted all the pretense of abiding by the international warfare law, and it was meant to shorten the misery of young Americans.

The US was to continue using it until they totally destroy Japan’s power of making war. A decision of Japanese surrender was the only move that would have stopped them. The president was well aware of the savage way in which the Japanese waged war in

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Was the US justified in using the Bomb against Japan Essay”, n.d.)
Was the US justified in using the Bomb against Japan Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1594305-was-the-us-justified-in-using-the-bomb-against-japan
(Was the US Justified in Using the Bomb Against Japan Essay)
Was the US Justified in Using the Bomb Against Japan Essay. https://studentshare.org/history/1594305-was-the-us-justified-in-using-the-bomb-against-japan.
“Was the US Justified in Using the Bomb Against Japan Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1594305-was-the-us-justified-in-using-the-bomb-against-japan.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Was the US justified in using the Bomb against Japan

Feasibility Of Atomic Bombings In Hiroshima And Nagasaki

The consequence of using the atomic bomb was the total destruction of the axis.... japan was going all guns and exploiting anything possible and in sight, thereby they had to be controlled.... A warning to Nazis: The atomic bomb on japan was a clear warning to Germany.... japan was going all guns and exploiting anything possible and in sight, thereby they had to be controlled.... A warning to Nazis: The atomic bomb on japan was a clear warning to Germany....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Can the direct targeting of civilians ever be morally justified

Apparently, this area bombing approach taken by the British military against Germany,... he paper will attempt to provide a justification on whether the bombing attacks on civilians can ever be justified morally… The best example would be the Second World War where the percentage of damage faced by the civilians was accounted at a larger extent....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Pearl Harbor: USA Enters WWS and Nuclear war in Japan

Therefore, Admiral Yamamoto designed a surprise attack plan which made the us fleet useless for its defense.... The attack was formed into two waves: the first attack was air at 7:45 am, which destructed all the air and naval craft docked on the harbor and the second was a marine: two hour attack, which destroyed eighteen ships and left the us marine in a fragile state.... Pearl Harbor attack was not sudden or a reaction of persistently declined negotiations by japan, but it was a long term reaction based on numerous historical incidents....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

The United States' use of atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not justified

For those that condone its use, the moral questions are satisfied because, though many thousands were killed or maimed, the bomb saved many more thousands of lives on both sides.... This is not sufficient justification for others who believe the use of the bomb was wrong given any criteria of moral judgment.... Was the use of an atomic bomb the only alternative to secure the surrender of… have allowed the one concession japan requested, to retain its emperor as head of state, and avoided the catastrophic destruction of predominantly civilian inhabited targets? On August 6, 1945 an atomic blast leveled more than half of Hiroshima....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Ethical Systems Dilemma

had not used atomic weapons against japan, the use of ground troops would have been required resulting in up to 500,000 military casualties and an appalling level of civilian destruction (Skates, 1994).... It can be argued that the bombing of the two Japanese cities won the war in the Pacific while it is also arguable that at most it only accelerated japan's defeat, which to a large extent was an unavoidable outcome.... As a counter argument, the supporters of America's decision to use atomic weapons against the Japanese populace contend that while it may be true that japan's defeat was inevitable, if the U....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Why can't we outlaw war

The new century has ushered in the shed of blood such as the attack of Afghanistan and Iraq by the us forces.... japan for instance changed War has existed from the dawn of humankind.... A case in hand was the Second World War, where nuclear bomb was used, and over 70 million people died.... Atomic bomb, which kills many people, destroys property, and has prolonged side effects, has ushered in the era of the nuclear age (Eichensehr and Reisman54)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Can Limited Nuclear Warfare Be an Ethical and Humane Policy for a Government

he term 'limited nuclear war' is ambiguous at best and considered an oxymoron by some who are confused by the concept of combining 'nuclear bomb' and 'limited use' together within the same phrase.... Though the stockpiling of such weapons has been justified by many countries, notably the U....
7 Pages (1750 words) Article

History Of Hiroshima Bombing And Its Impact On The Human

On December 8, 1941, Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill asked the Congress to declare war against japan and in that year, America was at war with three countries; Germany, Italy, and Japan.... John strived to explain one of the horrific and historical attacks made by America in 1945 toward japan.... On December 7, 1941, Japanese forced America into World War II siding allied, and this was after japan attacked its naval fleet at Pearl Harbor....
4 Pages (1000 words) Book Report/Review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us