Atomic Bombing Dbq

The atomic bombings during World War II have been a controversial topic since not only after they were used but even before they were used. There are opinions that believe it was a necessary means to end the war, while opinions believe that another alternative means could have been used to end the war. In an article, written by Mark Weber, Weber states detailed reasons and proof to support his reasons that that there was no valid reason for dropping the atomic bombs. The argument presented by Weber is the most convincing concerning the atomic bombings because he gives details that shows that the Japanese were already defeated before the atomic bombs were dropped, the Japanese did not want to completely surrender all things to another county,

and the Japanese were on a mission to find peace once their defeat was inevitable.
According to the article, multiples individuals from different backgrounds, not just the United States, disagreed with the decision to drop the two atomic bombs in Japan.

Weber used many quotes from different people, yet nearly every person who was against the bombing came to the following conclusion: “the Japanese were already defeated” (Weber, Authoritative Voices of Dissent, paragraph 7). These views took into consideration the obstacles that the Japanese had already faced throughout the war. In 1945, the United States military air-raided the town of Tokyo, with nearly 2,000 tons of bombs; eleven weeks later, the United States military performed the same mission, but they used nearly twice as many tons of bombs and explosives than the first air-strike (Weber, A Beaten Country, paragraphs 2-4). These strikes nearly obliterated the capital of Japan, leaving millions of people either homeless or dead. This was a major obstacle that lead to the downfall of Japan because it shows that the Japanese were not as militarily equipped as the Americans. As a country as a whole, they were having to deal with loses of all their belongings such as their homes, due to being caught in the crossfires, their jobs, due to different factories either running out of raw materials or being destroyed in the crossfires and their rations, due to providing more for the soldiers. Therefore, by 1945, it was inevitable their defeat was close at hand, and they were not able to prevent it from

happening. Although the Japanese were willing to surrender, they did not want to surrender the entire country to the Allies.
Japan’s list of terms created to negotiate the end to war was not a considered an “unconditional surrender.” According to Weber, their memorandum was a list of actions that they would completely surrender to the Allies; however, their memorandum lack one major action, which was “… the complete surrender of everything but the person of the Emperor.” They wanted a way to surrender to the United States without having to remove their longest dynasty of rulers.

This restricted surrender came with a price, although it was unknown to the Japanese at the time, which was the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, the Japanese government was insistence on the conditions that they had created: The Allies could have control over all aspect of their country, troops, territory, and war tools, but they could not have control over the Emperor. Because these were the terms that the Japanese has developed to end war, they knew would not be totally acceptable to the

Allies.
The government of Japan searched for other possible alternatives to ending the war without having to result to “unconditional surrender,” Different nations and Japan’s Supreme War Council were the major consultants that the Japanese government looked to in order to find an alternative way to piece; however, neither of these consultants were able to provide Japan with the answer that they wanted, despite their attempts. Every request given to the United States was unsuccessful because the United States wanted “…unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces…” which included the complete control of the Japanese government (Weber, Peace Overtures, paragraph 9). As a result, the two most deadly nuclear attacks in history occurred because no agreement could be made. Weber states that the situation ended in “sad irony” because the United states government understood the why behind the Japanese request, but they ignored it anyway in order to get what they wanted. According to an editorial in the magazine, Commonweal, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki “are names for American guilt and shame” (Weber, Critical Voices, paragraph 4).
Weber provides the reader with a further understanding into why the atomic bombings were unnecessary forms for retaliation. Although there were people during this time that agreed with the decision to use nuclear warfare, their argument did not provide enough evidences to support the why behind the need to use it. This argument has many different opinions and will continue to be a controversial topic for years to come.