Pros And Cons Of Dropping The Atomic Bomb

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On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The bomb was devastating to the city and its residents, amounting to about 130,000 people killed from the blast and the heat. On August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki in Japan. About 35,000 people died, and many survivors suffered radiation poisoning from both bomb and slowly died. These bombs were dropped by the United States by the executive decision of President Harry S. Truman. They were dropped on Japan in hopes of bringing a quick end to World War II and to avoid losing the lives many of American soldiers to the war. However, many historians and people argue that the bombing was not necessary and it was inhumane. I would like to …show more content…

On September 29, 1938, the League of Nations ruled out the intentional bombing of civilians through negligence. Although the rule was passed, the U.S. was not in the League of Nations and technically didn't have to comply to that rule. I would also counter-argue that the bomb was not racially motivated. Sure the Japanese were heavily stereotyped and hated by the Americans, but there is hate in all wars. People were just posting propaganda to boost the incentive to contribute to the war effort. Even if this were true, this still wouldn't be the strongest argument against the bomb. Some people say a demonstration of the atomic bomb would've been enough to convince the Japanese to surrender. Although that is a good point, we already know that Japan did not surrender after the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, so if one bomb didn't make them surrender, then a demonstration would certainly not. After the war in Europe was done, Stalin declared in three months he would declare war on Japan. Bomb opponents argue that we could've waited for the Russians to arrive, but remember that President Truman was presented a "skip button", so why wait for the Russians? One of the largest arguments opposing the bomb is that the atomic bomb was inhumane. Personally, I would agree with them, but if you take it in perspective, the U.S. and the Allies have been through a lot, liberating Nazi occupied countries in Europe and experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust. If you had the option to possibly end the war now, you would do it. Sure hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, but in turn, it save millions of

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