Atomic Bomb Dbq

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Was the atomic bomb use during WWII justified? Many arguments for both sides exist, and there is no clear right or wrong, as complex ethical choices and factors played large roles in the verdict. For example, several hundred Japanese civilians would be killed, but American POWs were being mistreated, or the dropping would potentially start an arms race, but other major conflicts would take place if nuclear weapons had not been used. Was Truman's decision to drop the bomb right? Truman may or may not have made the right decision, as there are numerous conflicting factors, including the impact of the bomb, reasons for punishment, and potential alternative solutions.

First and foremost, the use of atomic weapons has a large impact on the rest
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Firstly, Document B states, "As we understood it in July, there was a very strong possibility that the Japanese government might choose to resist until the very end." Due to the Japanese culture and mindset of "no surrender," it would have likely been more devastating to continue the war and hold off the bombs in an attempt to not cause a sudden mass killing than to simply end it with a drop. In the same breath, Document F states, "We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans," showing how the weapons were justified, designed to quickly end the suffering happening on both sides, especially Americans. Another, still prominent but less significant factor was the involvement of other countries, shown in Document E: "Truman was concerned that if the Soviets entered the war against Japan, they would then demand land in East Asia." In other words, Truman was concerned that the Soviet Union may have caused further complications had the taken measures not been implemented. Despite many of these claims and rationales being well-grounded, many people believe that the U.S. could have taken different measures to fulfill its intentions.

Alternatively, many surrogate solutions could have been used and evaluated, so as to not cause so much annihilation and trauma. Document C demonstrates this idea, stating,

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