In The Potsdam Declaration (source A), we demanded that Japan surrender. We explained that we have no ill-will towards Japan, but that, if they did not surrender, the result would be “prompt and utter destruction.” Japan was given a warning and chose to ignore it. Another reason we are justified in dropping the bombs is the lack of Japan’s intention to surrender. In sources C and D we read about how Japan was going to fight until the very end.…
Japan was not surrendering and were taking innocent lives. We could also nuke them for revenge. On December 7, 1941 Japan attacked the U.S.A. at Pearl harbor while we weren't even participating in the war(Doc. A.). It was also a surprise attack so we were not ready for the attack(Doc. A).…
Robert Higgs, author of How U.S. Economic Warfare Provoked Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor, summed it up perfectly in the beginning of the article when it comes to a common American’s knowledge about Pearl Harbor. “Ask a typical American how the United States got into World War II, and he will almost certainly tell you that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the Americans fought back. Ask him why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and he will probably need some time to gather his thoughts.” There is no truly moral reason as to why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, however it is justifiable given the period and situation. Japan was a small, yet powerful Asian nation that did not want to lose what it had established and succumb to European…
Leading up to the United States’ involvement in World War II, Japan exhibited aggressive imperialistic quests throughout Asia. After an attack on an American military base in Hawaii, the United States would enter combat in an attempt to curb the Japanese aggression. World War II consisted of battles mainly against Germany in Europe and Japan in the Pacific, and the Allies heavily relied on the United States to control the Pacific. American involvement in the Pacific eventually disabled Japanese aggression, as President Harry Truman called for the destruction of major Japanese cities via the atomic bomb. Despite an early advantage in the war, Japan was forced to surrender to the Americans, and as a result, the Allies proved victorious in the…
On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped bombs killing thousands of people on Japan, which effectively ended the Second World War. The bombings against Japan were necessary because they had warnings and a chance to surrender, things could have ended up worse, and most of all it protected the lives of the US. Japan didn’t have a direct warning that the US was going to bomb them, but there was a statement encouraging Japan to surrender while the bomb was still being talked about. Japan didn’t surrender. For months we dropped more than 63 million leaflets across Japan, warning them of bombings.…
Teetering to Surrender: A Critical Analysis of “The Shock of the Atomic Bomb and Japan’s Decision to Surrender— A Reconsideration” Individuals see “The Shock of the Atomic Bomb and Japan’s Decision to Surrender— A Reconsideration,” by Sadao Asada, as tedious and boring. Including names of different articles and historians can seem useless and insignificant, however I challenge you to see the strengths within this piece. Asada’s academic article puts entertainment and emotional appeal aside to discuss a different side of the Hiroshima bombing then previously emphasized, due to new information. As a result, Asada’s factual article presents a convincing case: the atomic bombs and Russian pressure were both necessary for Japan to finally surrender,…
The Japanese Fanatical high command made it impossible for the Allies to reach a peaceful solution to the end of the war. The Americans not only sent peace offers to Japan before and after the first Atomic bombing. Both proposals were ignored by the Japanese government. The Japanese were so radicalized that soldiers were forced to commit suicide rather than surrender. Not only did they force their own soldiers to commit suicide, but they also murdered 6,000,000 Chinese, Indonesians, Koreans, Filipinos, Indochinese and American and British…
It was July sixteenth, at 5:29 a.m. A luminous explosion was resounding over the black scorched sand in Los Alamos, Mexico. The dirt screamed death and destruction, warning the world never to take the path of nuclear weapons. This was the testing of an atomic bomb, a model for a bomb that may demolish the innocent souls of those living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The building of the bomb to detonate on Japan is a point of much controversy.…
Japan at War, written by Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook, is a book explaining Japan’s view of World War II. It is a fascinating book that involves excerpts of many different Japanese people detailing their opinions and thoughts on the war. When discussing World War II, many Americans do not learn about what was going on in Japan before, during, or after the war. This book was captivating to read because it informs a different point of view that the reader might not have known about. This essay will analyze how Japan remembered certain events, and how the United States memories of the war differed or even compared to that.…
The use of the Atomic Bomb was both necessary and justified as it immediately ended World War II, solidified the United States as a superpower, and contained the germinating powers of Japan and Russia. The use of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki immediately ended World War II and stopped the continuation of catastrophic and widespread violence in Japan. The Japanese had an audacious outlook on their offense throughout the duration of the war. It was suggested by Admiral William E. Leahy that, “The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender”(Source 2).…
Apparently, the Japanese didn’t think the Hiroshima bomb was a clear enough message and still did not surrender-- this was a major mistake they made. America then, finally dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. 60,000 people died instantly. After the bombing on Nagasaki is when Japan finally got the hint to surrender.…
The Japanese were given a fair warning before the bomb was dropped. In fact, the bomb was the result of the Japanese refusing surrender. The atomic bomb was expected by the Japanese, thus it was not America’s fault that they did not respond correctly. Americans told the Japanese that “[they] should take steps now to cease military resistance. Otherwise, [America] shall resolutely employ this bomb and all our other superior weapons to promptly and forcefully end the war” (“Leaflets dropped on cities in Japan warning civilians about the atomic bomb, dropped August 6, 1945”).…
Decades after the atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Americans still question whether it was a good idea to drop them. One of the reasons the bombs should have been dropped is the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The United States and Japan were at peace until Japan bombed a military base in Hawaii and afterward, president Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. In his well-known infamy speech, FDR stated, “I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.” America and its people saw the bombing as an act of war and in return, they declared war.…
Despite the best efforts of the Japanese Ambassadors and American Secretary during negotiations, it seems the path to war had been set. The Japanese believed East Asia would crumble without their support, that they were the stabilizing force. Even while in talks with the Americans, Japan was preparing their Army and Navy for open hostilities. Undeterred by four years of hardship, they took for granted the support of their people in this endeavor. They posited that their demands were weak and should not be met with opposition and supposed the United States had an ulterior motive in regard to China, a key piece in the negotiations.…
“The hardships and sufferings to which our nation is to be subjected hereafter will certainly be great… However, it is according to the dictates of time and fate for a grand peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is not sufferable” -Emperor Shōwa, “Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War,” August 14,1945 The date is September 2, 1945, the Second World War has finally ended and America officially established itself as a dominating world power that would go on to spread its influence throughout the globe time after time. Although, America's first major impact revolved around one of the largest conflicts in history, WWII, after the defeat of the Axis powers in Europe, it was up the Americans…