The Atomic Bomb: Necessary Or Justified?

The fact that the United States decided to drop an atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan shocked many people, including U.S. citizens and the Japanese. The U.S. used a brutal force choosing the atomic bomb, as proven by the thousands of deaths caused. The U.S. knew the extent of damage it was causing by deploying the bomb, and some people still question the motives for such a ruthless choice of weaponry. The atomic bomb, however destructive and questionable, seemed to be the only sure way of ensuring “unconditional surrender.” The U.S. took matters into its own hands to ensure an end to war on its own terms. The atomic bomb was, in fact, “a clear step designated to force Japan’s unconditional surrender;” however, this statement fails …show more content…
The U.S. had much regret when coming out of WWI and was far from ready to engage in yet another war. The U.S. sat back comfortably and maintained a position of neutrality, even while sending supplies to the British military. Not until the U.S. felt the effects of war on a personal level during the attack on Pearl Harbor, did the U.S. even decide to enter WWII. If the U.S. wanted to maintain its position as a rising power, it had to respond to such an attack. At the same time, one must remember that the formation of a United Nations was in the works. In order to accommodate such a large agreement, the U.S. had to compromise and side with nations, particularly the Soviet Union, that it did not necessarily agree with, in order to preserve power. The desire to put a complete stop to Japan’s attacks as well as to maintain a stance of power within the Alliance were both important goals the U.S. had to keep in mind when making the decision to drop the atomic …show more content…
From the beginning of the development of the atomic bomb, the world knew that it would be an unstoppable weapon. It would do nothing short of destroying the indestructible and forcing the unstoppable to stop. Critics argue that the surrender of Japan was already on the way, considering that there had already been multiple debilitating blows to the nation. Thousands of people had already been killed and industries already laid bare. These situations would’ve already made it difficult for the Japanese to continue “to carry on a large-scale war.” (Doc B) The U.S., however, did not just want to make it difficult for the Japanese to continue, but wanted to guarantee a defeat against the nation that violated them the most. Threats of destruction did not cause the Japanese to surrender, so anything short of the atomic bomb may not have worked to cause them to surrender. While the U.S. directed the force at Japan, the U.S. also had in mind the desire to show the entire world the force that it had within its grasp. The U.S. wanted to be seen as a superpower and the atomic bomb was undeniably a power play using such a mighty