Why we dropped the Atomic Bomb Essay -- essays papers

Why we dropped the Atomic Bomb The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945 was a definite turning point in the Pacific War of World War II. Earlier that year, Germany had been defeated and the world then turned its attention to the Pacific war. Most history books state the argument that the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan was necessary to stop the war in order to save thousands of lives of American troops that were planning to invade Japan. "Had the bombs not been employed (so the "wisdom" goes), an enormous number of American troops would have perished in an inevitable amphibious operation against the Japanese mainland."(McManus 1) This paper will demonstrate that Japan was willing to surrender before the bombs were used, and there were other hidden reasons for using the bombs. If you ask a high school graduate what the result of the atomic bombs on Japan was, he or she would most certainly answer the immediate surrender of all Japanese forces. That should be satisfactory enough to not question the issue any further. If you ask the same student wether the Japanese would have surrendered without the bombs, he or she will hesitate and will probably not be able to give an answer. The reason for this is that the history text books at school teach students a black and white fact: the atomic bombs were the only way to make the Japanese surrender. According to Francis E. Kazemek: "most texts focus on abstract facts and figures, offering little discussion of the reality of the bombing."(Kazemek 2) The atomic bomb should not be considered as the only decisive factor for the Japanese surrender, but as the straw that broke the camel's back. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese empire continued to expand rapidly during the first half of 1942. Its empire extended from Manchuria and the Aleutian Islands to the north, New Guinea to the south, Burma to the west and the Marshall Islands to the east. Nevertheless, the tide turned against Japan when Germany was defeated in May 1945 and the Americans took over the Marian Islands in 1944.(Long 1) The Americans needed the Marian Islands as an air base to be able to bomb Japan directly. Winston Churchill wrote in his personal narrative of the Second World War, "The time at last had come to strike at the enemy's homeland."(Churchill 540) Before then, J... ...as with the war in the Pacific. The Japanese were not easy to fight and deal with. The fact that the Japanese wanted to have peace talks before the bombs were used makes it clear that there were different reasons for using the bombs. Ending the war with Japan as soon as possible was important to stop Stalin from claiming territories in the far east. The United States had seen what Stalin was doing in Europe, and did not want Stalin any stronger. The fact that the bomb had been successfully tested, and had cost the United States billions compelled the President to use it. The racist feelings towards the Japanese the decision to drop the bombs easier. Nevertheless, many people share what Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbet, pilot of the Enola Gay, had to say:"Those of us who gained that victory have nothing to be ashamed of neither do we offer any apology. Some suffered, some died. The million or so of us remaining will die believing that we made the world a better place as a result of our efforts to secure peace that has held for almost 50 years. Many of us believe peace will prevail through the strength and resolve of the United States of America."(Airmen Memorial Museum)