...of America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. For years, there have been feuds relating to the justification of the bombing. Was the U.S justified? The United States was justified due to the unprovoked attack and bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which occurred three years prior to the bombing of Hiroshima, it was necessary to stop the war because it saved thousands of American lives. Until then, the fight had never been on United States soil. Innocent men, women and children did not have to worry about being killed on their land until the infamous day: December 7, 1941, the attack of Pearl Harbor. On that day, the Japanese took to the skies with 423 planes, arriving in Pearl Harbor, killing a total of 2,403 and wounding 1178. Hitting 18 U.S ships, it crippled the U.S naval fleet in one day. Little known to the people, the bombing also destroyed 180 fighter jets used in the U.S Air Force. This was an unjustified, barbaric act and dropping the bomb on Hiroshima was justified. The United States was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima due to the unwarned attack on civilians and docked naval ships at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. For example, the bomb displayed the power the U.S wielded when they dropped it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It showed other countries that the United States had weapons, and would use them. This especially threatened the Soviet Union, our current ally, and emerging enemy. The day after the Pearl Harbor bombing, the United States declared...
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...the Japanese. The United States during the time was developing a nuclear weapon, and since the U.S just wanted to stop the war, the U.S bombed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in hopes of Japanese surrender. The U.S had finally succeeded in winning the war and in accomplishing Japanese surrender. Following the use of atomic bombs, many argue whether the use of atomic bombs was justified. Although the atomic bombings during World War II caused geographical devastation and suffering, the use of atomic bombs brought a quick and easy end to World War II and helped in future developments of nuclear weapons. The atomic bombings on Japan during World War I caused great geographical devastation and suffering. Many people after the bombings found their homes collapsed, schools broken, and families torn...
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...Truman’s Decision - Was the bombing of Hiroshima justified or not? It was on the afternoon of 6th August 1945 that an event was believed to change and save the world forever. Harry Truman had made a life changing decision to drop an atomic bomb named “Little Boy” in Japan’s Hiroshima. The result of this weapon ended up in destroying more than 4 square miles of the city. The company who made the bomb was called Enola Gay. The motive behind the doing of this was to threaten Japan and make them surrender in World War 2. It is a fact that this was the first time in history that a nuclear weapon was used. This event is still one of the most important topics in history. It has been debated by an abundance of historians: Was it justified despite 129,000 innocent citizens died? There isn’t a definite answer to this but there were both sides to the story. Bombing was justified It is widely believed that the bombing was brutal and cruel. However, it was the reason that ended World War 2, and if America did not drop the bomb, the losses of soldiers would be even at a larger number than the amount of people who died in the drop of the bomb. It has also been said to save a lot of American’s lives and soldiers. This statement is backed up by the quotation “Fighting would be fierce and the losses heavy.” that was said by Harry S. Truman in 1955. This quote can tell us that during that time he believed that if the war was still going on, it was very likely that the upcoming invasions...
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...The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: History's Great Miscalculation On August 6, 1945, a new step in technological warfare was taken when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The impact of the bomb alone killed at least 66,000 people.1 This was an event that would not soon be forgotten in history. The Americans, who knew the devastating effects of their new weapon, still chose to use it rather than an alternative means to peace. Many people still argue whether or not it was necessary when Japanese surrender was considered to be a matter of time. Historians also dispute whether the campaign was a morally justified objective. This phrase alone brings up many interesting questions. Can killing thousands of innocent people ever be considered "justified"? Considering these circumstances, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not militarily or morally justified. In 1939 Franklin Roosevelt, the President of the United States received a verysignificant letter from the famous physicist, Albert Einstein.2 Contained in this letter were details concerning the importance of nuclear research with regards to gaining the upper hand in the war. Roosevelt agreed and approved $6,000 in initial funding. Many scientists began realizing the importance of nuclear fission and in 1940 The National Defense Research Committee was formed. This group's purpose was to oversee research and provide more funding. Many of the world's best physicists...
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...Atomic Bomb Millions of people already dead and thousands more every day. The citizens beg for the conflict to stop but there is no end in sight. A single option seems to be able to end this conflict for good. In World War 2 the United States dropped the Atomic bomb on Japan in order to make them surrender and end the war. The dropping of the atomic bomb was justified in World War 2 because of Japan’s refusal to surrender, it saved U.S. lives and it demonstrated U.S. power. World War 2 was a dark time for all countries involved and especially the United States. Following the war in Europe ending with the death of Adolf Hitler, the war in the Pacific raged on. The United States were fighting with Japan to avenge the bombing of Pearl Harbor which started World War 2. Pearl Harbor was a surprise bombing of a United States naval base by Japan. It killed thousands of people and destroyed large amounts of naval equipment. As the United States fought Germany in Europe, the conflict with Japan was on the backburner. Now with the war in Europe over, Japan is the main enemy. Japan’s military strategy was known to be very unorthodox. With suicide pilots attacking U.S. ships and their relentless mindset made it a daunting task for the U.S. to overcome. In the mainland the U.S. was holding Japanese Americans in internment camps to isolate them from the rest of society in fear they may be giving information to the Japanese. The United States did not see an invasion of Japan as a viable...
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...Justified or Not? When Harry Truman learned of the success of the Manhattan Project, he knew he would be faced with a tough controversial decision. The ability to end the war with Japan was in his hands, but it would involve unleashing the worst weapon ever known to man. American soldiers and civilians were weary from four years of war, and the Japanese military was refusing to give up their fight. The atomic bomb was key to ending the war, without too many Allied and Japanese casualties. American forces occupied Okinawa and Iwo Jima and were intensely firebombing Japanese cities. But Japan had an army of 2 million strong stationed in the home islands guarding against invasion. For Truman, the choice whether or not to use the atomic bomb was the most difficult decision of his life. First, an Allied demand for an unconditional surrender was made to the leadership in Japan. The Japanese military command rejected the request for unconditional surrender. So on August 6, 1945, a plane named the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. 70,000 Japanese citizens were vaporized. In the time that followed, an additional 100,000 died from burns and radiation sickness. On August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, where 80,000 Japanese people died. On August 14, 1945, the Japanese surrendered. Critics have charged that Truman's decision was “a barbaric act that brought negative long-term consequences to the United States”. Some military analysts insist that...
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...In 1945 the United States of America ended World War II by nuking Japan, which caused a decades-long argument whether or not it was the right decision. In the passages Two Historical Narratives and Document A: Textbook, the ways the Japanese and Americans perceive the bombings are contrasted. By reading the articles, one can see that the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan was justified. Proponents against the atomic bombings of Japan debate that to many people died; however, if the bombings did not take place, more innocent lives would have been lost in warfare. To begin, if the bombs were not dropped, countless more Japanese civilians would have died. The text ,Two Historical Narratives, states; “Japanese battle plans that were in...
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...from Okinawa, Japan and started its flight towards Hiroshima. The bombers mission was to drop an atomic bomb that had been developed by the United States. The name of the bomb that was dropped that day was called the “Little Boy”. When the bomb exploded, nearly seventy thousand people were killed and another estimated seventy thousand were injured. The bomb destroyed everything in the immediate vicinity and fires ravaged across another four miles of the outer area of the city. Three days later another bomber took off with another atomic bomb, its destination was Nagasaki. The bombing of Nagasaki was just as devastating as Hiroshima, thirty thousand people were killed and the city was destroyed. On August 10, 1945 Japan surrendered and the war came to an end. The Bombing of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki was necessary because of two reasons, the United States wanted to show its power to the Soviet Union and also prove that they had nuclear weapons and were willing to use them if deemed necessary to protect the United States. It was...
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...threat, imminent danger, no other alternative and against a greater evil to a community. These are the 4 conditions of supreme emergency that can be used to justify the Hiroshima bombings if it was an act of supreme emergency or just an act of terrorism. A State is the organization which has the monopoly of the use of violence. There are two major forms of this. One is against other states, which we call war. The other is the organized violence against its citizens practiced by almost all States. There is the symbolic kind, the fascist architecture, thought control through propaganda, giant parades and nationalist music. There is also the development of penal and legal institutions which often divides up the population into the free and the imprisoned (Macfarlane 2007). The Hiroshima bombings would come under violence as war, where the U.S. bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan with the acute effects killing 90,000–166,000 people (Rezelman 2000) the reason for the bombings was to end the war the only way they knew could work and after the bombings which was not only Hiroshima the Japanese did surrender where today people would agree that if the bombings didn’t take place many more innocent causalities would have been the outcome. Killing thousands to save millions was a justifiable reason for state violence on Japan, do you...
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...The Manhattan Project Nuclear research all started when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States entered into World War II. When the United States realized that Germany attempted to build an atomic bomb, Americans began to concentrate on their research about creating an atomic bomb more heavily. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Manhattan Project, which included a group of top scientists, under General Leslie R. Groves, who worked around the clock to try to develop an atomic bomb within three years (Bondi 493). The Americans and the British combined their efforts to research the development of the bomb and created plants and factories to work in (“The Atomic Bomb…” 257). They created plants for three separate processes: electromagnetic, gaseous diffusion, and thermal diffusion. These plants helped create the plutonium and uranium 235 needed to manufacture the atomic bomb (Gerdes 142). The secrecy of the Manhattan Project was essential in order to develop the atomic bombs to end World War II. The United States and Great Britain kept the development of the atomic bomb a secret (Bondi 493). In order to keep the secret, Groves spread the work out between laboratories so that the people working on the bomb could not figure out they were manufacturing. The members of the Manhattan Project asked the scientists questions about the bomb, and they gave answers back, but they did not know what the responses were for. The project consisted of so many restrictions...
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...Necessity of the Atomic Bombs in World War II On August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb intended to kill man was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan by the United States of America. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in hopes to force Japan to finally surrender. There is much controversy, even to this day, as to whether to deployment of the first atomic bombs were warranted and absolutely necessary. While the bombings did end the treacherous World War II, they ended up killing over 240,000 people. While Samuel J. Walker, a World War II historian, claims that “The fundamental issue that has divided scholars over a period of nearly four decades is whether the use of the bomb was necessary to achieve victory in the war in the Pacific on terms satisfactory to the United States”, the debate also boils down to other factors, such as the fact that it was part of the total warfare that began in WWII, it was more desirable than invasion, and it actually saved lives but hastily ending the war. Arguments against the bombing of Japan revolve around the inherent morality of the atomic bomb, especially considering Japan’s underdeveloped nuclear advancements and the actual necessity of the Atomic bombs. The two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan were absolutely necessary despite the immorality because of Japan’s refusal to surrender, the bombs ended up saving more lives than it spent, it was part of total warfare, and it was the most efficient...
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...Manhattan Project Research Paper Nuclear research all started when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States entered into World War II. When the United States realized that Germany attempted to build an atomic bomb, Americans began to concentrate on their research about creating an atomic bomb. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Manhattan Project, which included a group of top scientists, under General Leslie R. Groves, who worked around the clock to try to develop an atomic bomb within three years. The Americans and the British combined their efforts to research the development of the bomb and created plants and factories to work in. They created plants for three separate processes: electromagnetic, gaseous diffusion, and thermal diffusion. These plants helped create the plutonium and uranium 235 needed to manufacture the atomic bomb. The secrecy of the Manhattan Project was essential in order to develop the atomic bombs to end World War II. The United States and Great Britain kept the development of the atomic bomb a secret. In order to keep the secret, Groves spread the work out between laboratories so that the people working on the bomb could not figure out they were manufacturing. The members of the Manhattan Project asked the scientists questions about the bomb, and they gave answers back, but they did not know what the responses were for. The project consisted of so many restrictions for the employees in order to keep the secrecy...
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...Justifiable Terrorism in Total Wars Molly Thomson 201311503 Political Science 1000-03 March 18th, 2014 The word ‘terrorism’ instantly makes people shudder; the negative connotations and controversies surrounding terrorism in modern society are enough to spark a discussion of whether it is justifiable or not. In order to determine whether or not terrorism can be justified, a clear definition must be decided upon. Decades before the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, the definition of the word terrorism was hard to define. Political figures around the globe argued and disagreed on what they thought should have determined the act of terrorism. Now, there are multiple different definitions originating from distinct cultures and societies, suggesting that terrorism is in the eye of the victim. One definition of terrorism is “any violent or criminal act planned for a political or ideological purpose”; while another claims that terrorism is understood to be a direct attack on innocents. Since both of these definitions have important components to them, it can be assumed that both traits are essential to defining terrorism. For the purpose of this paper, the definition of terrorism will be understood as ‘a violent attack on innocents for the purpose of political change’. It can be hard for most people to understand the act of injuring and/or killing hundreds, or maybe even tens of thousands of people, as justifiable. However, if the innocents are...
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...most controversial campaigns of the Second World War. It certainly was one of the most costly. By May of 1945, two million tons of bombs had fallen on Germany. Over half a million German civilians had died, and 80,000 Allied airmen had perished as well. Was the bombing strategically or morally justified? In Fire and Fury, Prof. Hansen (Toronto), a specialist in multiculturalism who has investigated the question of German civilian losses in the war and worked to counter Holocaust Denial, examines the American and British approaches to strategic bombing, and finds that the two nations used very different methods, which produced very different results. He also argues that American and British bomber generals proceeded with very different intentions, and that, in moral terms, intentions matter. In general, the British preferred to conduct area raids against urban targets at night, aimed at causing wide scale devastation of German cities. The Americans preferred daylight “precision” raids aimed at targets of military and economic significance. These generalizations had exceptions. The RAF was capable of brilliant precision, and proved this in the raids on the Ruhr dams. The American precision raids could inflict massive collateral damage and casualties on German cities. On a few occasions, the Americans resorted to area bombing, with horrific results. Hansen argues that American precision bombing came close to bringing the Germans to their knees. Attacks against...
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...initiated a project to start the development of the atomic bomb. This project, led by Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist, was code named the Manhattan Project. On August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, by the United States of America. A second bomb was dropped three days by the U.S. later on Nagasaki. Before these devastating events, World War II was drawing to an agonizingly slow close. In the events prior to this bombing, an estimated 2,420,000 Americans and Japanese men were killed. Starting at the unwarranted attack on Pearl Harbour, Japanese soldiers bombed army bases, ships, and anything that would result in the cause of casualties. This was the start of...
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