While the United States had significant resources and influence in the West, the country could not have prevented the occurrence of the second world war. The failure of the League of Nations to overcome national egoism and unilateralism (Boel, 2020) led to the outbreak of the War, rendering the organization obsolete. Essentially, the demise of the multilateralism dream marked the fall of international diplomatic attempts to resolve the blistering conflicts among nations. Although the United States could have provided the military power needed for peacekeeping missions, several other prominent superpowers also existed, like Germany. More importantly, diplomatic actions with Japan proved ineffective, forcing the United States to launch counter-attacks in the disreputable Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Similarly, the United States could not contain the actions and progress of Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Even though atomic weapons helped subside enemy troops during World War II, it was indeed a setback for democracy. After the Japanese expansion and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States responded by declaring war on Japan. Subsequently, the United States deployed two atomic bombs, dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to massive destruction of property and loss of lives. Notably, the two bombings also led to a considerable decline in combat motivation, where soldiers’ performance in attacked regions was markedly deteriorating (Adena et al., 2021). While these results led to the demise of enemy Japanese forces, they also prompted contentions against the United States’ role in ensuring global democracy. The narrative of the use of nuclear weapons soon changed from heroic actions of suppressing enemies to public participation in nuclear power decisions.
References
Adena, M., Enikolopov, R., Petrova, M., & Voth, H. J. (2021). Bombs, broadcasts and resistance: Allied intervention and domestic opposition to the Nazi regime during World War II. SSRN 3661643. Web.
Boel, J. (2020). Current affairs: The league of nations: A universal dream that has stood the test of time. The UNESCO Courier, 2020(1), 46-49. Web.