Summar
World War II was a global war that perpetrated the greatest struggle for mankind. Many people died, a lot of money was spent and the property was destroyed hence affecting the world’s economy. This brought tremendous changes in almost every country; Japan was among the countries most affected by WWII, due to the atomic bombs released on its cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US (Fox 2007). In this paper let us undertake a critical review of why the United States deployed atomic bombs on Japan.
Overview of World War II
WWII began in 1939 to 1945; by the time it came to an end it is estimated that more than fifty-five million people had died (Chen 2004). A vast number of countries from all continents were involved in this war except Antarctica. The major battlefields included North Africa, Europe, Asia, the Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas (Chen 2004). This war, according to historians began officially on 1st September 1939 when Germany attacked Poland, Denmark, Norway, Luxemburg, Belgium, France and the Netherlands in a span of three months (Chen 2004). Just like in WW I, the US, Great Britain, France, and other forty-seven countries sided with them and were referred to as the allies. Germany, Italy and other minor powers like Finland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovenia were sided on one hand and were referred to as the axis (Chen 2004).
Research findings indicate that economic problem was the primary cause that triggered WWII (Fox 2007). The Axis which comprised Germany, Italy, and Japan had resolved to fight because they felt they were disadvantaged in competing with other nations for business, raw materials, and colonies.
They believed that the US and its allies controlled the majority of the world’s economy and resources; as such the Axis was on a mission to conquer the US and its allies in pursuit of territories to control and obtain a fair share of the world’s resources and markets. This is the reason that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1914 provoking the United States to join the war (Fox 2007). This was the last straw in the camel’s back that made President Roosevelt request congress to pass a declaration of war against Japan. Consequently, this declaration was passed and the war officially began on December 8th, 1941 (Chen 2004). Now, let us explore why the US opted to use atomic bombs in the course of this fight.
Use of Atomic Bombs against Japan
According to the author of one book on this subject, Walker, President Truman felt justified in the use of atomic bombs for various reasons; one, and the major reason was so as to bring a speedy end to this war that was becoming too costly (Walker 1976). In fact, Truman argued in favor of using atomic bombs by saying that “no alternative was more cost-effective efficient, quick, and easier than the use of the atomic bomb” (Walker 1976, 87). The second reason was that the US saw this as an opportunity to justify the effort and expense of building the atomic bomb which meant making use of it (Walker 1976, 87). Either way, the single most important factor that eventually led to opting for the atomic bomb was the cost of war; the intention was to find the best winning strategy that offered the least consequences and the use of the atomic bomb provided the perfect option. The US would later say in its defense that it opted to use the atomic bomb “so as to protect lives of American people” (Morton 2001).
Besides these, there were other reasons that compelled the US to make use of the atomic bombs at its disposal such as the need to assert its superiority in the eyes of other competing forces such as the Soviet Union (Morton 2001). It was thus also an opportunity to show their resolve in adopting harsh measures in dealing with hostile nations and thereby hope to deter other nations that might be tempted to attack it in the future. In any case, the US felt it would have been wasted energy and resources if these bombs could not be used at a time when they were needed most to clinch a crucial win. This fight ended on August 15th, 1945 when the US deployed two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki consequently (Morton 2001).
Bibliography
Chen, P. “World War II Database.” Lava Development, 200. Web.
Fox, J. “Judging Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan”. 2007.
Morton Luis.“ The decision to use atomic bombs”. Web.
Walker, S. Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and Use of the Atomic bomb. Ohio: Greenwood Press, 1976.