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The Pros And Cons Of The Atomic Weapon

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Atomic weaponry was a foreign concept to the world in the 1940s, and when the USA unleashed its destructive power upon Japan in 1945, many questions arose about the moral connotations this bomb posed. It’s estimated that the atomic bomb saved 30 million lives Japanese and Allied alike by ending the continued fighting. However, in its wake, 200,000 deaths were caused by the impact at Hiroshima, with many more to follow via its lingering effects. Amid the devastation of WW2, the atomic bomb was seen as one of the few decisions left to end the destruction, despite this, the ethics of it are even now still under fire. Was the terror the bomb brought with it worth the victory or if it should have never been developed? 26th July 1945, the Allies …show more content…

Even with this information at their disposal, Japan held steady with the refusal to surrender. A strong desire to keep fighting burning brighter than ever. Former President Harry Truman wrote in his The Truman Memoirs that “It was their conclusion that no technical demonstration they might propose, such as over a deserted island, would be likely to bring the war to an end. It had to be used against an enemy target”. Truman had been advised by the committee involved with the bombs that not only did they have a limited supply, but that they did not believe a demonstration would be effective and that the firepower needed to be brought to Japan in full force. Additionally, Churchill, the British prime minister, and important American ally had been fighting this war the entirety of his office, watching his country slowly fall under the pressures of war. Thus when faced with a possible solution, supporting the quickest escape from this nightmare …show more content…

The weapon created more damage than it prevented, was a common standpoint of the many thousands who witnessed the damage firsthand. A quote taken from The Nippon Times dated 10th August 1945 gives us a representation of how Japan was reacting to the aftermath of the bomb, “This is not war: this is not even murder; this is purely a crime. This is a crime against God and humanity which strikes at the very basis of a moral existence.” The atrocities the bomb committed were seen as beyond vial to the Japanese people and while they ended the war were considered not worth the horrors it

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