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Atomic Bombing Dbq

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Essay
To what extent were the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki justifiable?
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been controversial. There is much controversy over the issue of whether or not the bombings were necessary to ensure Japanese surrender in the Second World War, on terms satisfactory to the United States of America. Taking Japan’s impending surrender into consideration, the usage of the atomic bombs was militarily unnecessary and immoral. Further, it lead to the extensive loss of civilian life, therefore making these bombings justifiable only to a lesser extent. However, supporters of the bombings generally are of the opinion that they were instrumental in the Japanese surrender. These supporters also believe …show more content…

It provided the tool that finally broke the deadlock between the acceptance of the Allied terms of unconditional surrender and the Japanese government (Source D, Extract 1). Also, it made a land invasion unnecessary (saving many lives, both Japanese and American), and provided Americans with a means to retaliate for Pearl Harbour, whilst also protecting America from further attacks by Japan (Source F). Furthermore, the atomic bombs were supposedly dropped on military bases (Source F). This was done, supposedly, in order to limit loss of life as the intention was to simply illustrate to the Japanese the determination of the Allies to use weapons of mass destruction until the terms of unconditional surrender were accepted (Source A, Extract …show more content…

However, this is a weak defence when taking Japan’s imminent defeat and peace efforts, as well as the likelihood of Japan’s surrender before the land invasion, into consideration. Furthermore, the usage of the bombs only accelerated the surrender of an already defeated enemy and resulted in high civilian casualty rates. This, along with the ulterior motives in the bomb’s usage, undermines any kind of justification even further. The usage of the atomic bombs was both highly immoral and militarily unnecessary, and had no function in bringing the war to an

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