Hiroshima And Nagasaki Destruction Essay

Destroy, by definition, is to reduce [an object] to a useless state as by rending, burning or dissolving and to injure beyond repair (Dictionary.com) In August of 1945 two B-29 bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The President of the United States at the time, Harry S. Truman made the choice to drop the bombs in hopes of ending WWII. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was dropped on August 6th 1945 and the bomb dropped on Nagasaki was dropped three days following. The bombs greatly impacted the course of the War and the future of the threat of the atomic bomb in wars. It played a part in WWII ending around a month later. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought about the beginning of the era of Mutual Assured Destruction, which means that if two countries that have atomic weapons go to war it is very likely that both countries will be obliterated. The potential for MAD became a reality when the Soviet Union acquired atomic weapons in 1949. To clarify, an atomic bomb is the splitting or fission of the nuclei of a molecule, creating an extremely large and destructive reaction. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic bomb was unnecessarily devastating because Japan was already on the verge of surrendering, they were effectively helpless and it decimated a civilian population.

The bomb caused extreme and excessive damage to the city. It devastated homes, buildings, schools, etc. Nearly all buildings were either damaged or completely destroyed. A total of around 70,000 of 76,000 buildings were affected by the bomb. 48,000 buildings were raised and unrepairable (Tibbots, Paul, Curtis LeMay) It is demonstrated that the bombs caused incredible damage. These statistics do not portray the amount of heirlooms toys and culture that was destroyed as well. This left thousands of people homeless and helpless. It seems the decision was heartless and intentionally cruel therefore making it