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Was The Us Justified Dbq Research Paper

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During the 1940s, America was invested in a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945; World War II. America first entered the war in 1941 and after four years of fighting in the war, it was clear that something needed to be done to end the war. After the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman entered the presidency and it was up to him to oversee the end of the war. Truman, after the government of Japan ignored the demand for surrender at the Potsdam Conference, decided to use the atomic bombs to bring Japan to surrender. This controversial choice by Truman was not supported by everyone and brought America into an indefensible moral position. Despite this opposition, the dropping of the atomic bomb was justified and succeeded in bringing …show more content…

By July 1945, it was clear that Japan had been weakened by violent attacks, but there was no indication of any weakening of their determination to fight. In addition, the total strength of the Japanese Army was estimated to be close to 5,000,000 men, which posed an even greater threat to the United States (Blanche M. Touhill, 452). In order to end the war and bring down this large, determined army, the Potsdam Declaration was created. This ultimatum was designed to “spare the Japanese people from utter destruction”, as said by Truman (Kevin B., 605). This rejection shows that the Japanese army and government were aware of the possible dangers of the continuation of war and their choice to decline to surrender. This declination led to the demonstration of the ultimatum, to which the atomic bomb served as a suitable weapon. This atomic bomb was first introduced to Roosevelt and the American government in 1939 by a letter written by Albert Einstein. This letter warned Roosevelt of the potential creation of bombs through uranium, specifically the potential creation in …show more content…

When America had dropped the atomic bomb, Japan was in a very weakened state. The navy and air force were destroyed, the land had been surrounded by other armies, and the supplies had been cut off (David M., 421). By these observations, it can be concluded that Japan was in a position much weaker than the had been at the start of the war and recognition of defeat could be seen. This defeat, however, was not declared by Japan and they continued to decline to surrender. Their decline to surrender ultimately led the need of the atomic bombs. Although this atomic bomb appeared to be needed, it was seen to be an immoral instrument of destruction by many. The Nippon Times had stated, “This is not war; this is not even murder, this is pure nihilism. This is a crime against God and humanity which strikes at the very basis of moral existence” (David M., 419). In addition, there was no advantage of hurling the bomb without announcing the possession of it to Japan. Through this announcement, Japan may have been more aware of the true power America had and may have resulted in them surrendering (David M., 421). Nonetheless, this power was threatened by the United States in the Potsdam Declaration, which was pushed aside by Japanese officials, ergo defeating the argument against dropping the

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