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Hiroshima
August 6th, 1945, 70,000 lives were ended in a matter of seconds. The United
States had dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Today many argue over
whether or not the US should have taken such a drastic measure. Was it entirely
necessary that we drop such a devastating weapon? Yes, it was. First, look at what was
going on at the time the decision was made. The U.S had been fighting a massive war
since 1941. Each side continued to fight, and both were determined to win. Obviously,
the best thing that could have possibly have happened would have been to bring the war
to a quick end, with a minimum of casualties. What would have happened had the -bomb
not been used? The most obvious thing is that the war would have continued. U.S forces;
therefore, would have had to invade the home island of Japan. Imagine the number of
casualties that could have occurred if this would have happened Also, our forces would
not only have to fight off the Japanese military, but they would have to defend
themselves against the civilians of Japan as well. It was also a fact that the Japanese
government had been equipping the commoners with any kind of weapon they could get
their hands on. It is true that this could mean a Japanese citizen could have anything from
a gun to a spear, but many unsuspecting soldiers might have fallen victim to a surprise
spear attack! The number of deaths that would have occurred would have been much
greater, and an invasion would have taken a much longer period of time. The Japanese
would have continued to fight the US with all of what they had; spears, guns, knives,
whatever they could get their hands on, just as long as they continued to fight the enemy.
One such novel that displayed the horrors of the atomic bomb is that of HIroshima
by John Hersey. Hersey displays to the reader the true horror of the atomic bomb and it’s
potential devastations. On the morning of August 6, 1945, the people were going about
their normal business oblivious to any possibility of an atomic and nuclear war. However,
the U.S. within minutes destroyed 4.7 square miles of land and killed over 140,000
people. This began to open the eyes of Japan officials and made them realize that the
United States was a superpower and would not be outdone. The road to recovery for
Japan took about 10 years but the memory will remain forever.
The atomic bomb was devastating to many people in many ways. It killed over
140,000 people, destroyed homes, cities, factories, and killed farms due to radiation. In a
sense, the atomic bomb, to the U.S., was a way of emphasizing their size, power, and
determination to remain a superpower.
Most opponents of the bomb say the it was immoral to drop the bomb on such
targets as Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but you cannot deny the fact the major manufacturing
of wartime products was being conducted here. One might also point out the fact,
however brutal this may seem, civilian population centers are also considered fair game
to the military. The moral issue of dropping an atomic bomb is very controversial.
Especially since radiation is a major side effect of such a weapon. On the other hand
though, fire-bombings of other Japanese cities had left other civilians equally scarred. If
one wanted to argue the issue of radiation as a side effect of atomic bombing, they would
have to find a way to argue the side effects of bombing altogether. Is it immoral to use a
bomb? No; it's not very nice, but it's not immoral. These are the kinds of things that
happen in war, however unfortunate they are.
Despite other arguments, the Atomic Bomb was a necessity. Without it, the
number of men that would have died on both sides far surpasses that of the number that
were killed in the droppings of both Atomic Bombs. Let's face it, the goal of waging war
is victory with minimum losses on one's own side, and if possible a minimum amount of
losses on the enemy's side. The Atomic Bomb cut losses to a minimum and drew war to
an end quickly. It was a military necessity.
Word Count: 721
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