The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
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One of the most significant events of the modern world has been the use of nuclear weapons in warfare. Since the dropping of two small atomic devices on Japan in August, 1945, global society, international relations, warfare, science, and philosophy have been impacted. Additionally, human culture has never been quite the same. Although there are numerous perspectives from which one could address the issues surrounding the Allied bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this paper will concentrate on the decision making process and alternatives available prior to August 1945. It will begin with an overview of the background to the bombing and the Manhattan Project itself. Alternatives will then be examined, including invasion, inducement, and the shock value of atomic weapons. The paper will then analyze the policy constraints of the decision based on relations with the Soviet Union, whether the Pacific war could have ended earlier, and the ethical considerations surrounding the decision to drop the bombs. Finally, the paper will conclude with an assessment of the decision, as well as comment on the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in modern thought. Even today, the city of Hiroshima stands as a memorial to the August 6, 1945 event. At 8:15 am, the pikadon shobai (flash bang business) occurred. Forty five years later, visitors to Hiroshima find that the city is a center of peace activity. The center of that activity is a park, known as Hiroshima Peace Park, built upon t
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e main islands, was thus planned, with a frontal assault by Air and Navy forces, and a mass invasion by combined Army and Marine personnel. Using the military to invade Japan, however, had several side effects. Japan would have to be beaten into surrender, and the combined losses from an initial assault on the main islands were estimated to be a possible 500,000. In addition, General George Marshall, recalled:
One of the things that appalled me was the cost in casualties of an invasion. . . To get to the plains would have been a very costly operation in lives. We knew the Japanese were determined and fanatical like the Morros and we would have to exterminate them, almost man by man. So we thought the bomb would be a wonderful weapon as a protection and preparation for landings. But we didn't realize its value to give the Japanese such a shock that they could surrender without loss of face (Feis, 1966, p. 11).
Invasion also assumed that the Soviet Union would honor its agreement and invade from the north. In fact, if any invasionary force was to be successful, the Soviet part in the operation was vital. Plans for Operation Olympic were still very much in place within the decision making apparatus into the summer months
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Approximate Word count = 3734
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page)
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