The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 was absolutely necessary. Do you agree? Explain your answer.I disagree with the view. The United States of America dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan on August, 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as they believed that it was the only way the war could be stopped to prevent the loss of more innocent lives.
Japan's military forces believed that she should fight to the last man to win negotiated surrender. It was this adamant attitude of the Japanese that made them tough to break down to even surrender. Thus Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan, stating his intention was to bring about a quick resolution of the war by inflicting destruction, and instilling fear of further destruction, to make the Japanese surrender.
Shortly after the dropping of the atomic bombs, Japan surrendered. However Japan would still have surrendered without the aid of the atomic bombs. By June 1945, almost nothing of the once mighty Imperial Navy and air force was left. American war planes flew at will and rained down devastation on Japan's cities. Japan was also left to cope with the problem of inadequate materials while the Allied Forces continued to produce up to 70000 tanks and 12000 aircrafts annually as she continued to be overwhelmed by the Allied forces in terms of manpower, a staggering 140 million fewer troops! She also faced food shortage as most Japanese were subsisting on a sub-starvation diet.
The defeat of Japan was imminent as America's island hopping tactics, opposition from the locals and its Imperial overstretch proved too much for Japan to handle. It was only a matter of time before Japan collapsed even without the use of the atomic bombs but the atomic bombs were still deployed, killing countless civilians and destroying almost all the buildings.
The atomic bomb was used at the time when Japan's navy was sunk, her air force devastated, her homeland surrounded and her supplies cut off and the Allied Forces poised for the final blow. Truman claimed that dropping of the atomic bombs "saved millions of lives" but instead it took the lives on many innocent civillians. Yes, the Japanese Forces were adamant to fight to the end but with the problems they were facing, it was only a matter of time before they would surrender. Hence i conclude that the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan was not necessary.
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