American History

The Second World War found lots of confrontation from different organizations due to its inhuman nature that claimed thousands of millions of people. Towards the end of 1945, Japan and United States had become rivals over the use of the resources in China. Japan had invested in the use of bombs in attacking the U.S military bases. The United States in collaboration with the U.K and Canada decided to drop atomic bombs at several Japanese military bases in order to end the war. This essay discusses the causes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

The question on whether the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing is justified is a heated debate up to today. It is also questionable if there was no alternative to the use of atomic bombs. Was there moral justification to the bombing

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The United States decided to drop atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki when Japan failed to adhere to the order given to the requesting them to surrender from the Second World War in 1945. Japan had been so adamant that they would not surrender to the Potsdam declaration without conditions. The Hiroshima bomb was dropped on the 6th August while the Nagasaki bomb was dropped on the 9th August. The dropping of the bombs was ordered by Truman, the president of United States then.

It is unjustifiable that the United States would bomb Japan on protest to Potsdam declaration. Although Japan had already destroyed some citation centers in Shanghai China, through bombing they did not deserve mass destruction. Punishment is good but when it is extremely destructive it is inhuman. If the United States had considered extend of destruction they would cause on the human population in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they would have only applied limited amounts of force. United States failed to protect human rights by the use of excessive force. It is undeniable that Japan had been using atomic bombs to attack military bases. However, this was not very destructive as the indiscriminate bombing done by U.S. atomic bombs dropped in Japan were extremely destructive since they massively destroyed residential areas causing deaths on thousands of people. Fire blasts and machine guns were observed bringing towns and market places in to ashes. The cruel act of atomic bombing was totally destructive and unjustifiable despite the failure of Japan to admit defeat without conditions.
The United States claims that the international law allowed for the bombing in Japan due it failed to surrender. Nevertheless, alternative solutions would have been sought instead of the atomic bomb. If U.S would have opted to procure Mercy bombing, it would have resulted in few deaths with the intended result. Indiscriminate bombing can not be morally defended under any circumstances. It was ruthless.

According to Mr. Churchill the use of atomic bomb brought the salvation of over 250,000 British soldiers as well as over 1,000,000 soldiers from America. However, it is argued that the effect of atomic bomb would have been less destructive had United States sounded a warning to Japan. At this point may be Japan would have surrendered for the sake of her nations population. Nonetheless, it is thought that if Japan was warned she would have counterattacked the U.S forces before she was attacked. This is not a justification to the merciless destruction of the two cities in Japan, (Truman Speaks. PP 73-74).

Alternatively, if the bombing was inevitable then the United States would have sounded a warning. Supposing Japan failed to surrender after the warning then the bomb would have been dropped on a different target within the country where it would cause less damage or claim few human lives. Consequently, if after this trial bombing Japan did not yield to the call to surrender then dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki would have been less questionable. Having been warned, the bombs would have caused less destruction. This would have spared more lives.

In his justification for the use of the weapon of mass destruction, President Truman in 1945 acknowledges that he was allowed by the board of war committee to use the bomb on the enemy country. He had to accept the full responsibility to avoid being charged over money squander. Furthermore, it is believed that the president was anxious to use the atomic bomb to end war at Far East in a faster manner before confrontation by the Russians. The war committee is said to have recommended the use of atomic bomb on target nation without a warning. The committee also gave the president the mandate to select the most appropriate target for the bombing in Japan, (Memoirs of Harry S. Truman, Vol. 1). The committee also felt that there was would be no option that would end the war at once, other than the atomic bomb. The bomb destruction was expected to cripple the target nation to point of no recovery in the near future.  The president felt justified to have ordered the use of atomic bombs on Japan because he said that the bombs were dropped according to the international laws of war. Atomic bombs were dropped at military bases. He ordered that bombs be dropped at the closest point to the military bases in Japan thus they were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I belief, there were other ways in which Japan would have been stopped from attacking United States military bases. Lighter kinds of bombs or weapons would have been used successfully without the involvement of atomic bombs. It is very unfortunate that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed towards the end of the war in which further negotiations and suctions would have been used to let Japan surrender to the demands. More over, more threats over the existence of atomic bombs from the U.S would have served to deter Japan from more attacks thus forcing surrender.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were very destructive to both flora and fauna. Human populations were callously destroyed. More so the United States insisted on the use of atomic bombs because it was a new weapon that would easily stop the war. It is also clear that the bombs were used as a way of avoiding the accusation to the president for squandering public funds in war. In addition the U.S. President claimed that Japan had adamantly refused to surrender in war without condition thus they would only be stopped by the bomb.

Despite all these arguments it should be understood that atomic bombs are extremely destructive and should never be used in any war, (America Atomic Atrocity, 25). Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered a great destruction as a result of the bombs. Justifications over the bombing are unfathomable and malicious. United States leaves a lot to be desired on her role in the protection of humanity principles. The act of using atomic bombs displays moral degradation in United States since most nations fell insecure with the introduction of weapons of mass destruction.