The United States military action to bomb the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki sparked a contentious discussion regarding whether it was appropriate and whether a different tactic could have been employed to finish the war. The bombing came as the United States was using every tool at its disposal to combat communism. The United States of America battled states that presented a threat to the growth of communism, including Japan and supported any nation that resisted it. Numerous lives were being lost in the conflict between communist sympathizers and Japan, and Japan was unwilling to give up. As the situation worsened, President Truman concluded that using the atomic bomb to finally quiet Japan would be the best way to win the war (Goldberg, 1995). This choice is still considered one of the most contentious throughout the Second World War. This essay makes the argument that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States was warranted.
Examining how the war’s developments led to the decision to use nuclear weapons on Japanese cities is necessary for any investigation of the rationale behind this action. Germany’s loss marked the end of the European campaigns, and Japan was granted terms for capitulation at the conference held in Potsdam. Japan was informed that it would suffer severe repercussions if it did not submit. At the forum, Japan opposed the statement (Yamane, 1995). The Allies had routed Germany without the use of chemical or nuclear weaponry. It is also important to remember that the United States was neutral at the start of the war until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, killing 2400 Americans and injuring many more. The devastation also impacted battleships, ships, and airplanes. Japan has notified the United States that their relationship was shattered before the strike. America was forced to invade Japan because it had no justification for keeping its soldiers in place.
Truman first considered using traditional military tactics and considered attacking a Pacific island. Estimates of the casualties, however, indicated that the victims would number in the millions (Weinstock, 1996). Contrary to a ground invasion, fewer people would have died as a result of the employment of atomic weapons. Among the most difficult moral decisions the President had to make must have been which approach to take. Using nuclear weapons was the right decision. The main obstacle in this case was the international concept of war’s ban on attacking undefended territories. It is impossible to win a war by striking defenseless citizens.
Nevertheless, the President managed to classify Hiroshima as a military zone by exploiting a loophole. The bombs were used for political purposes to compel Japan to submit. America intended the war to conclude before Russia could intervene and push its communist ideology, especially as the USSR was prepared to engage Japan in the Pacific War after Victory in Europe (VE) Day. Accordingly, dropping the bomb would have prevented Russia from intervening and allowed communism to be controlled (Miles, 1985).
The use of the nuclear weapon was warranted in terms of effect and cause. A powerful weapon that would compel Japan to give up was required. Millions of people would have perished if the battle had lasted or if the United States had followed the invasion route but for this decision to deploy the bomb. The explosion was the perfect way to put an end to the anguish that the Japanese were causing the hostages. Therefore, the use of the atomic bomb was justifiable since it forced Japan to submit, preserved lives, and freed people who had been imprisoned.
Economic Impacts
It was an immediate outcome of the bombings that led to a horrible tension with a lot of damaged items and lives that were lost. The economy of Japan collapsed, along with the infrastructure. On the other hand, after World War II, the rebuilding process sparked the most successful economic boom from international aid and investments in Germany. The destruction brought upon by WWII led to Japan’s remarkable post-war economic recovery, the so-called “economic miracle,” which has escalated the country to the level of being one of the global economic leaders. Although the event of the expulsion and renewal of economic development from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki disaster was a lesson of experience in Japan, it was an integral factor from which the economy could start its recovery days. The bullet-biting economic factor did not stop in Japan. It intensely focuses on the global trade balance and the direction of investment. The phantom of nuclear conflict made the world more restless and duplicitous, which resulted in the Cold War between the United States and the USSR. This went on again, and the arms race escalation was followed by the excessive military expenditures rate reaching the unachievable pinnacle as this became the means of overriding the productive sectors of the economy.
Technological Impacts
When the first atomic weapons were designed and used during the 2nd world War, their creation began a global nuclear arms race between the most powerful nations. Technology advanced dramatically in a short period. The Manhattan Project – a collaborative effort between scientists that ended in the creation of the nuclear bomb – manifests the advancing scientific studies and collaborations in an exemplary way. Even though the nuclear age brought up a lot of ethical and existential questions about excessive technological development, the nuclear weapons themselves remained a topic of fiery debates, as human beings proved to be very creative in coming up with new purposes for nuclear weapons. The following decades after the atom bombings witnessed the rivalry of nations for control of the source of power in both peaceful and warlike ways. The high number of nuclear power plants in countries has spread nuclear technology (BARNABY, 1995). They use the technology to produce highly required cheap and clean energy. Nonetheless, the natural hazards of the Chornobyl and Fukushima nuclear plant catastrophes demonstrated the indefinable risk of nuclear energy, spurring controversy around its safety and ability to meet long-term power needs.
Social and Political Impacts
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are immensely profound, as they etch themselves in the world’s consciousness, including a powerful warning about the war’s horrors and the need for peace. Survivors called hibakusha unflagging efforts have been the literal groundwork of the establishment of a worldwide campaign against the deployment of nuclear arms and warfare as a means of settling disputes. However, the bombing also turned the war into an ethical debate, which created controversies about principles of ethics, either using nuclear weapons or just war theory (Ikle, 1954). The discussions about the ethical aspects of using military weapons with which one can affect civilian populations are still led by academicians, activists, and government officials. Besides, the heritage of the bombings race in international relations down from diplomatic strategies up to alliances of the interconnected world carries on.
Impact on South Korea
As one of the countries in the East Asian region that is near Japan, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, as well as the effect of these attacks, also were a tremendously shocking experience for Korean people. The considerable concentration of the outcomes of the nuclear attack on the Korean Peninsula made the first a lesson for South Korea to realize the necessity of national security and readiness for defense (BARNABY, 1995). The risk of nuclearization is still very much on the Korean peninsula, which, in many respects, affects both the country’s foreign policy and its military partnerships. Besides, owing to the economic and technological advancements following the destruction, South Korea’s direction was indirectly impacted. South Korea’s tendency to use Japan as a template in industrialization and technological development periodically served as a reference or even an object of emulation as a Korean path to success in reaching the level of Japan’s medium to long-term benefits are more clearly visible. The solid economic relations between South Korea and Japan stimulated technology and knowledge transfer and laid the foundation for the economic powerhouse development of South Korea itself.
Conclusion
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings form a murky and gloomy trail throughout human civilization, resulting in an everlasting legacy that defines global dynamics even to this day. From the Japanese economic miracle resulting from the atomic bombings to technological breakthroughs after the nuclear age, the influence is present in multiple ways. In light of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings impacting the world in different ways, it becomes the responsibility of posterity to respect peace, promote reconciliation, and scrap Nuclear arms to deter the previous mistakes.
References
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Miles Jr, R. E. (1985). Hiroshima: The strange myth of half a million American lives saved.
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YAMANE, K. (1995). Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Beginning of the Nuclear Age. Medicine
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