Personal Reflection Essay on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings

During the Second World War, America dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan in Hiroshima City. The bomb wiped Hiroshima out of its existence and took lives of more than 80,00 0 American citizens were about 10,000 individuals were also expected to die after the radiation exposure. After three days, another bomb as placed on Nagasaki that killed over 10,000 people. This essay seeks to explain the events surrounding the bomb and making arguments whether the United States was right to attack Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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Various events provoked the United States to drop atomic bombs on Japan. One of these events was the Bataan Death March. During that event, Japan caught about 70,000 American troops that were stationed in the Philippines. The Japanese had captured Iwo Jima which an island that was in South Tokyo (Lawton, 2004). The Japanese forced the troops to walk for over 100 miles under very harsh conditions. The march showed the cruelty of the Japanese. The other event is the Island Hopping Campaign. In 1944 and 1945, United States captured many islands off the Japanese shore. As a result, Japanese decided to go to war with the United States where America finally decided to drop atomic bombs on the country

I believe that the United States was justified to drop the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese provoked the United States by attacking American troop that was in Philippines. Japan went ahead and attacked the Pearl Harbor and killed more than 200 American citizens. The United States had not even provoked Japan. What the United States had done is cutting off their trade with Japan and also limited their oil supply. However, this did not mean that Japan should attack the United States. These two reasons made Japan and the United States enter into war with each other. After the war had started, Japan was not willing to surrender, and the United States decided to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki so as to end the war. The war would not have ended if the United States did not do so Bret Stephens's claim that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war, saving thousands of American lives, must be measured against the judgment of the top military leaders of the time. The United States used the two atomic bombs to experiment whether they would work out. Therefore, since Japan was not in good terms with the United States, the attack was justified. we used them as an experiment for two atomic bombs.

Other people argue that the United States was not justified to drop the bombs on Japan. This is because America took several Japanese islands that provoked to fight with the United States. Despite that there was a war between Japan and United States, the people against the idea claimed that America did not have to attack Japan so as to stop the war. Other means just as dialogue could have been used to end the battle. Walker argued that The consensus among scholars is that the bomb was not needed to avoid an invasion of Japan and to end the war within a relatively short time. It is clear that alternatives to the bomb existed and that Truman and his advisors knew it3

In conclusion, I believe that the United States were justified to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As discussed above, it was not for the Japanese provocation; the United States would not have attacked the country. Since America had produced the first nuclear weapon, it got an opportunity to experiment their weapons. However, the motif of the experimentation was due to the conflict between US and Japan. Additionally, the war between the United States and Japan would also end.

Bibliography

Lawton, Clive. Hiroshima: The Story of the First Atom Bomb. Candlewick Press, 2004.

Walker, J. Samuel. "The decision to use the bomb: A historiographical update." Diplomatic History 14, no. 1 (1990): 97-114.

Stephens, Bret. Was It Right To Drop Atom Bombs On Japan?"? The Wall Street Journal (2015)