Essay on Unnecessary Atomic Bomb on Japan

The Second World War was a worldwide war that took place from 1939 to 1945. The war had a great impact on the world. During this battle, the German created an assassin camp what resulted into them committing most crimes compared to other countries. Towards the end of the war, Germany and Japan were already out. Fundamentally, the World War II was the mightiest struggle ever in the world (Walker 19). A massive population was affected and following research, estimated 55million people perished that period. The United States tried to keep off the war, but the consistent expansion of Japanese into the Pacific Ocean and their attack on Pearl Harbor made them join the conflict. The Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor came as a surprise to American people when their planes covered the entire sky. They rained bullets and bombs over the American base what led to the explosion of Arizona USS ship. The ship sank with 1000 men trapped inside.

Notably, the attack brought huge loss to Americans since over 20 ships, and more than 300 airplanes were destroyed. According to Walker (45), the US also lost 2500 men in the attack. Following the attack, United States began fighting Japan on the Pacific Ocean. They won most battles against Japan, and that enabled them to have control over many areas in that region. Even after losing almost all battles, Japanese did not surrender easily. They acted in a Kamikaze manner what they believed will make them be remembered with great honor.

Ideally, Truman wanted to invade Japan with forces, but they realized it would bring huge loss to Americans (Walker 315). Due to that, they decided to sacrifice Hiroshima, and Nagasaki by dropping two atomic bomb in these regions. The second bomb was meant to inform Japanese that Americans will not stop dropping the atomic bombs until they surrendered unconditionally. The survivors of these bomb attacks suffered severe psychological problems. By late 1950s, psychologists in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki recorded increased cases of neurotic symptoms among the survivors. According to Bernstein (232), other than psychological problems, the survivors also had physical damages that persisted for quite a long time. About 90% of medical personnel perished in the attack, and they even ran out of the remaining medical supplies. Most survivors started to experience the effects of the bomb radiations by developing various health challenges.

Notably, when the United States dropped the first bomb on Hiroshima, the explosion annihilated the entire city. The attack wiped out 90% of the population, and five square miles of the city got destroyed (Bernstein 233). Those who were at the center of the explosion got vaporized by the heat intensity. The second atomic bomb landed in Nagasaki three days after the Hiroshima explosion. Despite the mall damage caused by the bombings, most people in Nagasaki migrated to the rural areas, and that reduced the number of causalities during the nuclear attack. In the Nagasaki explosion, about 75000 people died instantly.

In sum, the majority of people kept asking themselves why the Americans had to drop atomic bombs in Japan. Every anniversary of this attack Americans usually engage and fell with the Japanese. As time passes by, Americans keep on asking themselves whether the move was good or not. Historians have different arguments regarding the atomic bomb attack. Most historians usually argue that the attack was major to end the war without risking the American casualties.

Annotated Bibliography

Bernstein, Barton J. "Understanding the atomic bomb and the Japanese surrender: Missed opportunities, little-known near disasters, and modern memory." Diplomatic History 19.2 (1995): 227-273.

The article by Bernstein offers a clear understanding of the atomic bomb and the decision of the Japanese to surrender. On a wider note, the book mentions that the decision of the United States to drop the second bomb was aimed at telling the Japanese that would not cease dropping the bombs until they surrendered. Nonetheless, it provides info ration regarding the missed opportunities, and the modern memory linked to the incidents aftermath

Walker, J S. Prompt, and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs against Japan. Sydney: Read How You Want, 2008. Print

This book offers a vivid description of the events and circumstances that led to dropping the Atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. On a wider note, it focuses on the Truman, his relations with the East and the aftermath of the World War II.

Walker, J. Samuel. "Recent Literature on Truman's atomic bomb decision: a search for middle ground." Diplomatic History 29.2 (2005): 311-334.

This article recognizes that the decision of Truman to drop the atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima were unnecessary and only led to the consequent damaging effect on Americas war effort, prolongation of the war and unnecessarily increased cost.